Great Patriotic War & impact on the USSR 1941-45 Flashcards
Since when was Hitler planning invasion?
- October 1940
Why was Nazi invasion delayed?
When was it meant to happen?
When did it actually happen?
- Originally 1st June
- Hitler’s Italian allies had caused a crisis in Yugoslavia causing Hitler to Blitzkrieg Yugoslavia
- 22nd June
Where did the Nazis attack?
- 3 army groups spearheaded the invasion
- North through the Baltic states towards Leningrad
- South East into Ukraine
- Central thrust towards Moscow
Impact of Stalin’s pre-war purges on the Armed forces?
- Stalin had purged 35,000 military officers in May 1937
- General Tukhachevsky was included (could have needed his foresight)
- Military industrial complex was purged, so when war came industry was stagnant
What was Stalin’s initial reaction to the invasion?
- Failed to broadcast to the nation until 2 weeks after invasion (3rd July)
- In this broadcast he promoted patriotism & religion to unite the USSR
- Ideologically Germany was seen as evil & Stalin’s new ally was Britain (Churchill)
Examples of Stalin’s errors & poor leadership in the early stages of War?
- Panic attacks
- Ignored 80 intelligence reported that suggested invasion
- Prepared to move the government from Moscow to Samara on the Volga, last minute decided to stay
- Relied on inferior commanders
- September 1941 he helped cause a defeat in Kiev by refusing a retreat
- Showed no urgency defending Leningrad when it was besieged (8th September 1941)
What was the name of the Soviet war cabinet?
Who was in the
Cabinet?
(4 names)
What was this cabinet subordinate to?
- Stavka
- Georgy Zhukov, Timoshenko (generals)n
- Molotov & Voroshilov (politicians)
- The State Defence Committee (GKO)
- the supreme political war cabinet
Why was Russia saved from initial defeat?
- Found out about the intentions of Japan by master spy Richard Sorge
- Stalin was saved from having to fight a 2-front war
- the Intelligence abetted by Pearl Harbour brought the US into war
What were the 3 distinct phases of the war?
- June 1941 - Summer 1942: USSR struggled to survive against German offenses
- 1942 - Summer 1943: USSR stabilised its war effort, built a war economy & halted German advances
- 1943 - Summer 1945: Soviet armies went offensive, recapturing lost territory achieving total victory
How did Blitzkrieg destroy the Russians in the first phase of war?
- Minsk & Smolensk near Kiev where 665,000 soldiers were captured
- Soviet forces pushed out of the Baltic states
- Leningrad encircled early September
- 500,000 Soviet soldiers surrendered after fall of Kiev 19th September 1941
- Fall of Rostov on Don July 1941
On 15th October 1941 what did the Soviet leadership try to do?
What was the German reaction?
- Offered a secret peace deal involving Molotov & Beria
- Hitler ignored the deal & kept on waging war
In June 1942 what & where was the new German offensive?
what disrupted this?
Why was October 1942 a turning point?
- Germany was ready to destroy the USSR
- Operation Case Blue
- Aimed at the Caucasus oilfields
- Hitler was side-tracked by Stalingrad on the Volga
- August & September the Soviets put immense effort into defending Stalingrad
- From October German forces withdrew from the Caucasus & German 6th Army cut off & encircled in Stalingrad (2nd Feb 1943)
What date was Stalingrad?
Who was the German/Russian commanders at Stalingrad?
Percentage of Soviet casualties at Stalingrad?
- 23rd August 1942 - 2nd February 1943
- Zhukov, Paulus
- 75%
Why would Stalin not evacuate the civilian population from Stalingrad?
- Stalin believed ‘They will fight harder for a live city than for a dead one’
What was operation Citadel 4th July 1943?
What prevented Citadel?
- Huge Last ditch effort from the Germans on Kursk
- Offensive halted by Soviet firepower at the Battle of Prokhorovka (July 1943) using T-34 tanks
- Hitler called off the Citadel 13th July resulting in a Soviet counteroffensive opening the road to Berlin
