Transcript Events of World War Two File

Scorched Earth Policy
Stressed Eric, Tom Bruton
What was the scorched earth policy?
• When the Germans invaded
the soviet union, the Soviet
troops had to retreat. To
make sure that the land could
not be used by the advancing
Germans, the Soviets
destroyed everything of
possible use to the Germans.
For example, the soviets put
salt on the fields to render
them useless.
• Stalin followed in the
footsteps of Napoleon, with
this policy
When was the scorched earth
policy enacted?
• 22nd June 1941, while
the Soviet Union was
in the grips of a
vicious war with Nazi
Germany
How successful was the scorched
earth policy?
YES
• Created serious problems
for advancing German
troops, who needed food,
ammo, and shelter.
• Potentially stopped the
invasion going further as
a full invasion would take
years and this would be
impossible after the
destruction of the areas
that the Germans
occupied
NO
• Severely damaged some
of the only fertile land in
Russia, leading to food
shortages.
• Severely damaged the
standard of living in the
areas affected, due to
destroyed infrastructure
Stalin’s speech
• “the red army, the red navy, and all citizens of
the Soviet union must defend every inch of
Soviet soil, must fight to the last drop of blood for
our towns and villages…” – contradictory as they
are running away and burning the areas?
• “the enemy must not be left a single engine,
railway truck, pound of grain or gallon of fuel” endorsing the destruction of Soviet
infrastructure.
Scorched Earth Policy
By Laura Finn
Тактика выжженной земли
(Scorched Earth Policy)
The Scorched Earth Policy was
introduced by both Soviet and
German troops during WWII.
The idea was to destroy any
useful infrastructure so that
invading troops would have
little success when they
arrived.
Когда он был использован?
(When was it used?)
When Germany attacked the
Soviet Union in 1941, Stalin
ordered both soldiers and
civilians to initiate a scorched
earth policy to deny the invaders
basic supplies as they moved
eastward.
The process was repeated later
in the war by the retreating
German forces, which burned or
destroyed farms, buildings,
weapons, and food to deprive
Soviet forces of their use.
Сталина речи
(Stalin’s speech, June 1941)
The Red Army, the Red Navy, and all citizens of the Soviet Union must defend
every inch of Soviet soil, must fight to the last drop of blood for our towns and
villages, must display the daring, initiative and mental alertness characteristic of our
people.
In case of forced retreat of Red Army units, all rolling stock must be evacuated, the
enemy must not be left a single engine, a single railway truck, not a single pound of
grain or gallon of fuel. Collective farmers must drive off all their cattle and turn over
their grain to the safe keeping of the state authorities, for transportation to the rear.
If valuable property that cannot be withdrawn, must be destroyed without fail.
In areas occupied by the enemy, partisan units, mounted and on foot, must be
formed; sabotage groups must be organized to combat enemy units, to foment
partisan warfare everywhere, blow up bridges and roads, damage telephone and
telegraph lines, set fire to forests, stores and transport. In occupied regions
conditions must be made unbearable for the enemy and all his accomplices. They
must be hounded and annihilated at every step, and all their measures frustrated.
Финляндия
(Finland)
The Scorched Earth Policy was also used in
Finland by German troops who were forced
to retreat to Norway in November 1944, due
to strategic situations.
More than one-third of the dwellings in the
area were destroyed, and the provincial
capital Rovaniemi was burned to the
ground. All but two bridges in Lapland
Province were blown up and roads mined.
In Northern Norway, which was at the same
time invaded by Soviet forces in pursuit of
the retreating German army in 1944, the
Germans also undertook a scorched earth
policy, destroying every building that could
offer shelter and thus interposing a belt of
"scorched earth" between themselves and
the allies.
Эффекты
(The Effects)
The areas that were affected by the Scorched Earth Policy were badly
damaged, and living condition were pushed to the brink.
Land was destroyed for years so crops could not be grown and
infrastructure had been completely removed from many towns.
This put a further strain on the Russian economy as there were already
food shortages across the country and a lack of development.
