Course of the War + Civilians + End of War

Question 1

Fall of Poland

Answer 1

360,000 troops and 40 planes = Poland
1.25 million men and 140 planes = Wehrmacht

Question 2

Operation ____ assault Denmark and Norway

Answer 2

Weserbung
Luftwaffe had 1,000 planes bombers, fighters

Question 3

Fall of France

Answer 3

Luftwaffe only lost 28% of their planes and destroyed 1274 French and 959 (477 fighters) of British Aircraft

Question 4

BoB commenced under___

Answer 4

Operation Sea Lion

Question 5

Radio System used by Brit

Answer 5

Dowling System

Question 6

How many aerial tracking stations were operational by ___
Where were they located?

Answer 6

By 1940, 51 aerial tracking stations were operational along Brit’s southern and eastern coastlines

Question 7

During BoB how many aircrafts did Germany and Brit lose?

Answer 7

Germany lost approx 1,700 aircrafts, Brit losing only 900

Question 8

Between ___ the Luftwaffe dropped…

Answer 8

September 1940 and May 1941
Approximately 45, 000 tons of bombs on Britain

Question 9

Bombing of Germany purpose by ___ and ___

Answer 9

Churchill and Roosevelt decided ‘the progressive destructive and dislocation’ of Germany had become a priority

Question 10

Bombing of Germany
Operation ___ between ___ by the ___ and ___ dropped ___ causing massive firestorms

Answer 10

Gomorrah
24th July and 3rd August 1943
RAF and USAAF
9,000 tons of bombs

Question 11

Bombing of Germany tactically bombed___ resulting in ___

Answer 11

economic base resulting in the reduction of oil supplies, chemical production cut, the railway system weakened and German industry relied on stockpiles.

Question 12

Historian describing Bombing of Germany

Answer 12

Richard Overy brit historian “ economy gradually creaked almost to a halt”

Question 13

Failure of the Luftwaffe

Answer 13

Gain air security during invasion of Normandy

Question 14

North African Campaign Italy and German losses

Answer 14

Nearly 400 transport aircraft (30% of their available force in the theatre) including giant supply aircraft (6-engine Messerschmitt 323s), had all been lost in an attempt to keep Afrika Korps supplied through the hostile Mediterranean

Question 15

Historian quote on North African Campaign

Answer 15

North Africa was the ‘Great Turning Point’” – William Shirer

Question 16

North African Campaign resources
Inability to obtain ___ (for Germany)

Answer 16

Failure to gain control over Egypt and the Suez, denied the Nazi access to the Mediterranean
Vital oil supplies that would maintain the Nazi war effort, forcing Army Group South in Russia to move further south to try and take the Caucuses

Question 17

Defeat in North Africa granted the Allies

Answer 17

Valuable trade routes for supplies and easy access to the Mediterranean

Question 18

Operation Barbarossa when did it start?
German Failure
General … quote
3 year siege from … in …

Answer 18

22nd July 1941
Geography
- not “blitzkreig” (lightning war)
- Rundstedt
“the vastness of Russia devours us”
Sept 1941, Leningrad

Question 19

Operation Barbarossa
Climate disadvantages

Answer 19

30 divisions of Siberian forces organised by Soviets
Tanks Broke, powerlines snapped, engine tanks frozen
inadequate clothing and lack of supplies led to hundreds of thousands of hyperthermia, frostbite and trenchfoot

Question 20

Operation Barbarossa
Stalin leadership

Answer 20

Staln stay in Moscow = raised morale
Hitler interfered with commander. Sacked 3 generals, von Runstedt, Bob, Leeb

Question 21

Operation Barbarossa Weapons
By… Red Army had almost … and …
Germany had … tanks when Russia had…

Answer 21

K1, K2 and T34 tanks.
1941, 1000 T-34 tanks and 500 KV tanks
3350, 20,000

Question 22

Battle of Stalingrad
German Loss
Historian quote

Answer 22

Over 280,000 men; Paulus 6th Army surrender
Soviet Morale Boost
Richard Overy “moment when the pendium of war swung decisively against Hitler”

