L3

Question 1

why did Hitler want to invade the Soviet Union

Answer 1

• eastern borders and take ‘lebensraum’ in the area
• saw that the Slavic population of Eastern Europe as racially inferior to ‘Aryan’ Germans

Question 2

Operation Barbarossa advantages and disadvantages for Gr

Answer 2

• 22 Jun - 5 Dec 1941
• 3mil Gr soldiers, 3300 tanks, 2700 aircraft
• 5.5mil Soviets, 24000 tanks, 8000 aircraft
• Nazis have advantage bc Stalin refused to believe a Gr offensive was coming so x defensive plans from USSR

Question 3

3 Army groups aims in Operation Barbarossa

Answer 3

North: take control of the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia before taking Leningrad

Centre: take control of the key industrial cities of Minsk and Smolensk and move on capital, Moscow

South: take control of Ukraine and Kiev as well as imp Donets Basin industrial region and then advance towards Stalingrad and oil fields of Caucasus Mountains

Question 4

Germany early successes in Operation Barbarossa

Answer 4

• vastness of Russia and lack of defensive prep = perfectly suited for Blitzkrieg and broke thru lines easily
• Massive ‘cauldron’ battles = capturing 2mil Soviets within 6month
• Battle of Kiev (7jul-26sep)= Gr captured 600,000 soldiers, 800 tanks and 3000 artillery pieces

Question 5

situation by 5th dec 1941

Answer 5

• reached suburbs of Moscow
• each of army groups had failed to achieve their objectives and advance had STALLED outside of Leningrad, Moscow and Stalingrad
• USSR forces regrouping and launching fierce counterattacks against Gr
• consolidate its position until Jun 1942 when it would launch next major offensive.

Question 6

4 reasons why operation
Barbarossa failed to achieve its objectives

Answer 6

• hitler’s poor decisions
• Russian weather
• Russian resistance
• logistical challenges

Question 7

Hitler’s poor decision -> Barbarossa fail

Answer 7

• hitler’s poor decisions (demanding Centre to delay their advance in Moscow and to aid South in Kiev)
• delayed advance on Moscow and Russian winter starts to kick in + USSR army had developed set of defences around Moscow with 1mil additional troops

Question 8

Russian weather -> Barbarossa fail

Answer 8

• Gr never planned to deal with Russian winter
• Rasputitsa = ‘ time of bad roads’ when rain turn roads muddy and difficult for any type of rapid movement
• average in dec 1941 = -12.8 C
• equipment stop working
• crippling halt
• x winter clothing

Question 9

Russian resistance -> Barbarossa fail

Answer 9

• Order No. 270 = whoever surrendered would be executed
• labelled war ‘The Great Patriotic War’
• partisans set up ambushes and disrupted Gr transportation by blowing up bridges and trainlines

Question 10

logistical challenges -> Barbarossa fail

Answer 10

• constant need of fuel and ammunition hw Gr outran supply liens
• needed to convert the USSR railway gauges to use Gr trains
• constantly running short on supplies of fuel, ammunition, medical equipment and appropriate clothing