By Rachel & George
OPERATION BARBAROSSA
INTENDED AIMS
 Hitler claimed that the German populace needed more living space,
and was especially interested in the Soviet Union, particularly Ukraine,
where he planned to develop a German colony.
 Hitler intended that the Ukraine would be to Germany what India had
been to England, basing it off the British occupation of India.
 "What India was for England the territories of Russia will be for us... The
German colonists ought to live on handsome, spacious farms. The
German services will be lodged in marvellous buildings, the governors in
palaces... The Germans - this is essential - will have to constitute amongst
themselves a closed society, like a fortress. The least of our stable-lads will
be superior to any native.” – Adolf Hitler
 Hitler intended to force Norwegians, Swedes and Danes to move to
these territories in the East, and although he believed that, due to its
enormous size, the Soviet Union would take longer than other countries to
occupy.
However, he was confident it could still be achieved during the summer
months of 1941.
By Rachel & George
OPERATION BARBAROSSA
INTENDED AIMS
 The plan was for the invasion of the Soviet Union to start on the 15th May,
1941. Hitler believed that this would give the German Army enough time
to take control of the country before the harsh Soviet winter set in.
 He also hoped that a quick victory against the Red Army would
encourage Britain to accept peace terms.
 The ultimate strategy Hitler and his assistants decided on, involved three
separate army groups assigned to capture specific regions and large
cities of the Soviet Union, once the invasion began:
1). Army Group North was assigned to march through the Baltics, into
northern Russia, and either capture or destroy the city of Leningrad.
2). Army Group Center would take a straight line to Moscow, marching
through what is now Belarus and through the west-central regions of
Russia proper.
3). Army Group South was poised to strike the heavily populated Ukraine
region, taking Kiev, continuing eastward toward the steppes of
Southern Russia, all the way to the Volga River.
By Rachel & George
OPERATION BARBAROSSA
INTENDED AIMS
 Due to the Yugoslavs'’ stubborn resistance, Operation Barbarossa for a
few weeks, as Hitler had at first expected them to surrender immediately.
On 21st June, 1941, a German sergeant deserted to the Soviet forces
and informed them that the German Army would attack at dawn the
following morning. Stalin was reluctant to believe the soldier's story and it
was not until the German attack took place that he finally accepted that
his attempts to avoid war with Germany until 1942 had failed.
The German forces, made up of three million men and 3,400 tanks,
advanced in three groups. The north group headed for Leningrad, the
centre group for Moscow and the southern forces into the Ukraine. Within
six days, the German Army had captured Minsk.
 General Demitry Pavlov, the man responsible for defending Minsk, and
two of his senior generals were recalled to Moscow and were shot for
incompetence.
By Rachel & George
OPERATION BARBAROSSA
 The first few months of the war was
disastrous for the Soviet Union. The
German northern forces surrounded
Leningrad while the centre group
made steady progress towards
Moscow. German forces had also
made deep inroads into the Ukraine.
 Kiev was under siege and Stalin's
Chief of Staff, Georgi Zhukov,
suggested that the troops defending
the capital of the Ukraine should be
withdrawn, thus enabling them to take
up strong defensive positions further
east.
 Stalin insisted that the troops stayed
and by the time Kiev was taken, the
casualties were extremely high. It was
the most comprehensive defeat
experienced by the Red Army in its
history.
INTENDED AIMS
Reasons for Invasion
•
•
•
•
•
•
In summer 1940, when German raw materials crises and a potential collision with the
Soviet Union over territory in the Balkans arose, an eventual invasion of the Soviet
Union looked increasingly like Hitler's only solution. While no concrete plans were
made yet, Hitler told one of his generals in June that the victories in western Europe
"finally freed his hands for his important real task: the showdown with Bolshevism",
though German generals told Hitler that occupying Western Russia would create
"more of a drain than a relief for Germany's economic situation. “The Führer
anticipated additional benefits:
When the Soviet Union was defeated, the labour shortage in the German industry
could be relieved by demobilization of many soldiers.
Ukraine would be a reliable source of agriculture.