Question 23

Operation Uranus (RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN)

Answer 23

Mid-Nov. 300,000 Germans caught inside pocket
Success tactically

Question 24

Battle of Kursk (RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN)
losses of Germany

Answer 24

5 million men + 1500 tanks lost for Germany

Question 25

Battle of Kursk (RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN)
Historian Quote

Answer 25

Richard Overy “…Soviet successes at Kursk …was the most important single victory of the war…”

Question 26

Brit Air war civilian
Luftwaffe dropped … bombs
Civilians death and houses

Answer 26

From September 1940 to May 1941, London and other cities of economic value (like Birmingham and Sheffield) experienced sustained aerial bombing from the Luftwaffe, who dropped about 55,000 tonnes of bombs in this period.
Over 40,000 civilians died and 86,000 were severely injured
Over two millions houses were destroyed or damaged, leaving many families homeless and destitute.

Question 27

Brit civilians shelters

Answer 27

Britain’s ‘Air Raid Precautions Bureau’ (ARP), led by Sir John Anderson.
- Small backyard shelters which families would into during an air raid to avoid falling debris,
- Distributed from Feb 1939, 1.5 million Anderson backyard bomb shelters were issued before Sept 1939

Question 28

Social effects on Germans civilians
- Propaganda

Answer 28

Propaganda, conducted by the Reich Minister Joseph Goebbels, would transition from depicting the Wehrmacht as national heroes ‘marching for freedom’, to that centred on atrocity stories of the ‘vileness’ of Russian actions in the east to Germany, and most notably spreading anti-Semite sentiments with crude depictions of the Jews.

Question 29

Social effects on Germans civilians
- Bombing

Answer 29

In late July 1943, British Bomber Command launched ‘Operation Gomorrha’ against the city of Hamburg.
- The onslaught of incendiaries destroyed over 50% of the city.
- 30,000 people died whilst 500,000 were left homeless.

Aagainst other German cities, including Dresden (a key railway junction) on February 1945.
- Over 4000 bombs dropped.
- In 7 hours, 35,000 homes destroyed.
- More than 50,000 civilians were killed

Question 30

Economic impacts Britain
- Workers

Answer 30

In 1941, the Ministry of Labour implemented the Essential Works Order, which placed essential industrial workers, such as railway employees, under government control.
- Reflected the nature of economic rationing in Britain, which was also incited by economic strains placed on Britain’s capacity to source imports with Germany’s control of the seas in the ‘Battle for the Atlantic’ during the early 1940’s.

Question 31

Economic impacts Britain
- Food
- Rationisation
- Women

Answer 31

The Ministry of Food exhorted people to try substitute foods and grow vegetables (by 1942, more than 1.4mn flower beds transformed), while also introducing a ’16 point system’ on the food quantities families purchased.

In 1939, the Brit imported 22 million tons of food; by 1942, this had been cut by half
- Petrol rationed in Sept 1939; this was followed in Jan 1940 by butter, sugar, bacon, paper and meat
- Rations were set at about 3000 calories per day and although the Brit people had only limited experienced in ww1
- Radio shows such as ‘Kitchen Front’ would suggest recipes for those struggling to cope with rationing

By 1944, Over 2 million women worked in munitions and transports industries, in both factory environments and for the Women’s Auxiliary Corps.

90% of all able-bodied single women between the ages of 18 and 40 were engaged in some form of work

Question 32

Social impact Britain
- Reduce mortality
- School children
- Entertainment

Answer 32

Diphtheria immunisation introduced,
reducing mortality from this disease by 75% during the war period.

From 1941 all school children received free milk.

Entertainment utilised such as ‘Music while you work’ and artists such as Vera Lynn greatly helped to unite the nation and keep up morale.

