Transcript Turning Points & Reasons for Allied Victory in World War II

BARBAROSSA,
the
Nazi Crusade
Why Russia?
• Integral part of Nazi ideology
– Mein Kampf: “war of annihilation”
– ‘lebensraum’
– Communism-v-Fascism
– a ’holy war’ against the
‘Bolshevik Hordes’
– seen as an inevitable clash
– ripe for the picking: “We have only to
kick in the door and the whole rotten
structure will come crashing down…”
• Practical reasons not as important
– resources
– labour
– Red Army still re-organising after
purges of the early/mid 30s
The Plan
• Russia
- since Jan 1941, Stalin had received warnings about a German invasion but
chose to ignore them.
- still believed in the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939.
• Germany
- invasion plans delayed by about
5 weeks by the Balkan invasion.
- triple axis of advance
- aim was to use Blitzkrieg tactics
again.
- had built up armed forces on the
border with Russia steadily since
March 1941.
- had covertly supported the Finns
after the Russo-Finnish War of
1939-40.
- new allies: Hungary, Rumania,
Bulgaria & Finland.
Initial Success
• Once again, Blitzkreig worked…
- Russians were completely surprised although orders were given to
increase readiness.
- Russian command & control systems thrown into chaos.
- initial German objectives achieved.
- Churchill: “Any state which fights Nazism will have our aid.”
• Directive No 33 (July 19)…
- Hitler had become more involved in the running of the campaign,
leading to some confusion as to the Wehrmacht’s goals.
- Army Group Centre had easily (relatively) advanced 2/3 of the distance to
Moscow but was ordered to destroy Soviet ‘pocket’ (trapped units) around
Smolensk and transfer its panzer divisions to Army Groups North & South.
- Russian resistance in the north & south was stronger and Axis troops were tired
(they had fewer panzers in proportion).
• By Sept 4…
- Leningrad was under siege (AG North).
- much of the Ukraine & Crimea was threatened (AG South).
- Axis had taken 1 million + POWs, thousands of artillery pieces & AFVs.
Initial Success
• On Sept 5…
- Hitler makes Moscow the primary target again.
• On Sept 19…
- Kiev falls to the Germans (600,000 POWs, 2500 tanks, 1000 guns captured).
• On Sept 27…
- the ‘rasputitza’
begins: autumn rain
turns the roads to
mud.
- within a month the
advance has stalled.
• On Nov 7…
- the ground begins to
freeze & the advance
can speed up again..
The Survival of Moscow: Dec 1941
• Operation Typhoon – the attack on Moscow
• Success of blitzkrieg
– staggering Soviet losses
– ‘unstoppable’ Wehrmacht
• Sept: Kiev & the Ukraine
– impressive victory, but…
• Dec: Moscow, so close, but…
– climate
– logistics & communication
– Stalin & Soviet morale
– Zhukov’s tactics
– effect on German morale
Significance of the
Survival of Moscow (1)
• Russell Stolfi’s argument:
– Hitler so close in 1941
– Britain no real threat
– result: German control of Europe
• Rodric Braithwaite’s argument:
– chaos of Moscow
– impact of Moscow’s fall/survival
• Significance of Moscow:
– communications hub
– industrial centre
– issue of morale
– military & political collapse
Significance of the
Survival of Moscow (2)
• Moscow’s survival meant the
Soviet Union’s survival
– economically, politically &
psychologically
• Strategic significance
– meaningful two-front war
– economics an issue
– the USA
• Why not Stalingrad?
– symptom not cause of Nazi
failure
Why not Stalingrad?
• July 1942…
– AG South attacks in two directions:
Caucasian oilfields & Stalingrad.
• Aug - Nov 1942…
– von Paulus 6th Army attacks Stalingrad
– fierce street fighting
– Nov 19: Russian counter-offensive
shatters Axis Minor Ally troops, traps
330,000 Axis troops in Stalingrad Pocket.
• Feb 1943…
– final German surrender: 250,000 POWs.
• Hitler could have saved the situation by
allowing a withdrawal.
• Germans still able to attack - eg. Kursk.
• Significant defeat yes, anything more is
debatable.
The Battle of Kursk: July 1943
• Operation Citadel
– Hitler’s view of Kursk
– Stalin’s view of Kursk
• The battle:
– greatest tank battle in
history
– Hitler ‘tantalisingly close’?
– had to partially disengage
to reinforce Sicily
• By Nov ‘43…
– Germans had lost Kharkov,
Smolensk, Kiev, etc
Significance of the outcome of
the Battle of Kursk (1)
• Paul Carrell’s argument:
– in ’43, Nazi victory still
a possibility
– victory by the Germans would
allow them to regain the
strategic initiative
• General view of Kursk:
– decisive defeat for Germany
– strategic initiative passed to
Red Army
– inexorable process of weakening
of the Wehrmacht
Significance of the outcome of
the Battle of Kursk (2)
• Richard Overy’s argument:
– impact of German losses
– balance of armoured vehicles
now completely in favour of the
Red Army
– initiative passed to Red Army
• Teheran Conference in Nov ‘43:
– dominated by the ‘Big Three’
– discussed setting up post-war
Europe
– gave Stalin leverage
After Kursk
• Aug 1943 - Jan 1944…
– Russian autumn & winter offensives relieve
Leningrad, liberate the Ukraine & isolate the
Crimea.
• March - May 1944…
– Spring Offensive drives Germans back into
Baltic States & Poland.
• June - Aug 1944…
– Summer Offensive advances to Warsaw &
captures Rumanian oilfields (Germany’s only
major supply!).
• Sept - Dec 1944…
– Autumn Offensive concentrates on Germany’s
Balkan allies.
• Jan - April 1945…
– as the Western Allies advance, so to do the
Russians.
– Eastern Germany, Baltic States, Czech., etc
Trivia Time!
CASUALTIES…
Soviet: 10,651,000 military + 14,500,000 civilians + 5,000,000 Jews in Holocaust (?)
Axis: 5,178,000 military + unknown civilians
Pz III – 5774
T34/76 & T34/85 – 28952
Pz IV – 8870
Pz V – 6000
Pz VI - 1355
KV1 - 6500
Axis defeat: isn’t it obvious?
Axis
Defeat
Allies had:
more men,
more weapons,
more everything
Superior
Allied
economic
strength
Germany had
‘bitten off more
than it could
chew’
Axis defeat
has an air of inevitability
about it
Soviet Union’s superhuman efforts
• Fight for survival
• Single-mindedness of the
Soviet state & people
• Economic relocation
• Rationalisation
• Soviet morale
• Some amazing production
stats
• Lend-lease
+ sheer
size of
Russia!
Reasons for Allied Victory
Situation
inside
Nazi Germany
Allied
air
supremacy
Allied victory
in the
‘war of morale’
USA’s
‘economic
miracle’
Soviet Union’s
superhuman
efforts
Reasons
for
Allied
Victory
Allied control
of the
seas
Allied
leadership