MILITARY UNITS OF THE URALS ON THE FRONTS OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR

The paper analyses the combat path of military units and larger formations formed in the Urals. It provides statistical data showing the process of creating military units and their moving to combat positions. It is noted that a number of them were sent to the border districts in the pre-war period and engaged in battle with the enemy at the very beginning of the war. A special emphasis is made on the fighting of the 22ndArmy, which occupied an important line of defence. When describing the fighting of the 22nd Army, the focus is on demonstrating the military professional qualities of the 153rd Infantry Division, which destroyed an impressive number of enemies, retained its personnel and was one of the first to receive the title of Guards. The paper examines the participation of the Ural military units in battles at all stages of the war: on the territory of the border region, in the battles of Smolensk and Rzhev, in the defence of Leningrad, in the Battles of Moscow, Stalingrad and Kursk, in the liberation of Soviet territory, in the “European campaign”, and the capture of Berlin. At the same time, the paper highlights the significant role of the Urals Volunteer Tank Corps, which has become a combat symbol of the region and the 150th Infantry Division, whose banner, hoisted over the Reichstag, became the banner of the Great Victory. It is also indicated that during the military operations, many military units of the Urals became Guards. The paper gives their quantitative characteristics, both on a regional and sub-regional scale. A conclusion is drawn that all the natives of the Urals heroically fought against the Nazis, and their skills and courage should become the foundation of spiritual education and professional training of modern defenders of the Motherland.