Germany at War Flashcards
Unit 7 of the Nazi Germany section
What period of the war was successful for the German army?
1939-1941
What tactic did the German army use to conquer countries?
Blitzkrieg
What did the RAF target in their early bombing campaigns in 1939?
Military targets
When did the RAF begin bombing industrial targets?
1940
Why were the initial RAF bombing campaigns of limited success?
Military and industrial targets were hard to find and hit
When was the first air raid on Berlin?
August 1940
When did Allied air raids become more frequent and intense?
1942
What was Operation Millennium?
The codename for the RAF’s bombing attack on Cologne on the 30th of May 1943
How did the Allied bombings after 1942 affect the German people?
- Evacuations became a greater necessity - after the bombing of Hamburg it was compulsory for children to be evacuated - this separated families
- The need for replacement housing became greater, causing discontent as the government failed to address this lacking
- Many people died - it was estimated at least 3.5 million civilians had died as a result of Allied bombing, almost as many as German soldiers KIA
- Class and religious tensions emerged and there was a drop in morale
Why were there little doctors to treat victims of the bombings?
Many were away in the war and Jews and women had been banned from being doctors
When was Hamburg first bombed?
July 1943
How many people did the first bombing of Hamburg kill?
50,000
How many people did the first bombing of Hamburg make homeless?
1 million
When was the second bombing of Hamburg?
August 1943
How much of the city did the second bombing of Hamburg destroy?
Two thirds
When was Dresden bombed?
February 1945
How much of the city was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden?
Three quarters
How many civilians were killed in the bombing of Dresden?
150,000
How many civilians had died from Allied bombing by the end of the war?
3.5 million
How many Germans lived in occupied Eastern Europe in 1945?
16 million
What did the Germans living in Eastern Europe do in the closing stages of the war?
As the Soviet armies advanced west they fled in panic fearing what would happen if they were captured
Around how many German refugees who were living in Eastern Europe died as a result of their expulsion?
2 million
When was rationing introduced?
1939
When did the rationing system work effectively?
1939-1941
What had the German people been promised about food?
They would get the food from occupied territories
Why did rationing begin to fail in 1942?
The German economy had not been ready for a war and the army failed to secure victory over the USSR
How much meat was a person entitled to in 1939?
700g
How much meat was a person entitled to in 1945?
250g
What foods were rationed?
Breads, fats, sugar and meat
What non-foods were rationed?
Clothes, footwear, soap, toilet paper and hot water
What other policies did the government enact to reduce food shortages besides rationing?
Public parks were used to grow vegetables and the population was encouraged to use unusual ingredients and eat a one-dish meal on Sundays
Who received extra rations?
Germans working in heavy industries like mining, pregnant women and blood donors
When did Germans begin to experience severe food shortages?
1945
How did rationing affect the German people?
- Many Germans enjoyed a healthier diet for a time even if it was less varied
- Later on many Germans experienced real hunger
- Many shops displayed make believe produce like milk bottles filled with salt
- Any household suspected of having more than its fair share would be inspected by Nazi officials
- By early 1945 ration cards were no longer honoured due to food shortages and people relied on scavenging or the black market
Where did most of the loot from occupied territories go to?
To Nazi Party members or the black market
What could you buy on the black market?
Foodstuffs, luxury clothing and perfume
Who stopped the production of civilian goods and focused all factories on production to support the war effort?
Minister for Armaments Albert Speer
What was the aim of the decrees issued by the government in 1941 and 1943 (regarding labour)?
To recruit three million childless women between the ages of 17 and 45 into the workforce
How many women were recruited as a result of the government’s decrees?
1 million
When did the Nazis introduce conscription into the workforce?
1943
How many captured foreign workers were forced to work in German farms and factories?
8 million by May 1944
When were women recruited into the workforce on a much larger scale?
The summer of 1944
What auxiliary roles in the military did women perform?
Serving refreshments at railways stations to servicemen and evacuees, doing Red Cross work, sifting and collecting scrap metal
What percentage of women were working in Germany by 1944?
40%
How much of the workforce did women make up by 1944?
Over a half
How did women try to evade conscription into the workforce?
Pretending to be ill or deliberately getting pregnant
Why did Germans have to be careful about how they treated workers?
Acts of kindness were punished