Having the Soviet Union as a source of slave labour would vastly improve Germany's
geostrategic position.
Defeat of the Soviet Union would further isolate the Allies, especially the United
Kingdom.
The German economy needed more oil and controlling the Baku Oilfields would
achieve this; as Albert Speer, the German Minister for Armaments and War
Production, later said in his interrogation, "the need for oil certainly was a prime
motive" in the decision to invade.
Tactical Planning
•
•
•
•
Operation Barbarossa was to combine a northern assault towards Leningrad, a
symbolic capturing of Moscow, and an economic strategy of seizing oil fields in the
south beyond Ukraine. Hitler and his generals disagreed on which of these aspects
should take priority and where Germany should focus its energies; deciding on
priorities required a compromise.
Hitler thought himself a political and military genius. While planning Barbarossa in
1940-1941, in many discussions with his generals, Hitler repeated his order:
"Leningrad first, the Donetsk Basin second, Moscow third. "Hitler was impatient to get
on with his long-desired invasion of the east.
He was convinced Britain would sue for peace, once the Germans triumphed in the
Soviet Union, the real area of Germany's interests. General Franz Halder noted in his
diaries that, by destroying the Soviet Union, Germany would destroy Britain's hope of
victory.
Hitler had grown overconfident from his rapid success in Western Europe and the
Red Army's ineptitude in the Winter War against Finland in 1939–1940. He expected
victory within a few months and therefore did not prepare for a war lasting into the
winter. This meant his troops lacked adequate warm clothing and preparations for a
longer campaign when they began their attack. The assumption that the Soviet Union
would quickly capitulate would prove to be his undoing.
Army Sizes
• According to Taylor and Proektor (1974), the Soviet
armed forces in the western districts were outnumbered,
with 2.6 million Soviet soldiers vs. 4.5 million for the Axis.
These figures, however, can be misleading. For the
Russians it only counts the First Strategic Echelon, not
the second, so they actually had more men then this.
• The total Axis strength is also exaggerated; 3.3 million
German troops were earmarked for participation in
Barbarossa, but that figure includes reserves which did
not take part in the initial assault. A further 600,000
troops provided by Germany's allies also participated,
but mostly after the initial assault.
• Total Axis forces available for Barbarossa were therefore
in the order of 3.9 million.
Leningrad
Jon Aldridge 13A
Battle of Leningrad
• Key Dates: 8 September 1941 - 27 January
1944
• On the 8th September this is when the battle
officially started as this was when the last Soviet
link to the city was severed.
• Leningrad was helped majorly when the Soviets
managed to gain a small foot holding into the
city on 18th January 1943.
• The siege was one of the longest and most
destructive in known history lasting 872 days.
Leningrad
• The main idea behind the capture of Leningrad was that
it was once the capital city of the country and was also
the heart of the Russian Revolution of 1917.
• It also stood as one of the more strategically important
places in the Nazi plan of Operation Barbarossa.
• Hitler deemed Kiev, Minsk and Leningrad to be the most
important cities to capture in order to get the Soviets to
surrender on the Eastern Front and thus allowing him to
free up his troops to defend against an immanent attack
from the USA and Britain on the Western Front.
The Finns and Hitler
• The Finns were greatly helpful for Hitler
during the siege of Leningrad as they
helped to supply up to date intelligence for
him.
• The Finns had managed to break some of
the more basic codes that gave them
access to the Soviet intelligence.
The Finns Advance
• On the day, that The Battle of Leningrad started the
Finns advanced to within 20 km of the suburbs of
Leningrad.
• They then refused to advance any further as they had
regained the land that they had lost to the Soviets during
the Winter War.
• They stayed there to regain the land that was formally
their before the winter war.
• This gave them their borders back and therefore they did
not take any more active part in the Battle Of Leningrad
despite desperate pleas from Hitler.
• The only role that they played was giving further
intelligence to The Germans.
Supplying the Defenders
• To supply the city during the siege the
Soviets kept them supplied using boats
and other watercraft over Lake Ladoga.
