Hero City (город-герой or gorod-geroy in Russian) is an honorary title awarded for outstanding heroism during the Great Patriotic War of 1941 to 1945. It was awarded to twelve cities of the Soviet Union. In addition the Brest Fortress was awarded an equivalent title of Hero-Fortress. This symbolic distinction for a city corresponds to the individual distinction Hero of the Soviet Union. The Eastern Front1 was the theatre of combat between Nazi Germany and its allies against the Soviet Union during World War II. It was somewhat separate from the other theatres of the war, not only geographically, but also for its scale and ferocity. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Hero-Fortress (крепость-герой - krepost-geroy) is the honorary title awarded to the Soviet fortress now located in Brest, Belarus (then part of the Byelorussian SSR) in 1965 for the heroic defence of the frontier stronghold during the very first weeks of the Great Patriotic War of 1941 to 1945. ... Hero-Fortress (крепость-герой - krepost-geroy) is the honorary title awarded to the Soviet fortress now located in Brest, Belarus (then part of the Byelorussian SSR) in 1965 for the heroic defence of the frontier stronghold during the very first weeks of the Great Patriotic War of 1941 to 1945. ... Hero of the Soviet Union (Russian: Герой Советского Союза) was the highest honorary title and the superior degree of distinction of the former USSR. It included the Order of Lenin (the highest Soviet award) and, as the sign of excellence, the Gold Star medal with the certificate of the heroic deed (gramota) from...

According to the statute, the hero city is issued the Order of Lenin, the Gold Star medal, and the certificate of the heroic deed (gramota) from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Also, the corresponding obelisk is installed in the city. The Order of Lenin (ru: Орден Ленина), named after the leader of the Russian Revolution, was the second highest national order of the Soviet Union (Highest was the Order of Victory). ... Gold Star medal, distinctive sign of excellence awarded as part of the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union. ... The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Президиум Верховного Совета СССР in Russian, or Prezidium Verkhovnogo Soveta) was a Soviet governmental body. ... The Luxor obelisk in the Place de la Concorde in Paris An obelisk is a tall, thin, four-sided, tapering monument which ends in a pyramidal top. ...

History

The usage of the term "hero-city" is dated to articles in Pravda as early as in 1942. The first official usage of the title is dated by May 1, 1945, when Joseph Stalin issued his Supreme Commander Order #20 commanding to fire salutes in "hero cities Leningrad, Stalingrad, Sevastopol, and Odessa." This article treats the Soviet/Russian newspaper. ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... (?) (Russian, in full: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин (Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin), real name: Иосиф Виссарионович Джугашвили (Iosif Vissarionovich... A salute is a gesture or other action used to indicate respect. ... Leningrad (Russian: Ленинград) usually refers to the name of the city which is now known as Saint Petersburg, Russia between 1924 and 1991. ... Stalingrad is the former name of two cities: Volgograd, Russia Karviná-Nové Město, near Ostrava, Czech Republic Other uses: The Battle of Stalingrad (a major turning-point of World War II and arguably the bloodiest battle in human history) Stalingrad (German film set during the above battle) Stalingrad (metro station... Sevastopol (Севастополь, Sevastopol’ in Russian and Ukrainian; Aqyar in Crimean Tatar), formerly known as Sebastopol, is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of Crimean peninsula. ... ODESSA (German Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen; The Organization of Former SS-Members) was an alleged Nazi-German fugitive network set up towards the end of World War II by a group of SS officers. ...

On June 22, 1961 (20th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War) the term "Hero City" was applied to Kiev in the ukases that awarded Kiev the Order of Lenin and introduced the Medal "For the Defence of Kiev". June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A monument to St. ... Awards and decorations of the Soviet Union are decorations from the Former USSR that recognized achievements and personal accomplishments in both military and civil. ...

