Figure 1.--The first area of the Soviet Union to be liberated from the Germans was the area east of Moscow as part of the Red Army Winter Offensive (December 1941). The first city to be liberated was Kalinin/Tvir. The press caption here read, "Russian Children Resume Schooling: In this well-ordered schoolroom of the restored school for girls in the city of Kalinin, Russian youngsters return to their studies after the area was liberated from German domination." The Germans left Kalinin in ruins, but the school was repaired. The photograph was dated August 29, 1944.

Most of the Russian ethnic heartland (the modern Russian Republic) remained in Soviet hands throughout World War II. The Germans launched Operation Barbarossa (June 1941). The first battles were fought in the Baltics, eastern Poland, and Ukraine--all non Russian ethnic areas. The first battles on the fringe of Russian ethnic areas occured about 2 months later as Soviet resistance stiffened (September 1941). Army Group North reached the outskirts of Leningrad (September 1). Army Group Center finally took Smolensk (September 10). The Germans drove into Russian ethnic areas, approaching Moscow, but were thrown back by the Red Army winter counter-offensive before Moscow (December 1941). Thus the first liberated areas in the Soviet Union were in the Russian ethnic areas west of Moscow. The first liberated city was Kalinin / Tver (figure 1). Just before the War, the NKVC had destroyed Savior Cathedral in Kalinin as part of the Soviet atheist campaign (1936). The Soviets NKVD murdered 6,200 Polish policemen and Army officer POWs from Ostashkov camp in Kalinin during the first phase of World War II (March 1940). It was part of the murder campaign which included the Katyn killings. The Germans entered the city (October 14). The Red Army liberated in (December 19). There were also liberated areas in southern Russian and the eastern Ukraine. The Germans launched a second summer offensive, this time striking primarily in the south and to a lesser ectent in the noryh around Leningrad. Regaining the Ukraine and moving into Russian ethnic areas reaching the Volga as well as non-Russian areas in the Cauccasus. Again a Soviet winter counter-offensive, this time centered on Stalingrad (November 1942), attacked the Germans at the Volga. The Red Army again driove the Germansand German allies from Russuan ethnic areas. Thus the rest of the War on the eastern front (1943-44) was largely driving the Germans from non-Russian ethnic areas of thewestern Soviet Union. Russians subjected to brutal NAZI occupation received the Red Army as libertors, much as in the west. The Red Army found evidence of terrible attrocities committed by the Germans. Rge attitude in non-ethnic Russian aeas was often different, but the Germans had been so brutal that even some non-RRussians were glad to see the resurrgent Red Armny.

Created: 11:50 PM 9/9/2019
Last updated: 10:01 PM 10/30/2019