Gemany At War

Question 1

Why did the British bomb Germany?

Answer 1

To weaken Germany ability to fight
Weaken German morale
Industrial targets. Stop production of planes and bombs etc

Question 2

Where and when were there prominent bombings

Answer 2

Berlin August 1940
Berlin 1942
Hamburg July 1943
Dresden 1943
Hamburg august 1943

Question 3

How many civilians died during bombings

Answer 3

3.5 million

Question 4

What is total war

Answer 4

All economic activity is focused on the winning of the war. Everything else would cease until the war is won.

Question 5

What happened to things and shops during total war

Answer 5

Most things were rationed. E.g clothes soap toilet paper and only getting hot water 2 days a week with a lack of oil.

Question 6

What was ersatz?

Answer 6

A German made fake food. Like ersatzkaffee, a coffee made from acorn and barely seeds

Question 7

Why did a black market develop

Answer 7

Rationing allowed a black market to flourish with people buying goods like meats toilet paper and new clothes

Question 8

What groups of people were given extra rations and why

Answer 8

Miners- they were important for war effort
Blood donors- they needed to be healthy to donate blood
Pregnant women- to make healthy babies

Question 9

What were balcony pigs?

Answer 9

People grew herbs and vegetables on their balconies in big cities

Question 10

Who was Albert Speer?

Answer 10

He was put in charge of ensuring the German economy was ready for total war

Question 11

How did Albert Speer ensure Germany was ready for total war

Answer 11

He made workers in factories work longer hours. Getting women to join the workforce. Working in factories was dangerous as they would be target to bombs

Question 12

What other groups got drafted into the workforce

Answer 12

Jews and political opponents worked until there deaths without pay.

Question 13

Hat did the league of German maidens do?

Answer 13

Helped out in kindergartens and elderly peoples homes.

Question 14

How did the onset of war alter the Jewish problem for the Nazis

Answer 14

The countries they invaded had many Jews in them. USSR had 5 million, Poland had 3 million. Immigration was stopped. Further into the war the Nazis realised the pay their original plan of moving Jews east towards Siberia was no longer an option as the Russian army put up a fight.

Question 15

Who were the einsatzgruppen?

Answer 15

SS squads (3000 men) carried out mass shootings and used gas vans to eradicate towns filled with Jews about Europe. Primarily in Eastern Europe.

Question 16

What was the purpose of the ghettos?

Answer 16

To imprison Jews the Nazis created ghettos in big cities. They were surrounded by huge walls and guards. The Nazis punished anyone who tried to leave. A Jew living in a ghetto would only live 3-12 months. Ghettos were used to keep Jews in until they were moved to concentration camps.

Question 17

Example of a ghetto

Answer 17

Warsaw ghetto Poland

Question 18

What was the final solution?

Answer 18

It was a decision made in January 1942, at the wansee conference. Heydrich came up with the solution of concentration camps. To eradicate the Jews they would be brought to camps and killed with zyklon b gas. The Nazis changed their focus from labour camps to death camps.

Question 19

Who ran death camps

Answer 19

Death head units ran the camps.

Question 20

What is the difference between death camps and concentration camps?

Answer 20

Concentration camps were camps where you would be sent to work and do hard manual labour. Death camps were camps where you were sent to die. Examples of death camps are Auschwitz and Birkenau

Question 21

Who were wartime opposition for the Nazis

Answer 21

The army, the home front and political opponents.

Question 22

Why did youth oppose the Nazi regime and how would they oppose it.

Answer 22

Many opposed the Nazis as they didn’t agree with Hitler youth and recognised how crazy it was teaching 8 year old kids how to throw grenades.

A group called the edelweiss pirates would make up rude alternatives to pro-Nazi songs sung by Hitler youth. They would listen to banned music and drink. Some even beat up Nazi youth members. They also refused to join home guard

The consequences of these actions led to them being captured and having their heads shaven.

Question 23

Why did the church oppose the Nazis and what actions did they take?

Answer 23

The concordat had been broken. The churches opposed euthanasia of disabled. Couldn’t worship Hitler and God.

The pope publicly disapproved of the Nazis. Many Catholic priests saved Jews by sneaking them out of Germany. Bonhoeffer and Niemoller set up new churches to rebel.

Bonhoeffer was executed. Many priests were taken to concentration camps.
Cardinal Gaelin was killed.

Question 24

Why did the army oppose the Nazis and what actions did they take?

Answer 24

Many officers weren’t happy with the einsatzgruppen. Hitler was too ruthless with German life in the army getting many men killed with his orders. Army generals didn’t like being controlled by a working class man.

The Kreisau circle planted a bomb. This was a plot called operation Valkyrie. This plot failed. Because of the plot Hitler feared for his personal safety during the war.

Because of the plot 5000 people were killed by Hitler because of paranoia. He used this fear as an excuse to kill many political opponents.