The statute of the title was officially introduced by the ukase of the USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium of May 8, 1965, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. The same day ukases were issued about awarding the cities mentioned above: Leningrad, Volgograd (former Stalingrad), Kiev, Sevastopol, and Odessa. (However traditionally for these cities the anniversaries of being Hero City correspond to the dates mentioned earlier.) Additionally, Moscow was declared Hero City and Brest declared Hero-Fortress. Ukase (Russian: указ, ukaz) in Imperial Russia was a proclamation of the tsar government, or a religions leader patriarch that had the force of law. ... The Supreme Soviet (Russian: , Verhovniy Sovet, literally the Supreme Council) comprised the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in the interim of the sessions of the Congress of Soviets, and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ...

Subsequent awards were issued as follows:

• September 14, 1973: Kerch and Novorossiysk.
• June 26, 1974: Minsk
• December 7, 1976: Tula
• May 6, 1985: Murmansk, Smolensk

In 1988 the issuance of the award was officially discontinued. September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Kerch (Russian: Керчь; Ukrainian: Керч; Old East Slavic: Корчев, Turkish and Crimean Tatar: Kerç) is a city (2001 pop 157,000) on the Kerch Peninsula of eastern Crimea, an important industrial, transportation and tourist center of Ukraine. ... Novorossiysk (Russian Новороссийск) is a city in southern Russia, one of the main Russian ports on the Black Sea, in Krasnodar Krai. ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Victory Square, the central place of Minsk Minsk or Miensk (Belarusian: ; Russian: ) is the capital and a major city of Belarus with a population of 1. ... December 7 is the 341rd day (342th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Places named Tula include: Tula, Russia Tula, in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico Tula is also the professional name of model-cum-actress Caroline Cossey. ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... Murmansk, Archangelsk, Dikson, Tiksi, on the Arctic Ocean Murmansk coin Murmansk (Му́рманск) is a city in the extreme northwest of Russia (north of the Arctic circle) with a seaport on the Kola Gulf, 20 miles from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia... A view of Smolensk in 1912 Smolensk (Russian: Смоленск;, Belarusian: Смаленск) is a city in western Russia, located on the Dniepr river at 54. ...

There have long been sentiments in Russia that many of these awards were politically motivated and some other cities deserve no less. On April 5, 2005 the State Duma of Russian Federation passed the law in the first reading about the introduction of the honorary title "City of Military Glory" (Город воинской славы). Potential candidates are places of fierce battles: Oryol, Rzhev, Yelnya, Voronezh, Vyazma, and others. The law has been criticised for lacking criteria for various terms used, such as "most fierce battles", and for not specifiyng the sources of financing of its implementation. April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The State Duma (Russian: Государственная дума (Gosudarstvennaya Duma), common abbreviation: Госдума (Gosduma)) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia (legislature), the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. ... Orel or Oryol (Орёл) is a city in Russia, administrative center of the Oryol Oblast. ... Rzhev is the uppermost town situated on the Volga river. ... Voronezh (Воро́неж) is a large city in the south of Central Russia, not far from Ukraine. ... Vyazma (Вязьма in Russian) is a city in the Smolensk Oblast in Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk and Mozhaysk. ...