Practice of blackouts, 1.5 million children
evacuated to the countryside and fear of
gas affected social life greatly

Question 33

Social impact Britain
- Blitz
- Gas masks
- Children Evacuated
- Women

Answer 33

September 1940 to May 1941 = 40,000 civilian casualties
- HOWEVER morale was STRONG ‘we can take it’ mindset that perpetuated Bri

Since 1938, civilians had been issued gas masks and during the war, no one was allowed to leave home without one

Over 1.5 million children were evacuated from British cities, yet were soon returned during the period of the ‘phoney war.’

Appx. 65,000 women joined the Women’s Land Army, allowing more men to join services and boosting food production

Question 34

Blitz spirit - Britain civilian

Answer 34

Propaganda slogan to ‘keep calm and carry on’ has epitomized the view that the British population was united and steadfast in its resolve to fight the Germans until victory was won.

Crime rates rose markedly during the blackouts and with rationing starting to pinch, the black market thrived across Britain.

British industry suffered more labor strikes in 1942 than there had been in 1917.

Question 35

German civilians economic
- Rationalisation
- Plane
- Women

Answer 35

Rationalisation in several areas, with 42 aircraft models being reduced to 5 and 150 truck types

In 1944, Germany was producing 1000 Messerschmitt Fighters from three plants instead of the previous 180 coming from 7 plants.

Despite being against the spheres of gender perception in Nazi ideology, German women still had a prominent role in the war economy.
- Women went from comprising 37% of the workforce in 1939, to 52% in 1945.

Question 36

Quote of Brit economic

Answer 36

Albert Speer, as armaments minister, would have a significant role in directing total war efforts by guiding ‘the shift to mass production, though far from universal, to bring an instant increase in efficiency’ (Overy).

Question 37

Arrival of US troops in England
- Social impact Britain

Answer 37

January 1942

They brought with them candy, Coca-Cola, cigarettes and nylon stockings, which made them popular with both women and children.

By the end of the war, a total of 1.5 million US servicemen had passed through Britain.
- British soldiers were underpaid and poorly kitted out: they only had one uniform, battledress and hobnail boots.
- British troops regarded the Americans (called ‘GIs’ because their equipment had ‘Government Issue’ stamped on it) as being overpaid, oversexed and over here; during the war, over 60000 British women married American servicemen.

Question 38

Russia’s social effects of the war
- Members
- Workers
- Women

Answer 38

Between 1941 and 1945 Communist Party gained 3 ½ million new full members, with half of the Communist Party being armed forces members.
- Before the war background and ‘proletarian consciousness’ , post war talent was more important (up to 40% of new Party Members from the Intelligentsia)

Due to manpower shortages (only 5.5 million workers in Russia by 1942 compared to 8.3 million in 1940) women played an increasing role in the workforce (in 1940 women made up 38% of the industrial workforce compared to 52% in 1943)
- Countryside where ¾ of men had gone from collective farms by 1944, giving them entire responsibility for food production

Question 39

Soviet economic civilian
- Ration
- Malnutrition

Answer 39

Rationing was introduced in stages between July and September 1941.
- Normal calorie allowance being 1176 for employees and 780 for dependents. This was deliberate as it encouraged dependants to work

Workers in heavy industries had a higher allocation at 3600 calories/day but by 1943 barely more than 2660 calories/day

Widespread malnutrition among those too weak to work, with up to 20% of non-child deaths caused by hunger related tuberculosis.

Question 40

Soviet economic civilian
- Black market
- Worker condition
- Overy quote
- Grain supply and Soviet coal mines

Answer 40

A black market loaf of bread cost the same as a week’s wages

Workers faced colder temperatures and food shortages. 16-18 hour work days were common and leave was restricted to one day a month.

Overy: Planning mass production and mobilisation were pillars of Soviet survival and subsequent revival.

