The contribution made by the Soviet Union during world war II was quite enormous, but at the same time, the price they paid was also quite heavy. Throughout the history of World War II, the Performance of the Soviet Red Army in the war was very outstanding, and they blocked the Nazi iron hoof with patriotic enthusiasm and determination to defend the motherland, and finally dragged down Germany and became the absolute heroes of the European battlefield.
The strength of the Soviet Red Army is naturally inseparable from the command of a famous marshal, like Marshal Zhukov as we know him, who is such a remarkable figure. However, in addition to Zhukov, there was one whose fame did not lose him, but he was helpless to bury 500,000 Soviet troops in a defeat, and when he returned home, he was shot by Stalin. And this sad famous general is Dmitry Grigolyevich Pavlov.
Before the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, Pavlov was the most anticipated general in the Red Army, and he was young and ambitious, trusted by Stalin and trusted by the Soviet high command, and soon held important positions in the army. He was also the commander of one of the first two tank regiments of the Red Army, and the other was the famous Zhukov. Pavlov and Zhukov's path to promotion was the same, they were promoted to general together, together they became the commanders of important military districts, and both of them had very high reputations in the army.
After the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, Pavlov served as commander-in-chief of the Western Front, but soon after, the famous Battle of Minsk broke out. At that time, the Germans raided the Soviet Union, and Pavlov's military district was the main target of the German offensive. After being attacked by the Germans, Pavlov was momentarily panicked, so he did not respond effectively, and the Germans quickly formed a circle at this time, seeing that pavlov's army was about to encircle it. However, after the reaction, the experienced Pavlov immediately saw the strategic objectives of the German army, and he hurriedly dispatched heavy troops to deploy in strategic places to desperately resist the German attack. Under Pavlov's response, the German plot did not succeed, and Pavlov was able to break through.
After the battle, Pavlov's army still had 300,000 troops under siege, and he led 200,000 troops out of the encirclement, saving strength. However, after returning to the country, Stalin was extremely angry at Pavlov's defeat, and he regarded Pavlov's retreat without a fight as nothing more than treason. In the end, Pavlov was also executed for treason, which was undoubtedly a great shame for this veteran who was loyal to the country.