Brest Hero-Fortress

The fortress in Brest (Belarus) was located right on the recently established border between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. This border was drawn in the secret appendix to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and quickly established de-facto after the two countries invaded and divided Poland between them in September 1939, only weeks after their conclusion of Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. As such, the fortress had little warning when the Axis invaded on 22 June 1941, and became the site of the first major fighting between Soviet frontier guards and the invading German forces of Army Group Centre. German artillery heavily shelled the fortress; the subsequent attempt to quickly take it with infantry failed, however, and the Germans started a lengthy siege. The Brest garrison, about 4,000 soldiers in the fortress itself, offered bitter resistance to the German assaults. Although they were initially surprised by the attack and outnumbered by a ratio of 10:1, and although they were cut off from the outside world and ran out of food, water and ammunition, the defenders fought and counter-attacked until the very last minute. The Germans deployed tanks, tear gas and flame throwers but could not break Soviet resistance. After the Germans had taken most of the ruined fortifications, taking heavy casualties, bloody fighting continued underground. The fighting ended only in late July. The actual front had by then already moved hundreds of kilometres further East. The fortress of Brest was awarded the title Hero-Fortress in 1965. Even after the fortress was officially taken, the few surviving defenders continued to hide in the basements and to harass the Germans for several months. Brest (Belarusian: ; also known as Brest-Litovsk and in Polish as Brześć Litewski, Brześć nad Bugiem or Brześć BiaÅ‚oruski; Russian: , Lithuanian: Lietuvos Brasta (literally meaning shallows of Lithuania) is a city (population 290,000 in 2004) in Belarus close to the Polish border where the Western Bug and Mukhavets... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Hero-Fortress (крепость-герой - krepost-geroy) is the honorary title awarded to the Soviet fortress now located in Brest, Belarus (then part of the Byelorussian SSR) in 1965 for the heroic defence of the frontier stronghold during the very first weeks of the Great Patriotic War of 1941 to 1945. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ...

Minsk

The city of Minsk, the capital of present-day Belarus, was encircled by advancing German forces in late June 1941. Trapped in a vast pocket, the Soviets defended their positions desperately. Their resistance was broken on 9 July, with over 300,000 Soviet troops taken captive. During the following three-year occupation, the Germans killed about 400,000 civilians in and around the city. The Minsk area became a centre for the Soviet partisan movement behind enemy lines. Minsk was awarded the title Hero City in 1974. Victory Square, the central place of Minsk Minsk or Miensk (Belarusian: ; Russian: ) is the capital and a major city of Belarus with a population of 1. ... July 9 is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 175 days remaining. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

Smolensk

2 roubles, 2000

Located on the approaches to Moscow, the city of Smolensk saw a fierce Battle of Smolensk unfolding in the summer of 1941. German armoured divisions of Army Group Centre began an offensive on July 10, 1941 to encircle Soviet forces in the Smolensk area. Soviet resistance was strong, and several counter-attacks were conducted. The Soviets even managed to temporarily break the German encirclement and to evacuate troops out of the pocket. The battle ended in early September. The bitter fighting had considerably delayed the overall German advance toward Moscow, so that defence lines further East could be strengthened. Smolensk was awarded the title Hero City in 1985. Download high resolution version (642x619, 95 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (642x619, 95 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: ▶(?)) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva. ... A view of Smolensk in 1912 Smolensk (Russian: Смоленск;, Belarusian: Смаленск) is a city in western Russia, located on the Dniepr river at 54. ... The eastern front at the time of the Battle of Smolensk. ... Army Group Centre (Heeresgruppe Mitte in German) was one of three German army formations assigned to the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, code-named Operation Barbarossa. ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ...

Kiev

The capital of present-day Ukraine became the site of the largest encirclement battle in the summer of 1941. When the Germans commenced their offensive on 7 July, Soviet forces concentrated in the Kiev area were ordered to stand fast, and a breakout was prohibited. Defence of the pocket was fierce. Thousands of civilians volunteered to help defend the city. Eventually Kiev was taken on 19 September. Over 600,000 Soviet troops were taken captive when the pocket was cleared. The prolonged resistance effectively disrupted the German plans of blitzkrieg. However, in military terms, the battle was an awesome victory for the German Army and a disaster for the Soviets. It had a huge effect on morale, and Adolf Hitler praised the victory as the greatest battle in history. July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... A monument to St. ... Blitzkrieg relies on close co-operation between infantry and panzers (tanks). ... The German Army (German: Heer listen ▶(?)) is one of the three parts of the Bundeswehr (Federal Defence), as well as previously the Wehrmacht (Defence Force) - the others are the Air Force (Luftwaffe) and the Navy (Marine). ... State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Socialist republics/ Communist... ▶(?) (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and Führer und Reichskanzler (Leader and Chancellor) of Germany from 1934 to his death. ...