By 1942 Russian grain supply fell by 60 million tonnes, while Soviet coal mines were only producing 23% of what was available to the Germans,

Question 41

Soviet economic civilian
- Production
- Lend-Lease
- Military

Answer 41

Significant production took place in terms of aircraft, guns, tanks and new industrial enterprises. (over 135 000 aircraft, 500 000 guns, 100 000 tanks and 3500 new enterprises)

US Lend-Lease Aid was significantly helpful in developing industry from 1942

Soviets were clinical in their simplicity and rationalisation of industry in contrast to Germans before Speer, producing T34 and KV Tanks and aircraft.

1942, production exceeded the Germans.

Question 42

D-day + Liberation of France

Answer 42

Churchill and Roosevelt devised a plan for the invasion of France, codenamed Operation Overload and to be commanded by Eisenhower, which targeted the more obscure location of the beaches of Normandy.

The deception created by Operation Bodyguard, through the establishment of false fronts, ultimately gave the Allies the element of surprise with their mass aerial bombardment and swarms of troops on D-Day, the 6th June 1944.

With German casualties and injures exceeding up 400,000, as opposed to 200,000 Allied casualties,

Furthermore, the success of D-Day did effectively allow the Allies to establish a foothold in Europe, with over 2 million men being transported to France by July. This came with opening of a two front war, to further strain military and economic demands on Germany.

For these reason, Roberts argues that the ‘success of D-Day was Churchill’s greatest contribution to the Allied victory’.

Question 43

Liberation of France

Answer 43

On 25th July, the breakout was launched through Operation Cobra.

In August, the Allies created the Falaise Pocket, encircling three German armies, which resulted in 50,000 Germans captured and 10,000 killed,

These pressures would culminate in Allied success in haltering Germany’s defence of Paris, a 50-day campaign that brought heavy casualties for both sides, however the Germans lacked the manpower and industrial capacity to recover from such losses.

Question 44

Russian counteroffensives

Answer 44

Battle of Kursk, the initiative on the Eastern Front was with the Red Army, with Zhuokov heralding the war in the east as the ‘Russian sledgehammer’.
Operation Bagration, on the 22 June 1944, was a mass Soviet Union assault against Germany’s Army Group Centre. Soviet forces comprising of over 1 million men and 6000 tanks, outnumber Army Group Centre 4:1. This lend toward a rapid and devastating Soviet advance, aptly dubbed the ‘Soviet steamroller’, which resulted in the complete annihilation of AGC, with 300,000 German casualties.
Reaffirms Jonathan Jordan’s stance that ‘Operation Bagration was Hitler’s worst military setback… it dramatically turned the tide of war against the Third Reich’.

Question 45

Operation Market Garden

Answer 45

On 17th September, General Montgomery launched Operation Market Garden – which aimed to outflank the German defences in the Netherlands by seizing the bridgeheads over the Rhine. The campaign at first went well, with US and British paratroopers and air forces heavily bombarding river bridgeheads. However, the compounding effects of poor weather and a restriction for Allies to get supplies and reinforcements to Arnhem, Montgomery’s operation turned into a fiasco.
Slowed Allied progress in the region, with the Germans better able to organise a strong defensive line along the West Wall

Question 46

Battle of Bulge

Answer 46

on 16th November, was a last-ditch German offensive aimed at retaking Antwerp which had been captured by the British in September, and though it had initial success it ultimately failed.
The Panzer Army of 24 divisions, equipped with Tiger II tanks, had almost destroyed two American infantry divisions at Ardennes. However, with the freezing conditions slowing the German offensive this saw Allied reinforcements quickly divert to deal with the attack and therefore entirely fizzling the attack.
Germans lost 120,000 troops they couldn’t afford.
When US forces established a bridge hold at Remagen in March 1945 the entire German Western Front collapsed.

Question 47

Number of Germans in concentration camps
- Social effects of war

Answer 47

In accordance with the brutality of the Nazi regime, by 1934 there were 714,000 Germans in concentration camps for political crimes.