the soviet-german war 1941 – 1945 by krieger. august 23 1939, molotov-ribbentrop pact ensures...
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TRANSCRIPT
• 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 counter-attacked 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 German-occupied 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