Conflict in Europe Flashcards
What side of the Spanish Civil War did the Germans join?
Nationalists
When was the Nazi-Soviet pact signed?
23rd August, 1939
What is appeasement?
Settling disputes through negotiation rather than war
What was the invasion of Russia named?
Operation Barbarossa
What was the evacuation from Dunkirk known as?
Operation Dynamo
What were the months to years when London experiences the Blitz?
September 1940 to May 1941
Why did the German defeat in Russia prove fatal for the army?
The German army was worn down, lost many resources
Who was the German general at El Alamein?
Rommel
Who was the armaments minister of Germany who added two years to the wars length?
Albert Speer
What was Stalingrad’s code name?
Operation Blau
What was the starting date of WWII?
1 September 1939
What country did Hitler invade to begin WWII?
Poland
What country did Mussolini invade in 1935?
Abyssinia
What colour did political prisoners in concentration camps wear?
Red
What colour and shape did Jewish prisoners in concentration camps wear?
Two yellow triangles. Formed the star of David
What colour did homosexual prisoners in concentration camps wear?
Pink
What was the term that Nazi ideology was based on called that influenced the persecution of Jews?
Social Darwinism
Who was the German general in the battle of Stalingrad?
Paulus
Who was the British Prime Minister at the time of the Polish attack?
Neville Chamberlain
What region was the Russian oil supplies that the German were eager to obtain?
Caucaus
What were the three main turning points in the Conflict of Europe?
Stalingrad, Kursk and El Alamein
How many gypsies were murdered during Hitler’s reign?
200 000
How many Jews were murdered during Hitler’s reign?
6 million
Successes of the League of nations?
Conflict between Sweden and Finland over the Aaland Islands in the Baltic Sea peacefully settled in 1921
Yugoslavia ended its invasion of Albania in 1921
Clash between Greece and Bulgaria in 1925 ended
Germany’s former colonies were now managed
Some Failures of the League of nations?
Attempts of disarmament failed
Several issues weren’t allowed to be presented to the League
Italy ignored League of Nations in 1923 during the Corfu Incident
US prevented League action in Nicaragua in 1926 and Britain’s interests were upheld in Iraq in 1924
Failed at preventing Japans invasion of China and stopping them from leaving the league
El Alemain
Small town on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
Poor planning, slow movement and torrential rain slowed down Axis troops while Allied reinforcements arrived daily
- By early May, remaining Axis forces in Tunisia were vastly outnumbered, short of fuel, food and
other supplies, and soon surrendering - A few hundred escaped and 130 000 were taken prisoner
- Allies now controlled all of North Africa
Battle of Stalingrad
Since Barbarossa had failed, Hitler had no choice but to press on with another offensive
- There was little chance of Army Group North making a breakthrough
- 1 mill civilian dead
- At some point, Germans occupied 90% of the battered city
- German and Soviet troops often ended fighting in hand-to-hand fighting
-Hitler refused to allow the German army to surrender
- Freezing, starving, disease-ridden and virtually out of ammunition, the army eventually surrender
in January 1943
- A German force of almost 300 000 men was lost
What was the Blitz?
German air attacks had several aims.
- To ‘soften up’ the country for a possible German invasion
- Destroying Britain’s ability to produce the needs of war
- Break morale of British civilian population
Battle of the Bulge (Ardennes offensive)?
The bulge at the front line became the greatest tank battle in history
- Russians were no superior in numbers and equipment-
- By early July, defense lines comprised of mines, tank defenses and masses of heavy guns
- no weak spot in the Russian line
- German forces attacked the salient from north and sought but didn’t break through
- Battle was joined with 1500 tanks on each side
- Losses on both sides were colossal but the Red Army could make up its losses
Kursk?
Hitler failed to take the city of Kursk in July 1943.
After this failure initiative went to the Russians.
What was Blitzkrieg?
Included us of tanks, planes and artillery.
Bombing and artillery fire followed by quick infantry/tank attack
Autarky? What did it mean during German dictatorship?
To become self-sufficient for the future expansion the country.
Revisionism of Versailles? What were Germany’s goals from this?
- End reparations
- restore military power
- Take back stolen territories
- Restore rightful place in Europe
Hitler’s Ambitions in Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
- To prevent 2 front war
- USSR could be death with
after western nations - Prevent similar mess to July/
August 1914, war with Russia
Stalin’s Ambitions in Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
- Didn’t trust the West
- Gave Russia time to re-arm
- British guarantee, to Poland
was inevitable - Poland provide security
buffer between Germany
“(Stalin) slipped into the delusion that hitler would keep his word”
AJP Taylor
Significance of Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact
- If Germany or Russia in war, other wouldn't interfere - Russia received: Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Romania - Germany Received: West Poland, Lithuania
Significance of Russian Campaign?