During the German occupation of Kiev, hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed or deported for slave labour. Kiev again became a battlefield when advancing Soviet forces pushed the Germans back West, liberating the city on 6 November 1943. Kiev was awarded the title Hero City in 1965. November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 55 days remaining. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ...

Odessa

In early August 1941, the Black Sea port of Odessa, located in present-day Ukraine, was attacked and besieged by Romanian forces fighting alongside their German allies. The fierce battle in defence of the city lasted until 16 October, when the remaining Soviet troops, as well as 15,000 civilians were evacuated by sea. Partisan fighting continued, however, in the city's catacombs. Odessa was awarded the title Hero City in 1945. ODESSA (German Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen; The Organization of Former SS-Members) was an alleged Nazi-German fugitive network set up towards the end of World War II by a group of SS officers. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in Leap years). ...

Murmansk

The city of Murmansk, located on the Kola peninsula close to the Norwegian and Finnish borders, was a strategically important sea port and industrial city. It was the only Soviet port on the Northern coast that did not freeze in the winter, and was vital for the transport of supplies to the South. German forces, including 800 Finns under German command, launched an offensive against Murmansk on 29 June 1941. More than 180,000 grenades and inflammable shells were fired on the city itself. Fierce Soviet resistance in the tundra and several Soviet counter-attacks made an Axis breakthrough impossible, however. Axis forces discontinued their attacks in late October 1941, having failed to take Murmansk or to cut off the Karelian railway line. Murmansk was awarded the title Hero City in 1985. Murmansk, Archangelsk, Dikson, Tiksi, on the Arctic Ocean Murmansk coin Murmansk (Му́рманск) is a city in the extreme northwest of Russia (north of the Arctic circle) with a seaport on the Kola Gulf, 20 miles from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia...

Saint Petersburg (Leningrad)

The city centre of Leningrad after a German bombardment, 1941

The city of Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, saw what is regarded as one of the greatest human tragedies of the entire War. Leningrad, one of the cities with a large amount of classical and baroque architecture on the Baltic Sea, was a city with a pre-war population of three million inhabitants. By August 1941, the Germans had reached the city's southern outskirts. Finnish forces had meanwhile recaptured the Karelian Isthmus North-West of the city, which they had lost after the Winter War in 1940. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53 deg. ... The Karelian Isthmus is the narrow stretch of land between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. ... The Winter War (also known as the Soviet-Finnish War or the Russo-Finnish War) broke out when the Soviet Union attacked Finland on November 30, 1939, three months after the start of World War II. As a consequence, the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations on...

Building on fire

The city was completely cut off from all land access on 8 September 1941. As the Gulf of Finland was blocked as well, Leningrad's only contact with the outer world was a vulnerable waterway across Lake Ladoga, as Finnish command didn't agree to German requests to advance beyond the River Svir and to conquer the rest of the Lake's coastline. Since taking the city seemed too costly to the Germans, in the light of bitter Soviet resistance, they instead began the Siege of Leningrad in order to starve the city to death. Soon, electricity, water and heating for civilian housing had to be shut down. All public transportation stopped in 1941-42 winter , but in 1942 city tramcars were relaunched (trolleys and buses were unoperable until end of the war). File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years). ... The Baltic Sea The Gulf of Finland is an arm of the Baltic Sea that extends between Finland (to the north) and Estonia (to the south) all the way to the city of Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. ... Map of Scandinavia Lake Ladoga (Russian: Ладожское озеро, Finnish: Laatokka) is the largest lake in Europe, located in Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia (since WWII), near the border to Finland. ... Categories: Russia geography stubs | Russian rivers | Karelia ... Barrage airships in front of St. ...

