Chapter 6 - Reasons for the defeat of Germany Flashcards
What are the 3 main reasons for Germany’s defeat in WW2?
1) USA’s involvement
2) Germany’s weakness and miscalculations
3) Allied resistance.
Name the 2 things that the USA did to contribute to the defeat of Germany in WW2.
1) USA was able to mass produce weapons and war materials
2) USA was able to collaborate with the Allies on military strategies
Give 2 examples of the USA’s mass production of weapons and war equipment.
1)
- USA produced 70,000 tanks yearly (more than Germany, Italy, Japan combined)
- USA produced 3,000 planes in 1939 → became 300,000 by 1945
2)
- Roosevelt, US President, introduced the Lend-Lease Act → USA gave Allies resources needed to fight the war
- Allowed USA to transport war materials (vehicles, planes, weapons, food) to Britain → Britain did not have to pay for transportation costs → Britain was able to get weapons faster in order to fight Germany
Britain was given USD 31.4 Billion
Soviet Union was given USD 11.3 Billion
What were the 3 effects of mass production of weapons and war materials by the USA?
1) Allies strengthened militarily and economically
2) Resolved shortages faced by the Allies
3) Helped Allies overpower Germany’s forces by having a strong war machine
What were the 3 things that the the USA did when they collaborated with the Allies on military strategies?
1) USA helped Allies control the air and seas
2) USA prevented essential resources from reaching Germany
3) Gave Allies greater opportunities and success at bombing German cities and Axis military sites
What are 2 examples of the USA’s contribution with the Allies on military strategies?
1) 1943-1944: German vital industries, rail links and synthetic oil plants were hit by American and British combined air offensives
2) Operation Overlord, 6 June 1944: decisive allied victory.
Substantial military deception, Operation Bodyguard, used electronic and visual misinformation to lead the Germans to the location of main allied landings (Normandy)
- D-Day was successful because→
effective planning (cut off German forces. Attack radar installations, rail links, bridges)
resources (tanks, weapons, ammunition & war essentials)
leadership (130,000 Allied troops brought across the English Channel by sea. 23,000 by air.)
What were the 3 effects of the USA’s contribution with the Allies on military strategies?
1) Weakened German forces in terms of military production
2) Germany made vulnerable
Allies had an advantage to end the war
What was Germany’s weakness?
Ineffective command structure
What was Germany’s miscalculations?
Inappropriate use of resources and military funds
What are 2 examples of Germany’s ineffective command structure?
1) BATTLE OF BRITAIN, 1940
- Luftwaffe carried out large-scale attacks against Britain’s RAF → bombed British shipping and coastal defences, airfields, radar installations → to achieve air superiority
- German plane accidentally bombed a British city
- SEPTEMBER 1940 - MAY 1941: New focus of attack → Bombs on British cities (aka Blitz) → caused huge losses of life, affected infrastructure
- British did not surrender → resilient → caused Germany to waste resources → defeated Germany
2) OPERATION BARBAROSSA
- AUGUST 1939: Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact → Agreed that Germany and USSR would split Poland b/w them & not go to war
- Hitler wanted to destroy communism & expand into USSR → resources (oil)
- JUNE 1941: Operation Barbarossa → Germany invades USSR
- OCTOBER 1941 - JANUARY 1942: harsh winter halted German advance → Germans not able to overwhelm the USSR fast enough
- Stalin used that time to reorganise the Soviet Army (tgt with the US Lend-Lease scheme) → resisted the Germans in the Eastern front → 90% of German casualties caused by Operation Barbarossa
What were the 2 effects of Germany’s ineffective command structure?
1) Tactical errors gave Allies time to recover from damages
2) Germany was weakened → wasted resources and time → vulnerable
What are 3 examples of Germany’s inappropriate use of resources and military funds?
1) Competition of funds among military leaders who wanted to build up their own section of defence forces
- Limited effectiveness of military tactics
- Germany invested in battleships and cruisers instead of effective U-Boats
2) Hitler constantly demanded for the most up to date weaponry
- Weapons were mass produced before being tested on the battlefield
- Resulted in shortage of proven weapons and essential equipment
3) Poor personnel allocation
- German women stayed at home, never contributed
- Factories staffed by starving slave labourers
- Resulted in lack of adequate personnel for armament production
What were the 2 effects of Germany’s inappropriate use of resources and military funds?
1) Resulted in a slow and inefficient production of weapons and armament production
2) Germany not well-equipped to fight allies
Who resisted the Nazis?
British, USSR, and those in Nazi occupied areas.
Give 3 examples of resistance movements against the Nazis.
1) BATTLE OF BRITAIN, 1940
- Luftwaffe carried out large-scale attacks against Britain’s RAF → bombed British shipping and coastal defences, airfields, radar installations → to achieve air superiority
- German plane accidentally bombed a British city
- SEPTEMBER 1940 - MAY 1941: New focus of attack → Bombs on British cities (aka Blitz) → caused huge losses of life, affected infrastructure
- British did not surrender → resilient → caused Germany to waste resources → defeated Germany
2) OPERATION BARBAROSSA
- AUGUST 1939: Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact → Agreed that Germany and USSR would split Poland b/w them & not go to war
- Hitler wanted to destroy communism & expand into USSR → resources (oil)
- JUNE 1941: Operation Barbarossa → Germany invades USSR
- OCTOBER 1941 - JANUARY 1942: harsh winter halted German advance → Germans not able to overwhelm the USSR fast enough
- Stalin used that time to reorganise the Soviet Army (tgt with the US Lend-Lease scheme) → resisted the Germans in the Eastern front → 90% of German casualties caused by Operation Barbarossa
3) Resistance movements in Nazi occupied areas:
- Conducted underground operations against Germany, provided vital information, hindered the effectiveness of German attacks, drained Germany’s resources, weakened German war efforts
In Russia, there were resistance movements called partisans
In Yugoslavia (Poland), many different groups fought the Germans in the mountains
Examples of resistance:
Blew up rail links
Provided vital information in underground operations
This caused Germans to become vulnerable
