Chapter 5Germany’s Defeat in WWII

Allied Resistance

Brief Recap: German Defeat

What have we learned about so far? USA’s role in Germany’s defeat German weaknesses and mistakes

Today: Allied Resistance

Lesson Objectives

1) How the reorganisation of the Soviet Union changed the course of the war on the Eastern Front

2) How Britain stood up against Hitler

3) How resistance movements aided the Allies

Reorganisation of the Soviet Union

Reorganisation of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union responsible for defeating 80% of the German armed forces on the Eastern Front

Operation Barbarossa launched – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RePO

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Blitzkrieg on an awesome scale – Russians caught off-guard Soviet air and tank forces almost destroyed

Reorganisation of the Soviet Union

Tide would soon turn…

No. Reason Effect?

1 Errors on German side

2 Strong resistance from Soviet

troops

3 Bitter Russian winters

4 Lend-Lease aid from 1942

Gave Soviets the chance to:

i) Reorganise army

ii) Rebuild economy

iii)Restore military

production

Key Battles

Battle of Moscow

Battle of Stalingrad

Battle of Kursk

Reorganisation of the Soviet Union

Battle of Moscow (Oct 1941-Jan 1942)▪ Political significance▪Delays allowed Soviets to reorganise and turn the tide Counter-attack

Reorganisation of the Soviet Union

Battle of Stalingrad (23 Aug 1942 – 2 Feb 1943) – turning point▪ Reasons: name of city, oil fields in Caucasus, communications▪ ‘Not a step backwards’▪Germans took parts of city but couldn’t assert themselves▪ Bled Germany army dry

Reorganisation of the Soviet Union

Battle of Kursk (July-Aug 1943)▪ Launched to restore confidence▪Greatest Tank battle of WW2▪ Last major offensive by Germans in Russia

British Resistance

‘Blood, toil, tears and sweat’:What was Churchill’s message?

 I would say to the House, as I said to those who've joined this government: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.“ We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory. Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival. 

WC planned to lead Britain to fight the Germans till the end,

till victory was achieved.

British Resistance

Hitler had hoped that Britain would discuss peace terms after the fall of France in June 1940 – How did WC respond?

British Resistance

Why couldn’t Blitzkrieg work against Britain? relied on the fast and flexible

deployment of large numbers of ground troops

Battle of Britain

Germany needed to gain air and sea supremacy before its troops could invade Britain Planned to launch Operation Sea Lion

– amphibious and airborne invasion of Britain

Heinkel He 111Flown during Battle of Britain

Battle of Britain

Hitler aimed to devastate Royal Air Force (RAF) by bombing British shipping and coastal defences, airfields and radar installations Hitler’s tactical changes

(see Part 2) gave RAF time to recover

Bombing of British cities strengthened the morale of Britons

Bombing of London

Battle of Britain

Failure to launch Operation Sea Lion or to force Britain to sign an armistice

British Victory in the Battle of Britain

Resistance Movements

Definition

Who is this man? What did he do?

Lim Bo SengPart of Force 136, a British-led underground resistance movement against the Japanese

Definition

What is a ‘resistance movement’? An organized effort by a portion of

the civil population of a country to resist the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability.

Scene from Defiance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrA-

i6kOdc

Resistance Movements

Resistance movements in Nazi-occupied areas provided important information and support to the Allies Sabotage operations – blow

up rail links and factories Spreading false intelligence to

Germans Helped Allies gather

intelligence Many joined attack on

Germans when the Germans began their retreat

Resistance Movements

The Yugoslav, Polish and Soviet resistance movements, as well as the Free French Forces, were a few prominent examples of such movements

Free French Forces under General Charles De Gaulle

Resistance Movements

When Germany invaded the USSR, communists, who were experienced in underground resistance movements, began to actively resist the Nazis

Pinkus KartinPart of Polish Communist resistance

Recap Questions

What were a few factors which helped the Soviets gain an advantage over the Germans?

What were Hitler’s objectives during the Battle of Britain? Why did the Germans lose?

How did resistance movements aid the Allies?