5.0 DEFEAT OF GERMANY IN WW2

Question 1

USA’S ENTRY INTO WW2

Answer 1

1. CONTRIBUTION OF VAST RESOURCES AND MANPOWER
2. COLLABORATION WITH ALLIES ON MILITARY STRATEGIES
   3, ALLIED CONTROL OF AIR
3. ALLIED CONTROL OF SEA

Question 2

USA’S entry into WW2
CONTRIBUTION OF VAST RESOURCES AND MANPOWER

Answer 2

11 million US soldiers - 4.5 million British soldiers - 2.5 million French soldiers
capacity to make 70,000 tanks 12,000 aircraft each year
Germany 60 million barrels of oil - Allies 2,200 million barrels of oil per year

Question 3

USA’S entry into WW2
ALLIED CONTROL OF AIR

Answer 3

1944 US BRITISH FIGHTERS BOMBING HAMBURG DRESDEN GERMANY UNABLE TO RETALIATE
- MORALE DROPPED
- US ABLE TO PRODUCE MORE FIGHTERS THAN GERMANY (12,000 aircrafts per year)

Question 4

GERMANY’S WEAKNESSES AND MISCALCULATIONS

Answer 4

1. INEFFECTIVE COMMAND STRUCTURE
2. INAPPROAPRIATE USE OF RESOURCES AND MILITARY FUNDS
3. HEAVY RELIANCE ON PETROLEUM
4. WAR ON TWO FRONTS

Question 5

Germany’s weaknesses and miscalculations
INEFFECTIVE COMMAND STRUCTURE

Answer 5

BATTLE OF BRITAIN - Hitler disregard advice of Generals to concentrate Luftwaffe on bombing British royal air force
> chose to attack cities instead > denied victory over Britain
INVASION OF SOVIET UNION - 1941 gaining upper hand against soviet union
> disregarded advice shifted military division from Moscow to attack Ukraine lost chance to defeat SU
EVENTUALLLY FIGHTING WAR ON TWO FRONTS

Question 6

USA’S entry into WW2
HEAVY RELIANCE ON PETROLEUM

Answer 6

• LITTLE PETROLEUM RESERVES OF ITS OWN
• SYNTHETIC OIL AS SUBSITUTE
  SEIZED OIL FILEDS IN NAZI-OCCUPIED COUNTRIES (Austria Romania)
  1943 onwards synthetic oil plants and oil fields subjected to heavy aerial bombing led by USA
  Ploesti oilfields in Romania
  > chief source of oil imports
  > out of operation by red army and US air force in Aug 1944

Question 7

USA’S entry into WW2
WAR ON TWO FRONTS

Answer 7

GREATEST MISTAKE
- PREVENTED HITLER FROM CONCENTRATING EFFORTS ON A SINGLE THEATRE OF WAR
Jun 1941 - while still at war with Britain (western front), Hitler chose to invade SU (eastern front)
Dec 1941 - declared war on USA while gaining upper hand on SU

Question 8

ALLIED RESISTANCE

Answer 8

1. REORGANIZATION OF SOVIET UNION
2. BRITISH RESISTANCE TO GERMAN INVASION
3. GENERAL RESISTANCE TO GERMAN INVASION