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Gorod voinskoy slavy Voronezh

Two weeks before the start of the offensive on the city, the German Air Force launched a mass bombing of the city. The children's entertainment park "Garden of Pioneers" was deliberately chosen as the main goal. On June 13, 1942, the cities there wanted to arrange a holiday in honor of the end of the school year. The consequences of the Nazi raid were monstrous - hundreds of dead, wounded and maimed children. "The whole square was littered with dead children's bodies. Torn pens, legs, screaming and crying children, pools of blood and horror everywhere, "- this is how the results of the fascist bombing were described. The next day, a mass funeral of children took place, which took place in a single procession along the central street of the city.

The only one in Europe

Immediately after the capture of the right-bank part of Voronezh, the Nazis made an attempt to establish an occupation regime on the subordinate territory. Recruitment to the police was announced and the search for candidates for the post of burgomaster began. But Voronezh became the only city in Europe where the Germans failed to establish occupation power, not a single person signed up for the police and did not go over to the side of the enemy.

Unconquered City

The Nazis repeatedly tried to cross the Voronezh River in order to seize a bridgehead in the left-bank part of the city. Once they even succeeded, but a few hours later all the Germans who crossed to the opposite coast were destroyed. The Blau plan took 3-4 days to capture Voronezh, the city resisted for 212 days and was never conquered.

Release

The strike group of Soviet troops concentrated on the right bank of the river on the night of January 24-25, 1943. At dawn, after a massive artillery preparation, an assault began. Voronezh was cleared of the Nazis with one powerful blow, the Germans retreated beyond the Don. The results of the city's defense were deplorable. Of the 20 thousand houses, 19 thousand were destroyed to the ground. Before the retreat, the Nazis burned everything they could get to. They even took a bronze monument to Peter I to Germany for remelting. The German propaganda machine reported that the city was abandoned in its development for 300 years, the Russians would not be able to restore it in half a century. But this turned out to be untrue. A month later, residents of the city received light and water.