The Road of Life across the frozen Lake Ladoga

Thousands of Leningrad citizens froze or starved to death in the first winter of the siege alone, dying at home in their beds or collapsing from exhaustion in the streets. Meanwhile, German artillery continued to bombard the city. Although the siege lasted for 900 days, the city did not surrender. During this siege, the starving population was driven to extreme measures to survive and some resorted to cannibalism. When Lake Ladoga froze in the winter, the Road of Life was opened to the Soviet-held southern shore of the Lake, with an long trail of trucks bringing food and supplies to the besieged city and evacuating citizens on their way back. Both the food and the civilian transports were constantly attacked by the Germans with artillery shelling and air raids. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Supply trucks on their way to Leningrad on the Road of Life Road of Life (дорога жизни - doroga zhizni in Russian) became the term for a transport route across the frozen Lake Ladoga, which provided the only access to the besieged city of Leningrad in the winter months during World...

When Soviet forces eventually stopped the siege in January 1944, over one million inhabitants of Leningrad had died from starvation, exposure and German shelling. The Soviet citizens who had collaborated with the Nazis and those who had participated in cannibalism were shot. 300,000 soldiers had perished in the defence and relief of Leningrad. Leningrad was awarded the title Hero City in 1945, being the first city to receive that distinction.

Tula

2 roubles, 2000

Tula, a historical Russian city with important military industry South of Moscow, became the target of a German offensive to break Soviet resistance in the Moscow area between 24 October and 5 December 1941. The heavily fortified city held out, however, and secured the Southern flank during the Soviet defence of Moscow and the subsequent counter-offensive. Tula was awarded the title Hero City in 1976. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Tula (Ту́ла) is an industrial city in the European part of Russia located 165 km to the south of Moscow, on the river Upa, at 54°13′ N 37°36′ E. Population (1990): approx. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... December 5 is the 339th day (340th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: â–¶(?)) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Moscow

At the gates of the Soviet capital, the German invaders finally suffered their most decisive defeat of 1941. The advance of the German Army Group Centre came to a halt in late November 1941, in the outskirts of Moscow itself. The Soviet Government had by then been evacuated, yet Stalin remained in the city. Struggling between determination and despair, the city's population helped building defensive positions in the streets. The underground metro stations provided shelter during German air raids. General Georgy Zhukov, who assumed command of the city's defence, largely left close combat tactics to the local commanders on the city's approaches, and focused on concentrating fresh troops from Siberia for an eventual counter-attack. The Soviet counter-offensive was launched on 5 and 6 December 1941. In the freezing cold of an unusually harsh winter, Soviet forces, including well-equipped ski battalions, drove the exhausted Germans back out of reach of Moscow and consolidated their positions on 7 January 1942. The victory in the Battle of Moscow provided an important boost in morale for the Soviet population. Moscow was awarded the title Hero City in 1965. Army Group Centre (Heeresgruppe Mitte in German) was one of three German army formations assigned to the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, code-named Operation Barbarossa. ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: â–¶(?)) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva. ... Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი; see Other names section) (December 21, 1879[1] – March 5, 1953) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and leader of the Soviet Union. ... Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgi Zhukov Georgi Konstantinovich Zhukov (Russian: Георгий Константинович Жуков) (December 1 N.S./November 19 O.S., 1896 – June 18, 1974), Soviet military commander and politician, considered by many as one of the most successful field commanders of World War II. // Prewar career Born into a peasant family... January 7 is the seventh day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Battle of Moscow refers to the defense of the Soviet capital of Moscow and the subsequent counter-offensive against the German army, between October 1941 and January 1942 on the Eastern Front of World War II. // The German invasion On 22 June 1941 Germany and its Axis allies invaded...

