The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has opened a multimedia section on its website «Fragile peace on the brink of war», which presents unique declassified documents, telling about the events of the eve and the initial period of the Second World War.
«Materials published for the first time reveal unknown details of world military policy on the eve of the war. The materials of the multimedia section will allow visitors to get an idea of how, how and why certain decisions were made in such a difficult military-political situation«, — according to a defense department report.
«The publication of declassified documents from the funds of the Central Archive of the Russian Ministry of Defense is a continuation of the activities of the military department, aimed at the protection and protection of historical truth, countering the falsification of history, attempts to revise the results of World and Second World Wars«, — notes the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Among the published materials is a description of the combat operations of the 2nd German Army Corps during the offensive against Poland in 1939 year. The testimony of a German general testifies to the fierce resistance of the Poles, describes the tense course of the battles for Warsaw and the Modlin fortress.
Polish threat
Among other declassified materials — memo from the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army Boris Shaposhnikov to the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR Kliment Voroshilov dated 24 Martha 1938 of the year. It contains an assessment of the military threat, which may be represented by various states as independently, and as part of military alliances and blocs.
From the document follows, that Poland was considered by Soviet military experts as one of the main threats to the USSR before World War II. Defense Ministry says, what the degree of importance and secrecy of the document emphasizes the fact, what «Shaposhnikov does not resort to the help of a secretary-typist, but writes a 31-page memorandum on his own«.
As Shaposhnikov noted, «The Soviet Union needs to be ready to fight on two fronts: in the west against Germany-Poland and partly against Italy with the possible accession of limitrophes to them, and in the east against Japan«.
From the document follows, that the combined forces of Germany and Poland on the eve of the war numbered more than 160 infantry divisions, more 7 thousand tanks and 4,5 thousands of aircraft.
Greeted with flowers
The documents of the Ministry of Defense also talk about, how residents of Western Ukraine with flowers in their hands and with tears of joy in their eyes greeted in September 1939 the Soviet troops, who liberated them during the Polish campaign from oppression by the Poles.
Among these materials — messages, sent to the Soviet leadership of the country from various cities of Western Ukraine by the head of the Political Directorate of the Red Army Lev Mekhlis.
«The Ukrainian population welcomes our army as true liberators«, — Mehlis wrote, Noting, that advanced units «showered with flowers». «Many cry for joy», — he noted. Local residents tried to give apples to the Red Army, pies, drinking water, added Mehlis.
«Peasants of western Ukraine greet our units, as liberators from the Polish pans, and ask not to let the Germans«, — reported the head of the Political Directorate of the Red Army.
In his messages, Mehlis raised the issue of the urgent need to establish a normal life, supplying cities with fuel and food, the lack of which took place under the Polish government. «There is no salt in the cities, matches, kerosene, bread», — Mehlis reported.
Soviet invasion of Poland — a complex of political and military measures of the USSR to establish control over the territory of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus, carried out with 17 September 12 October 1939 of the year.
First day of September 1939 Germany attacked Poland, what started WWII. The rapid advance of the German troops to the east of Poland created a threat of the entry of the Wehrmacht armies to the border with the USSR in the immediate vicinity of Minsk and Kyiv.
The Soviet leadership had information about, that in the occupied territory the German authorities plan to create a puppet Western Ukrainian state with a center in Lviv, whose government will eventually have to come out with a call for the unification of all Ukraine under its authority, what will give Germany a reason to declare war on the USSR. It was also known that, that in the Baltic direction Germany intends to occupy the territory of Lithuania and part of the territory of Latvia up to the northern border of the former Courland, thus significantly approaching Moscow and Leningrad.
In these conditions, assuming, that the Polish state and its government actually ceased to exist and terminated the treaties, concluded between the USSR and Poland, The Soviet leadership decided to conduct an operation by the Red Army units, designed to protect the life and property of Ukrainians and Belarusians, living in the eastern regions of the collapsed Polish state.
/According to ria.ru/
