Hero City Moscow. Why is Moscow a hero city? When Moscow was awarded the title of Hero City?

"The capital of our country is a hero city Moscow". These words turned into a kind of cliche, and it, like every literary stamp, gradually displaces the deep meaning invested initially in this concept. What does "Hero City" mean? Does this high rank give any advantages? What, live here solid heroes? And what about other cities, villages, villages, villages? There are few heroes born?

These and other issues have arisen constantly in recent decades, and it is time to try to answer them, although it will not be easy.

Hero's title and a brief history

Only at the end of the Great Patriotic War did the concept of "Hero City" appear. Moscow, though the capital, received this status not immediately and not first.

In itself, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was appropriated in our country since 1934, and was backed by a government letter. In 1939, a more visible symbol appeared in the form of a badge - a golden star. Only the most brave, especially the polar explorers, were rewarded with this award. When the Great Patriotic War began, the feats became a mass phenomenon both at the front, in the rear, and in the territories captured by the enemy. The advance of the fascist hordes in the summer and autumn of 1941 was rapid enough, but in some areas it slipped, meeting the courageous rebuff of troops and the population. This phenomenon was first assessed by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief JV Stalin, and it happened at the very end of the war, for a few days before the surrender of Germany, on May 1. It was then that the phrase "city-hero" was sounded. Moscow was not mentioned, they were called Stalingrad, Leningrad, Odessa and Sevastopol. Official decrees were also not issued, everything was limited to a verbal declaration.

The first hero cities

Odessa before the war was actually a border town. Romania was in a few tens of kilometers, the distance to it could be considered symbolic, even after part of modern Moldova became part of the USSR. In October 1941, the front line continued to remain stable on the site, passing almost on the outskirts of the city. Approximately at the same time the Wehrmacht officers were already examining the Kremlin stars with binoculars. The city was abandoned by Soviet troops on the orders of the Stavka. The population of the city played a huge role in the defense of Odessa .

Leningrad was surrounded by a little later than Odessa. It is known to every schoolboy that the students had to be moved: blockade, hunger, bombings, deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, unbearable torments. At the same time, industrial enterprises continued to work and produce weapons for the defenders of this great city. He remained unconquered, the foot of the invader did not set foot on his glorious streets.

Sevastopol ... This word speaks in every Russian heart, it became a symbol of the glory of the Red Army and Navy. The enemy entered it, bearing huge losses, after a long siege, diverting large forces from the offensive on Moscow and the Caucasus.

Stalingrad became the place where 22 Nazi divisions found their end. In order to simply cross the street, the Germans here were required to incur more losses than during the capture of entire European countries.

These were the cities Stalin had in mind when he introduced the expression "Hero City" into circulation. Moscow, however, also excelled.

Other hero cities

At present, there are thirteen of them, including the fortress-hero Brest. If, according to the original plan of this high rank, people were awarded with settlements that resisted the enemy during the defense with the mass assistance of the local population, then later they departed from this rule. In 1961, by decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, Kiev was declared a hero city, although after two months of defense, it was actually surrendered without a fight. The explanation is there, the First Secretary NS Khrushchev personally took part in the fighting, and he was simply "made nice". Approximately from the same considerations became heroes of the city of Novorossiysk and Kerch, only there the "other" was led by another Secretary General, this time by Leonid Brezhnev. Of course, there were fights there, and very cruel, but they also took place near Kharkov, and under Yelnya, and near Rzhev ... And Kursk? And in general, if we proceed from historical realities, then a little city from Brest to the Volga does not deserve this title. Battles rattled everywhere, and they were all terrible.

Few people may have a question about why Moscow is a hero city. This is easy to explain.

Importance of Moscow

The Second World War was full of symbolism. The French leadership signed capitulation in an old car, in which once the Germans were dishonored. Hitler compared himself with Friedrich, then with Barbarossa, and his army on the plates of belts carried the words "God is with us." For the Nazis, Moscow and Leningrad also became symbols, having mastered them, they hoped to crush the USSR and Russia. From the military-economic point of view, even the hypothetical fall of the capital did not at all mean the end of the war victorious for Hitler. The Soviet Union had a titanic industrial base in the Urals and behind it, huge spaces allowed to conduct combat operations and wear out the enemy, spraying forces on millions of square kilometers of occupied territories. However, surrendering the capital would mean losing the most important symbol of the country, undermining the moral core and the collapse of hope. This was well understood by Hitler, Stalin, and millions of Soviet people.

Three important factors

These moral factors partly explain why Moscow is a hero city. In brief, you can add other circumstances. In the event of the fall of the Soviet capital, according to intelligence services, Japan could join the war. This time. Until the autumn of 1941, the German troops advanced only forward, they seemed to be unable to stop anything, only to detain them. There are two. The whole world watched with excitement the unfolding drama in the East, and on how it developed, the fate of further aid to the USSR depended on. It's three. Most likely, there were other factors, but these are considered the most important.

The rout of the Germans near Moscow

Moscow was the first place on the geographical map, where the Wehrmacht suffered a crushing fiasco. It was a rout. Losses proved to be devastating both in personnel and in technology. Moral collapse seemed even more catastrophic. The pre-printed invitations to the "winners' parade" immediately lost their relevance and were demonstrated to the whole world as evidence of shameful arrogance. This alone is enough to already in December 1941 assert that Moscow is a hero city. The photo of the snow-covered fields dotted with broken German technology and the corpses of the invaders inspired hope for the peoples of the occupied countries and raised serious doubts about the correctness of the policy of Hitler's allies. Japan never entered the war.

Official status

Assigning Moscow the title of "Hero City" was held on the eve of the twentieth anniversary of the Victory, in 1965. Together with the capital, a further five cities received the symbolic award (including four listed by JV Stalin twenty years earlier, and Kiev), as well as the Brest Fortress, about which the Soviet people learned about the feat of the garrison not long before. Many modern people may find it difficult to understand the reasons for the enthusiasm of the townspeople who learned about this joyful event. No title was given any material benefits, however, people rejoiced. However, the flights of Soviet cosmonauts caused equally turbulent emotions, as when Moscow was awarded the title Hero City. Yes, it is difficult for our contemporaries, especially the young, to understand ...

Eventually

So all the same, what does this high title give to ordinary Muscovites? Maybe they, like "heroes", are entitled to some benefits or discounts when paying utility bills? No, this status does not provide material benefits. Moreover, he imposes certain duties. Knowing that our capital city, the hero city of Moscow, played such an important role in the victory over the terrible, insidious, cruel and powerful enemy, and feeling its involvement in the common history, every Muscovite, like Odessa, Kiev or St. Petersburg, now with dignity To bear the memory of the valor and selflessness of the glorious ancestors. And if necessary, become a hero.