• They also managed to get a small land
passage into the city but this did take
some time to regain as it was lost to the
invaders so the city was supplied by Air
support and parcels from the air by
parachute.
The Occupants of Leningrad
• The Battle of Leningrad has created the
largest ever known loss of life in a modern
city with 1.5 million troops and civilians
dying in the siege and 1.4 million civilians
being evacuated, but many of these died
from famine and constant bombardment
from German shelling and air attack.
Photographic Evidence of the
Siege
German Shelling during the siege.
The death in Leningrad during the
Siege.
Photos continued
Soviets defending with their
lives.
Rogue Soviet Sniper.
Battle of Stalingrad
Where and When?
• The city of Stalingrad
(now Volgograd).
• South Western
Russia.
• 17 July 1942 – 2
February 1943.
Why did it happen?
• The primary aim of the Nazi offensive in the summer of
1942 was to capture the oil fields of Baku. The seizure
of these fields would have deprived the Red Army, and
the rest of the Soviet Union, of its main fuel supply. As
part of the attack, the German Sixth Army under General
von Paulus was supposed to take Stalingrad, located on
the west bank of the Volga.
• Apart from the military significance of occupying the land
from the Don to the Volga, the psychological upper hand
that would be gained by capturing the city named after
Stalin obviously weighed in on Hitler's decision to divert
forces from Baku to the siege of Stalingrad.
Why was it important for Russia
to ensure Stalingrad did not fall?
• The Russians, already devastated by the power of
Blitzkrieg during Operation Barbarossa, had to
make a stand.
• Especially as the city was named after the Russian
leader, Joseph Stalin. One historian has claimed that
he saw Stalingrad "as the symbol of his own
authority." Stalin also knew that if Stalingrad was
taken, the way would be open for Moscow to be
attacked from the east. If Moscow was cut off in this
way, the defeat of the Soviet Union was virtually
inevitable.
• For simple reasons of morale, the Russians could
not let this city fall. Likewise, the Russians could not
let the Germans get hold of the oil fields in the
Caucasus.
• Stalin’s order was "Not a step backwards".
Events
• Von Paulus invaded on 21st August 1942. Utilising Blitzkrieg he
enjoyed initial success, sweeping through the outer reaches of the
city until the German army occupied the suburbs. On August 23rd,
the Germans dropped incendiary bombs from 600 planes, killing
appx. 40,000 civilians. Nine-tenths of the city was destroyed.
• •But with their backs to the Volga and mindful of Stalin's Order No.
227 ("Not One Step Back!"), the Soviet defenders held on, engaging
the besiegers in house by house combat.
• •On November 19, Soviet forces commanded by General Georgii
Zhukov and numbering approximately a million soldiers attacked
both German flanks in a massive pincer movement. After five days,
the Red Army had trapped approximately 250,000 of the enemy. The
Luftwaffe's attempts to provide food and fuel supplies by air were
thwarted by Soviet artillery. Rations dwindled, soldiers froze to
death, and ammunition ran out.
• •Compared to an original contingent of 400,000 troops, the Sixth
Army contained only 110,000 including two thousand officers by the
time Paulus surrendered on February 2, 1943. Soviet casualties
were estimated at 750,000 killed, wounded or missing in action.
Significance of the Battle
• The failure of the German Army was nothing short of a
disaster. A complete army group was lost at Stalingrad and
91,000 Germans were taken prisoner and a further 150,000
died during the siege. With such a massive loss of
manpower and equipment, the Germans simply did not
have enough manpower to cope with the Russian advance
to Germany when it came.
• Despite resistance in parts – such as a Kursk – they were in
retreat on the Eastern Front from February 1943 on.
• In his fury, Hitler ordered a day’s national mourning in
Germany, not for the men lost at the battle, but for the
shame von Paulus had brought on the Wehrmacht and
Germany. Paulus was also stripped of his rank to
emphasise Hitler’s anger with him. Hitler commented:
‘The God of War has gone over to the other side.’
• The Battle of Stalingrad is seen by many historians as a turning
point in WW2.
• The battle at Stalingrad bled the German army dry in Russia and
after this defeat, the Germany Army was in full retreat.
