Скачать или смотреть FORGOTTEN Soviet Battleships of WWII

When most people think of battleships during the Second World War, they picture the titans of the Atlantic and Pacific—the mighty Bismarck, the venerable Warspite, the colossal Yamato, or the fast and modern Iowa-class. Rarely does the Soviet Navy come to mind, and yet, throughout World War II, three Soviet battleships actively served in combat roles, delivering naval gunfire and bolstering coastal defenses in the Baltic and Black Seas.

In today’s video, we explore the combat history of the Soviet Union’s three operational battleships: October Revolution, Jean Paul Marat, and Paris Commune. All three were originally part of the Gangut class—Russia’s first generation of dreadnoughts built for the Imperial Navy before the First World War. Outdated by the 1940s, they were modernized during the interwar period and pressed into service once more when the Axis threat arrived at the USSR’s doorstep.

These ships never engaged enemy fleets in traditional line-of-battle actions, but they played vital strategic and tactical roles. October Revolution and Jean Paul Marat were stationed in the Baltic and took part in the Winter War with Finland, shelling coastal batteries and supporting Soviet land operations. When Operation Barbarossa began in June 1941, they became integral to the defense of Leningrad, firing thousands of shells at advancing German troops from the safety of the harbor.

Jean Paul Marat was heavily damaged on September 23, 1941, when German Stuka dive bombers struck her forward magazine, splitting the ship and killing over 300 crew. Despite the loss of her bow, she was raised, repaired, and returned to action as a stationary battery, firing over 1,900 shells during the Siege of Leningrad.

October Revolution also suffered bomb damage and required repairs before returning to shell German positions in support of Soviet offensives. In the Black Sea, Paris Commune (later renamed Sevastopol) bombarded Axis forces near Crimea, delivered fire support at Sevastopol, and evacuated hundreds of wounded before her guns were worn out and she was confined to port for the rest of the war.

Though these ships were no longer front-line capital ships by global standards, they served admirably in their revised roles. Their resilience and contribution to Soviet defensive efforts speak to the importance of having heavy artillery afloat, even if the age of the dreadnought was rapidly coming to a close.

Join us as we uncover the little-known stories of these battered and battle-hardened Soviet dreadnoughts—forgotten but not without honor.

Sources/Other Reading:

https://www.amazon.com/Italian-Battle...

https://www.amazon.com/Mussolinis-Nav...

https://www.usni.org/press/books/russ...

https://www.amazon.com/Warships-Sovie...

https://www.amazon.com/Warship-2015-J...

https://www.amazon.com/Stalins-Ocean-...

Video Information:
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