- Gave the Russians Initiative
- As 1943 proceeded Russian quantity and quality of
equipment improved - Kursk: after this Hitler was on defensive
Stalin resisted temptations during battle
Hitler fell into temptations, failed - AJP Taylor: Attrition not strategic penetration, was the
Russian method, and it was succeeding
What was the importance of the North African Campaign?
The North African Campaign was of Strategic importance.
British controlled Egypt and Suez Chanel (quick route to India and Far East)
Axis would control oil supplies if taken.
June 1941, Operation Barbarossa?
German forces invade Soviet Union
Attacked with 3.2 Million men, 600,000 trucks, 3350 tanks and 2000 aircraft.
Three armies:
- Army Group North (Leningrad)
- Centre (centre Russia/Moscow)
- South (Ukraine, grain. lands)
Key events towards the end of conflict?
- Liberating France
- D-Day
- Russian counter offensives
- Battle of the bulge
Impact of there Nuremberg war trials?
- Many Nazis placed on trial in front of International
Military tribunal - Charged with one of the four charges:
- War crimes
- Conspiracy
- Crimes against humanity
- Crimes against peace
- 21 Nazis would eventually stand trial: Heinrich himmler
committed suicide in custody and Joseph Goebbels
committed suicide in bunker alongside hitler.
Reason’s for allied victory?
- Greater Allied production of war material
- Germany’s over-extended lines of communication
- Germany’s empire was to big to control
- Russian economic miracle
- Germany’s failure to take advantage of Stalin’s
unpopular regime amongst nationalities - Liability of Italy as an ally
- Superior allied political and military leadership
- Superior allied intelligence
- > Defeat a Stalingrad was key turning point<
- German’s becoming bogged down in Eastern Front
- Failure at Moscow 1941 (barbarrosa/battle of Moscow)
- Failure to knock Britain out of war in 1940
- Failure to gain control of North Africa, Suez and Middle
East oil - Allied control of seas and air
- Bombing in Germany and German inefficient economy.
What occurred on D-Day?
- Assault on Beaches of normandy ( 50,000 men)
- Over 2 Mill men shipped to France during operation
- Allied: 12,000 aircraft, bombers, transports, gliders
- Resistance at Omaha Beach extremely high
- 2000 of the 9000 casualties from the 5 beaches
occurred at Omaha beach, stiff cliffs made progress
difficult - Allied had control of skies
- 26 amphibious tanks sunk upon launching, heavy seas
- Of the 2400 tons of supplies towards Omaha Beach
only 100 tons made it
What occurred during the liberation of France?
- 25th August 1944
- Breakout from normandy in late July
- Within 6 weeks Paris was liberated
- 20,000 Allied casualties 40,000 Germans
- American forces moving eastwards cornered German
troops in operation Cobra - 50,000 captured, 10,000 killed, 30,000 escaped
- Operation Anvil lanced by US and France troops,
invaded southern France - Paris, joined by police went on strike, Von Choltitz
surrender city to allies
What was Operation Market Garden?
- September-December 1944
- Aimed to outflank German defenses in Netherlands
- The hopes for market garden were to optimistic
- Initially the operation went well
- Operation turned into a major disaster
- Force at Arnhem lasted 10 days instead of the
indented 2 - Poor weather and strengthen forces than expected
- Inability to get allied supplies by air or highway 69
- German discovery of battle planes in crashed plane
- Force at Arnhem lasted 10 days instead of the
- 2200 men evacuated, 18,000 killed, captured or wound
- Dutch civilians and people blamed for operation planing
- German managed to form strong defensive line
- Allied progress slowed and was costly
What date did WW2 officially end?
2nd September 1945
When did Germany Surrender?
8th May 1945
Civilians at war: Britain
The Blitz
- The Blitz:
- German Bombing
- Soften up the country
before invasion - Destroy ability to make
war - Bombing failed
- Didn’t lower moral,
created ‘we can take it’
attitude - British Production not
damaged
Civilians at war: Germany
Policies and Thinking
- Policies: Looked to achieve Lebensraum in the east and to create an Aryan pure race - Thinking: Other races had fallen due to bad racial stock
Civilians at war: Soviet Union
- Communist nation
- Propaganda and pictures of
Stalin was placed everywhere
and in every household - Anti-religious propaganda
- Propaganda was strictly
patriotic and violently anti-
germany
Siege of Tobruk?
- It was vital for the Allies’ defense of Egypt and the Suez Canal to hold the town with its harbour
- Tobruk was subject to repeated ground assaults and almost constant shelling and bombing. The Nazi propagandist Lord Haw Haw (William Joyce) derided the tenacious defenders as ‘rats’, a term that the Australian soldiers embraced as an ironic compliment