• Casualties and losses:
Germany
est. 750,000 killed, missing or wounded
91,000 captured
Aircraft: 900 (including 274 transports and 165
bombers used as transports)122–123
Total: 841,000 casualties
Soviet Union
478,741 killed or missing
650,878 wounded and sick
40,000 civilians dead
4,341 tanks
15,728 guns and mortars
2,769 combat aircraft
Total: 1,129,619 casualties
• The battle is marked by its brutality and
disregard for military and civilian casualties. It
was amongst the bloodiest battles in the
history of warfare with the higher estimates of
combined casualties amounting to nearly two
million deaths.
Stalingrad
and World War Two
by Megan Barnett and
Jenny Carroll
The City
Formerly known as Tsaritsyn (from 15891925), the city was renamed Stalingrad,
and remained so until 1961. During the
time of de-Stalinisation, the city was
renamed once again, now known as
Volgograd. It is an important industrial city
and the administrative centre of Volgograd
Oblast, Russia. During the Second World
War, however, it was made famous for the
extensive damage and resistance it
Stalingrad Timeline
• July 17, 1942 - Battle of Stalingrad begins as the Luftwaffe begins to bomb
the city and Soviet shipping on the Volga River
• August 23, 1942 - Panzer column reaches Volga River just north of
Stalingrad
• September 13, 1942 - German ground offensive starts in the city
• November 19, 1942 - Red Army begins Operation Uranus to encircle
German 6th Army
• November 23, 1942 - Encirclement is complete trapping roughly 290,000
Axis troops
• December 12, 1942 - Field Marshal von Manstein's army group launches an
attack to relieve the 6th Army in Stalingrad. German advance is pushed back
by the Soviets.
What was it?
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle
of World War II in which Nazi Germany
and its allies fought the Soviet Union for
control of the city of Stalingrad
The battle took place between 17 July
1942 and 2 February 1943 and was
among the largest on the Eastern Front,
and was marked by its brutality and
disregard for military and civilian
casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest
battles in the history of warfare with the
The Battle of
Stalingrad
German Army Russian Army
Led by
Led by Paulus
Zhukov
1,011,500 men 1,000,500 men
10, 290
13,541 artillery
artillery guns
guns
675 tanks
894 tanks
The Battle of
Stalingrad
The battle for the city descended into one of the most brutal
in World War Two. Individual streets were fought over
using hand-to-hand combat. The Germans took a great
deal of the city but they failed to fully assert their
authority, and areas captured by the Germans during the
day, were re-taken by the Russians at night.
On November 19th, the Russians were in a position
whereby they could launch a counter-offensive.
Marshal Zhukov used six armies of one million men to
surround the city. The 5th tank regiment led by
Romanenko attacked from the north as did the 21st
Army (led by Chistyakov), the 65th Army (led by
Chuikov) and the 24th Army (led by Galinin). The 64th,
57th and 521st armies attacked from the south. The
attacking armies met up on November 23rd at Kalach
with Stalingrad to the east.
The bulk of the Sixth Army – some 250,000 to 300,000 men
The Battle of
Stalingrad
Paulus could have broken out of this trap in the first
stages of Zhukov’s attack but was forbidden from
doing so by Hitler.
Supreme Commander to 6 Army, January 24,
1943
"Surrender is forbidden. 6 Army will hold their
positions to the last man and the last round
and by their heroic endurance will make an
unforgettable contribution towards the
establishment of a defensive front and the
salvation of the Western world."
Hitler's communication with von Paulus.
Unable to break out, the Germans also had to face
the winter. Temperatures dropped to well below
The Battle of
Stalingrad
"My hands are done for, and have been ever
since the beginning of December. The little
finger of my left hand is missing and - what's
even worse - the three middle fingers of my
right one are frozen. I can only hold my mug
with my thumb and little finger. I'm pretty
helpless; only when a man has lost any
fingers does he see how much he needs then
for the smallest jobs. The best thing I can do
with the little finger is to shoot with it. My
hands are finished." Anonymous German
soldier
Hitler ordered that Paulus should fight to the last
bullet, and to encourage Paulus, he promoted
him to field marshal. However, by the end of
The Battle of
Stalingrad
"I was horrified when I saw the map.