Sevastopol

The Black Sea port of Sevastopol was a heavily defended fortress on the Crimean peninsula. German and Romanian troops had advanced to the outskirts of the city from the North and launched their attack on 30 October 1941. Having failed to take the city, Axis forces began a siege and heavy bombardment. A second Axis offensive against the city, launched in December 1941, failed as well, as the Soviet army and navy forces continued to fight fiercely. Eventually the city was taken in June 1942. It was liberated in bloody fighting in May 1944. Sevastopol was awarded the title Hero City in 1945. Sevastopol (Севастополь, Sevastopol’ in Russian and Ukrainian; Aqyar in Crimean Tatar), formerly known as Sebastopol, is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of Crimean peninsula. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Kerch

Kerch, a port in the East of the Crimean peninsula, formed a bridgehead at the strait dividing Crimea from the Southern Russian mainland. After fierce fighting, it was taken by the Germans in November 1941. On 30 December 1941 the Soviets recaptured the city in a naval landing operation. In May 1942 the Germans occupied the city again, yet Soviet partisan forces held out in the cliffs near the city until October 1942. On 31 October 1943 another Soviet naval landing was launched. The largely ruined city was finally liberated on 11 April 1944. Kerch (Russian: Керчь; Ukrainian: Керч; Old East Slavic: Корчев, Turkish and Crimean Tatar: Kerç) is a city (2001 pop 157,000) on the Kerch Peninsula of eastern Crimea, an important industrial, transportation and tourist center of Ukraine. ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining, as the final day of October. ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ...

Novorossiysk

2 roubles, 2000

The city of Novorossiysk on the Eastern coast of the Black Sea provided a stronghold against the German summer offensive of 1942. Tense fighting in and around the city lasted from August until September 1942. The Soviets however retained possession of the Eastern part of the bay, which prevented the Germans from using the port for supply shipments. Novorossiysk was awarded the title Hero City in 1973. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Novorossiysk (Russian Новороссийск) is a city in southern Russia, one of the main Russian ports on the Black Sea, in Krasnodar Krai. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Volgograd (Stalingrad)

Soviet soldiers fighting in the ruins of Stalingrad, 1942

Volgograd is the present-day name of the city of Stalingrad. The defence of Stalingrad from July to November 1942, the counter-offensive of 19 November 1942 that trapped the Axis forces in and around the city, and the German surrender on 2 February 1943 marked the turning-point of the entire Second World War. The intensity and sheer scale of the battle of Stalingrad illustrate the ferocity of the Great Patriotic War. Heavy German bombardment, killing thousands of civilians, had turned the city into a landscape of ruins. Workers of the city's weapons factories started personally handing over arms and ammunition to the defending soldiers as the Germans closed in, and eventually continued the fight themselves. Ever more Soviet troops were shipped into the city across the Volga River under enemy fire. German superiority in tanks became useless in the rubble of urban warfare. Fierce man-to-man fighting in streets, buildings and staircases continued for months. The Red Army moved its strategic reserve from Moscow to the lower Volga, and transferred all available aircraft from the entire country to the Stalingrad area. The Germans eventually lost a quarter of their total forces deployed on the Eastern Front, and never fully recovered from the defeat. The total casualties on both sides are estimated at between 1 and 2 million, within a period of 200 days. Stalingrad was awarded the title Hero City in 1945. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Volgograd â–¶(?) (Russian: Волгогра́д) (population: 1,012,000), formerly called Tsaritsyn â–¶(?) (Цари́цын, Caricyn) (1598–1925) and Stalingrad â–¶(?) (Сталингра́д) (1925–1961) is a city on the west bank of Volga river in southwestern Volgograd Oblast (province), Northern Caucasus district, Russia. ... Stalingrad is the former name of two cities: Volgograd, Russia Karviná-Nové Město, near Ostrava, Czech Republic Other uses: The Battle of Stalingrad (a major turning-point of World War II and arguably the bloodiest battle in human history) Stalingrad (German film set during the above battle) Stalingrad (metro station... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The Battle of Stalingrad was a major turning point in World War II and is considered one of the bloodiest and largest battles in human history. ... The Eastern Front1 was the theatre of combat between Nazi Germany and its allies against the Soviet Union during World War II. It was somewhat separate from the other theatres of the war, not only geographically, but also for its scale and ferocity. ... Volga in Yaroslavl (autumn morning) Length 3,690 km Elevation of the source 225 m Average discharge 8,000 m³/s Area watershed 1. ... A Red Army is a communist army. ...