Great Patriotic War Flashcards
Operation Barbarrossa
22nd June 1941 thought would win decisively knew winter coming USSR under preped & Gers = strong
forces to Lgrad, Ukraine & Moscow
Stalin’s Immediate Reaction
no directional action despite warnings
molotov did braodcast on 22nd = 2 weeks b4 spoke publically - thought would turn against him - speech 3rd July - patriotism relig unity hatred of ger
poor leadership = initial issue - panic attack after invasion preped gov to move to volga decided to stay last min
massive defeat sept 1941 refused to let armies retreat from Kiev
1941summer - 1942 summer
June Ger invasion of the USSR - 3 mil ger troops advance quickly
massive losses - 665k captured at Kiev
sept 1941 seige of L
Oct 1941 intel from J allowed S to bring back troops from siberia to defend Mos w/ bad weather meant dont lose M
Dec German offensive pushed back from Moscow
Aug 1942 bombardment of Sgrad
1942 - summer 1943
stablise war effort build power house war econ halt Ger forces & morale
October Ger advance = halted at Stalingrad Feb surrender
turning into war of attrition H doesnt have enough resources
mass prod of T-34 tank = central to success at B of Prokhorovka
1943 summer - 1945
sov armies on offensive - capture vast occupied land from Aug = chain of vics across E Eur Gers = resilient took until April 1945 to get to Berlin
Nov lib Kiev, Tehran Summit
Jan 1944 Sov troops enter Pol
vic at Prokhorovka = spring board for offen that won
USSR Under Occupation
sovs used scorched earth tactics
harsh for civs on home front food fuel & shelter = short f’s hospitals & houses destroyed - 600k died hunger & cold 1941-4 Lgrad
approx 12 mil civs died 1 in 8 dead after war 1700 towns & cities 70k villages destroyed
some welcomed H lib from com welcomed to Ukraine & some BAltic States didnt last surprised by loyalty
German Brutality
1000s POWs
1000s Sov w’s conscripted to ger f’s
mass deportations of Jews 34k Babi Yar = killed
Soviet Brutality
1000s arrested & exec slackers & deserters
mass deports of ethnic minorities - all Tartars 240k deported 1944
170k mili personel exec
Fight Back
prop = NB
= some crit but also huge sacrifices
fear & hatred of gers - helped by Ger repression - deep patriotism & faith in S = unifying