We're quite alone, without any help
from outside. Hitler has left us in the
lurch. Whether this letter gets away
depends on whether we still hold the
airfield. We are lying in the north of the
city. The men in my unit already
suspect the truth, but they aren't so
exactly informed as I am. No, we are
not going to be captured. When
Stalingrad falls you will hear and read
about it. Then you will know that I shall
not return."
Why was it important?
The battle of Stalingrad was the battle that
finally stopped German progression
across Russia. It was where the Russian
troops were sent by Stalin where they not
only stopped German troops but
surrounded them and left them with no
way to get supplies or help in or out. Also
Hitler ordered Paulus' entire 6th army to
take Stalingrad, which helped to stop the
drive for Moscow. Paulus' entire army was
Casualties
• The Battle of Stalingrad was the bloodiest in modern
history, with combined casualties estimated at over
1,530,000 killed, wounded or captured. Historical
reference regarding Stalingrad casualties varies greatly,
so while this figure is just an estimate, it may be
conservative. Soviet archives put military casualties
closer to 2.6 million (excluding civilians).
• 790,000 Soviet casualties (750,000 Soviet military,
40,000 civilians)
• 740,000 Axis casualties (91,000 captured)
• To put this in perspective, the United States lost 416,800
service members during World War II, both in Europe
and in the Pacific.
• The life expectancy for a Soviet private sent to the front
was less than 24 hours, while that of a Soviet officer was
3 days.
Battle of Kursk
Tom Daniel & mike Pugh
Background
•
After the battle of Stalingrad the axis lost up to 800,000 troops including the
entire German sixth army seriously weakening Germany in the east
• Germany planned to mirror the Hindenburg line of the first world
war by creating the panther
woten line. They intended
to use this defence to
create an war of attrition against
the Russians
• However in the defensive
line the Russians held a
large 200 km (120 mi) wide
and 150 km (90 mi) deep
salient
The eastern front at the time of Operation Citadel. Orange areas show
the destruction of an earlier Soviet breakthrough that ended with the
Kharkov offensive operation. Green areas show German advances on
Kursk.
Background contd.
•
•
•
Most of the German front
commanders agreed a defensive
stance should be the priority, to
contain Soviet offensives and
deliver counter blows. Hitler
accepted this advice.
However Erich von Manstein
insisted a first strike was still an
option and an offensive to pinch
out the Soviet salient at Kursk
would be achievable before
moving further south to recover
more lost territory.
Manstein wanted to attack in May
but, owing to the poor tank
strength of the German Army,
Hitler delayed until July when
newer tanks minimized the risk of
defeat. The High Command hoped
to regain the initiative on the
Eastern Front by following
Mansteins attack
German plans
Events
• German army wanted to do a pincer movement to trap a fifth of the
Soviet army and take the important city of Kursk through the tactic of
Blitzkrieg, attacking in the north and south.
• After huge delays in planning, Hitler finally attacked on the 5th July in
the North. It had early success, but failed to capitalise, mainly
because of successful Soviet defence and lack of German
resources as they advanced.
• The Germans also attacked the south, but were similarly
unsuccessful. Early successes were countered by a lack of
resources as they got further.
• On 10th July, Hitler cancels the operation and moves troops away to
Sicily. This has often been criticised because Germany still had a
chance of victory.
• In the wake of Hitler cancelling and lack of German forces, the
Soviets launch a counter-offensive in July in the North and in August
in the South. This was successful.
German army
Casualties and significance
• Victory came at a cost for the Soviets. It actually suffered
many more losses than Germans, both in men and
machinery.
• German losses are estimated at around 54,000 whilst
Russian losses are estimated at around 177,000.
• Russian losses were mainly suffered in the German
offensive, with the huge depth of the Russian defences.
• It is also widely regarded as the ‘greatest tank battle in
history’ as it witnessed some of the fiercest tank battles
of the war. It is the largest series of armoured clashes of
the war and the costliest single day of aerial warfare.
