Germany at war Flashcards
List four items rationed at the start of the war
- Meat
- Bread
- Fats
- Sugar
When did the situation change in terms of the degree of rationing ?
1942
Why did there have to be rationing?
The German Army’s failure to secure victory over the USSR meant that the amount of rationing - including that of cigarettes - had to be increased
What were Ersatz goods ?
Replacement goods
Ways used by the Nazis to promote civilian food production (3)
- giving public parks to the production of vegetables
- encouraging the public to embrace new recipes e.g daisy salad
- eat a one-dish meal on Sundays
What was being sold on the black market ?
Goods were sold illegally for a high price,e.g luxury clothes, perfume and food
Extra rations were given to these people: (3)
- Miners so that they could stay in mines for longer - coal was a vital substance in the war
- Blood doners need to stay healthy in case blood is needed during raids
- Pregnant women in order to have healthy Aryan children
Name some goods that were no longer available to Germans late in the war : (3)
- meat reduced to 250g from 700g a week
- non-military clothing
- furniture
How did Germans obtain new clothes, shoes or furniture ? (2)
- exchange centres were established to enable Germans to swap both clothing and household items such as furniture
- such shortages resulted in the emergence of a black market with items such as foodstuffs, luxury clothing and perfume being easily obtainable
What did the food shortages mean for shop owners ?
Many shop windows displayed goods for ‘decoration only’ and the shortage of milk meant that dairies displayed rows of milk bottles full of white salt to make it look like they contained milk
Impact of war on German people (3)
- General celebrations that resulted from news of early military successes
- Hitler’s popularity increased and ordinary Germans experienced less shortages because the spoils of war were sent home as new territory was conquered
- As a result there was little need for propaganda to remind everyone of the importance of supporting Germany’s military endeavours
Impact on children (2)
- Following an Allied bombing of Hamburg in 1943 the evacuation of children from Berlin was compulsory
- HY members collected materials that could be used for recycling to support the war effort
Describe the air raids and bombings
- 30th May 1942 Cologne was the target of the RAF’s first ever ‘thousand bomber raid’ code named Operation Millennium
- Hamburg was bombed two key times:
- July 1943 an estimated 50,000 died including civilians and around 1 million were left homeless.
- August 1943 nearly two thirds of the city’s buildings were destroyed. Tens of thousands died
- One of Most infamous; Dresden which was attacked over two nights in February 1945 by 1,300 heavy bombers. 150,000 civilians were killed
Results of the Allied bombing campaign
- By May 1945 3.5 million civilians had lost their lives
- Some say the Allied raids helped unite the country
- However while active resistance was limited, disaffection in Germany was growing amongst the population in the latter stages of the war
What was Total War?
- first declared by Joseph Goebbels in a speech made in February 1943
- Fritz Todt was Minister for Armaments and Production and replaced by Albert Speer when he died
- His job was to increase war production within economy
- He reinforced drive for Total War by ensuring the production of civilian goods ceased and all factories were focused on production to support the war effort
