Transcript The Soviet-German War

The Soviet-German War
1941 – 1945
By Krieger
• August 23 1939, Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact ensures
non-aggression between Hitler and Stalin
– Secret condition dictates division of territory including
Poland, Finland and Baltic States
• Shortly after pact is signed, Nazi Germany invades
Poland, prompting France and Great Britain to
declare war
– Soviet Union invades Poland on Sept. 17, 1939
• Following the conquest of mainland
Europe, Hitler starts to look East
• Despite reports from Soviet spies and
captured German soldiers announcing the
date of the invasion, Stalin refuses to
believe reports of any German threat
Operation
Barbarossa
• June 22nd, 1941 – Over three million soldiers
of the Wehrmacht invade the Soviet Union
– Divided into Army Groups North, Center, and
South
• Soviet soldiers caught off guard are either
killed, captured or found deserting
• On the surface invasion is a massive success
– Luftwaffe virtually unchallenged, able to
routinely bomb Soviet cities
• Underlying problems such as supply lines
help slow the advance, creating problems in
the future
Faltering Blitzkrieg
• Stavka (Soviet High Command) makes
plans to move Soviet factories
towards the Ural Mountains in the
east
– Lack of long-range bomber puts targets
out of Luftwaffe’s reach
• Fighting in areas such as Smolensk
and Sevastopol slow German advance
even more
The Gates of Moscow
• After freeing up route to Moscow, Army
Group Center dashes to the capital in
late 1941
- advance halts 30 km outside of the city
• Soviet counter-attack commanded by
Georgy Zhukov pushes Germans back
– Counter-attacks continue through January
1942
Leningrad
• Beginning in Sept. 1941, Army Group North besieges the
city of Leningrad
• Siege lasts over 900 days, lifted by the Soviets in Jan.
1944
– Over 1 million Soviet citizens perished from bombardment or
starvation
A New Objective
• After failing to capture Moscow, Hitler
orders the Wehrmacht to strike south
with aims to reach the oilfields in the
Caucasus Mountains
• Wehrmacht appears revitalized,
pushing the Red Army to the Volga
River by August 1942
• In August 1942, the Wehrmacht begins
attack on Stalingrad starting with massive
bombardment
– The ruined city plays to Soviets’ advantage, supplying
many areas to hide
• Bitter street fighting ensues, leaving the Germans
virtually stranded in the city through the Russian
winter
• In November 1942, Soviets counterattacked in Operation Uranus
– Trapped the German 6th Army
– By Jan. 1943 they were forced into surrender
• Battle of Stalingrad proved to be the
turning point in the war
– Costliest battle in history; up to 2 million casualties
overall
• In July 1943, Wehrmacht attempted
encircling 3 Soviet armies in salient near
city of Kursk
– The Soviets, well aware of the plan for some
time, built up elaborate lines of defense
• The resulting clash would end up as largest
armored engagement in history
– Also included most costly day in aerial combat
history
The Gates of Hell
• In January 1944, 56,000 elite German
soldiers are encircled at Korsun-Cherkassy
– The original rescue plan was altered by Hitler to
attempt to outflank the attacking Soviets
– About 35,000 of the soldiers were able to escape
• Though mostly a success, the incident served
as an example of the increasing Soviet threat
in both size and skill
Retaking the Motherland
• Throughout 1944, the Soviet Union
starts to regain the last of the
territory lost since the war started in
1941
• Local resistances in Germanoccupied countries inadvertently
help the Soviets retake territory
• June 22nd, 1944 (3 years after Barbarossa),
the Soviets launch a secret massive attack
against Army Group Center
– The Germans expected an attack on the weakened
Army Group South
• This offensive combined with another operation
brought the Soviets within reach of Warsaw by
the end of July
• Vistula-Oder Offensive, Soviets take
Baltic States, East Prussia, etc.
– 60 mi. east of Berlin by end of offensive
• Enter Austria on March 30, 1945
– Capture Vienna by April 13
• April 20, 1945 (Hitler’s birthday) – Soviets
begin shelling center of Berlin
– Don’t cease until city surrendered
– Hitler commits suicide 10 days later
• German High Command surrenders
unconditionally May 8, 1945
– V-E Day celebrated globally the next day
• Post-War Germany divided into
four zones
– Eastern half occupied by Soviets for
4 decades
• Axis forces deaths more than 4
million
– Soviet military/civilian deaths over
20 million
• War covered more land than all
other WWII fronts combined
Bibliography
• Books
– Glantz, David and Jonathan House. When Titans Clashed. University
Press of Kansas: Lawrence, Kansas 1995.
– Bonn, Keith E. Slaughterhouse: Handbook of the Eastern Front. The
Aberjona Press: Bedford, PA 2005.
– Pleshakov, Constantine. Stalin’s Folly. Hougthton Mifflin Company: New
York, NY 2005.
• Website
– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Front_%28World_War_II%29
– http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/wwii/photos/gallery_002/page_01.htm