Tanks
Results
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The campaign was a decisive Soviet success.
For the first time, a major German offensive had
been stopped before achieving a breakthrough.
The Germans, despite using more technologically
advanced tanks than in previous years, were
unable to break through the in-depth defences of
the Red Army
This was an outcome that few had predicted, and it
changed the pattern of operations on the Eastern
Front.
The victory however had not been cheap the Red
Army, although preventing the Germans from
achieving their goals, lost considerably more men
and materiel than the Wehrmacht.
After the battle of Kursk the German army did not
recover and found it’s self in strategic retreat for the
remainder of the campaign in the east.
The battle also led to Hitler becoming more
involved in the military because he thought his
general staff were incompetent because of this the
Germans went from loss to loss
To the West! calls this Soviet poster,
while a Soviet soldier destroys the
German To the East! sign
Russian victory and liberation of
Berlin
By Joel Peters and Samantha Cook
Can you spot the picture of cheeky
Stalin on each slide? 
Mammoth efforts to create tanks
All resources were put into mobile aggressive
military measures and units (tanks, a million
paratroopers !!, tactical attack aircraft, etc), not
into defensive or 'static' measures ( land mines,
fortifications, anti-aircraft units, long range
bombers etc.). The entire doctrine of the
Russian armed forces was aggressive.
Defensive tactics were not taught at all and were
considered defeatist in an army that by definition
was intended to conquer all other countries.
Second Front June 1944
Russia wanted the other Allies to invade
Europe and put pressure on the Axis from
another direction. This would mean that
Germany would have to divide their forces
as well as supplies. If the Germans didn't
do that the British, Americans and
Canadians could march unopposed into
Germany. The landing at D-Day created
the second front the Russians wanted.
The Berlin War
•
•
•
•
•
As the Red Army pushed across Poland to the River Oder they could
muster a very strong fighting force - and completely outnumbered the
Germans in terms of men and equipment.
Joseph Stalin ordered his two leading generals - Zhukov and Konev - to
race to the German capital. With such a huge advantage in manpower and
equipment, getting to the actual capital was relatively easy in that the
Germans were constantly retreating whereas the Russians had the
advantage of forward momentum.
Despite the obvious hopelessness of the situation, Hitler still planned to
direct the defence of the city himself putting his faith in the German 12th
Army that had withdrawn from the western front.
Over two million artillery shells were fired into Berlin and the surrounding
area in three weeks and 1 million Russian infantry troops took part in the
assault on the city.
Russia's vast tank superiority counted for little in the debris ridden streets of
Berlin. The Germans who fought there were issued with portable anti-tank
weaponry and could use hit-and-run tactics against Russian tanks. Areas
had to be taken street by street and building by building. Casualty figures on
both sides were high. The Russians simply destroyed a complete building if
they had been fired on from somewhere within that building.
"The amount of equipment deployed
for the Berlin operation was so huge
I simply cannot describe it and I was
there.........“Alex Popov, 5th Shock
Army 1945.
Germany
Russia
Soldiers
596,500
1,670,000
Artillery
8,230
28,000
Tanks
700
3,300
Aircraft
1,300
10,000
The End
•
German forces in Berlin surrender: The Battle of Berlin ended on 2 May
1945. On this date, General of the Artillery Helmuth Weidling, the
commander of the Berlin Defense Area, unconditionally surrendered the city
to General Vasily Chuikov of the Soviet army.On the same day the officers
commanding the two armies of Army Group Vistula north of Berlin, (General
Kurt von Tippelskirch commander of the German 21st Army and General
Hasso von Manteuffel commander of Third Panzer Army) surrendered to the
Western Allies
•
The Russians lost 80,000 men killed and 275,000 wounded or missing in
the lead up to the battle and in the battle itself. Two thousand Russian tanks
were destroyed. 150,000 Germans were killed during the battle.
•
In Berlin, the NKVD troops found 3 tons of uranium oxide – so Russia
could develop their first nuclear weapon