Transcript Battle of the Baltics

Battle of the Baltics
-by John M. Chris T. Jeffrey G. & Sam C.
Thesis
After Germany took over the Baltics but failed in the battle of Stalingrad,
the Soviets launched a series of counter-attacks that forced Germany to fight a
two sided war, forcing the Germans to retreat and defend against Russia's run to
Berlin; the Battle of the Baltics not only weakened Germany's army but also proved
to be disastrous for Baltic civilians.
Timeline
The Baltic states
are taken by
Russia under the
Nazi-Soviet pact.
The Baltic states
are taken by
Germany through
Operation
Barbarossa.
Soviet launch
counter-attack.
German force
surrendered at
Courland.
1939-1940
1941
1944
May, 1945
After battle of
stalingrad 19421943
Soviet annexation of the Baltic states
Secret deal of the MolotovRibbentrop Pact
Starting in June of 1940 the
Soviets began military
occupation in Latvia, Estonia,
and Lithuania.
Signed a treaty separately with
Baltic states, allow Soviets to
build military bases and propose
puppet government on the
Baltics.
German offensive to Baltic States
Second stage of Operation Barbarossa.
Reasons to focus on Baltic states
Rich resources like oil sheds.
Lebensraum
Employs Blitzkrieg war tactics.
Paralyzed the airport and railways to cut off the transportation.
Baltics are glad to see Germans occupied their country, see them as a liberator.
Which in fact it’s definitely not as good as people expected
Warring tactics
After Invasion
Germans is welcomed at first by the people.
Hope to re-establish the Baltic independence.
German implies the Volksgemeinschaft to hope to
germanize the Baltic states as well as make the
Baltic states the new German territory unit.
When people realized what happened, they
established the supreme committee for the
liberation of Lithuania in 1943. 1944, the
National Committee of the Estonian Republic
was found.
Battle of Narva
● Battle between Germans and Soviets
● Fought for strategically important Narva Isthmus
● Local troops fought for the Nazis
● Battle for Narva Bridgehead
● Battle of Tannenberg Line
2 February – 10 August 1944
Operation Bagration
22 of June and 19th of August, 1944.
●
Massively successful as it cleared all Germans from Belarus to eastern Poland and drove a barrier
between the German 16th Army of Group North and Third Panzer Army of Army Group Centre.
●
Cost Hitler:
○ 3 Armies
○ The Eastern Front
○ 350,000 men
○ Hundreds of tanks
○ 1,300 guns.
●
Led to Operation Doppelkopf, Cäesar, and the Courland pocket.
Operation Doppelkopf-Cäsar
Operation Doppelkopf
●
German attempt to reunite Army Group Centre and North.
●
It failed.
Operation Cäsar
●
Meant to disrupt Soviet plans with the ultimate objective of
striking towards Šiauliai.
●
It failed.
●
The Red Army attacked again on 5 October, in the Memel
Offensive Operation. Five days later, they reached the Baltic
Sea and finally cut off Army Group North in what eventually
became the Courland Pocket.
Courland Pocket
● Because of Hitler’s insane no retreat rule,
more than 200,000 German troops were
hopelessly trapped in Latvia.
● After 6 debilitating attacks by the
Soviets,the Germans eventually
surrendered on May 9th,1945. Making
them some of the last Germans to
surrender.
Holocaust in Baltic States
● Terrifying amount of Jews getting killed.
● 220,000 Jews were living in Lithuania, 10,000
remained alive.
● Germans mass murdered 34,000 Latvian Jews in 3
months after they occupied Latvia in July 1941.
● Between November 30th and December 7th another
25000 Jews were killed.
○ In 1941, 1,200 babies were killed in the ghetto in Estonia.
● 4,550 Jews lived in Estonia. Most fled to Russia.
Holocaust in Baltic States
'I was forced to watch Nazi killing of
Jews aged seven' --Aleksandras
Iljasevicius (a muslim who survived
the massacre).
Holocaust in Baltic States
When the Germans came, they rounded up the men
and took them to the edge of a forest not far from a
little brook and had them dig a long trench. -Aleksandras Iljasevicius
I asked my grandma why they were crying.
She said "Shhh, don't say anything!" Then
we all had to walk to the edge of the forest,
and we were told to sit there and watch. -Aleksandras Iljasevicius
Holocaust in Baltic States
Impact on Germany & USSR
The Battle of the Baltic resulted in the
downfall of the German forces. If the
Germans didn’t attack Russia, the
Soviets would still be on the axis side.
After Germans failed in the Battle of
Stalingrad, Soviet turned on Germany
and forced Germans to fight a two
front war.
Which ultimately resulted in Germany
lost in WWII.
Impact on Baltic states
Major population loss in states.
Estonia lost 180,000 (25%) of their population compared to pre-war phases.
Lithuania lost 250,000 (15%) of the total population compared to pre-war phases.
90,000 death in Estonia.
Russia took over the Baltics. And after 1945, the Cold War starts.
The Baltics were forced to change into communistic states to adopt Russian culture.
The new system generally held the Baltic states well until the 1950s.
Starting from the 1970s, the anti-Russian mood raised to a climax.
In the 1980s the Soviet Union collapsed, leading to the liberation of the Baltic states in 1991.
Source used
Works cited
Bater, James H. "Baltic States - Independence and the 20th Century." Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 22 Apr.
2016.
Buttar, Prit. Between Giants: The Battle for the Baltics in World War II. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
"Estonian Embassy in Washington." Estonian Embassy in Washington RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
"Operation Bagration: Soviet Offensive of 1944 | HistoryNet." HistoryNet. N.p., 25 July 2006. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
Snyder, Timothy. The Bloodlands. N.p.: First Trade Paper, 2012. Print.
"'I Was Forced to Watch Nazi Killing of Jews Aged Seven'" BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
das Ende
-Comic sans in your face Doran.