The true role and significance of Kharkov in the events of the 1941-1943 years in Left-Bank Ukraine, the peculiarities of the development of the Kharkov military-industrial complex, the strength of the Kharkov military district on the eve and in the first months of World War II, the realities of life of Kharkiv, the truth about the Kharkov "catacombs," hidden pages of the history of the region, the reasons for the breakthrough of the enemy into the territory of Eastern Ukraine... Consideration of these and a number of other issues is based in the book on a wide array of unpublished archival documents and eyewitness memories, clearly introduces the events preceding the fascist occupation of the Kharkov region. The publication is addressed to everyone who is interested in the history of the events of 1939-1945, who seeks to know the true history of their region, country and people.