Section 4 - Germany at war Flashcards
War in Europe
- Can be broken down into 3 phases: Conquest (1939-42), Reverse (1942-43) and Retreat (1943-45)
Conquest
- Ruined Poland in 1939 then May-June 1940 France, Belgium, Holland and Norway were taken also
- Failed to win control of the skies so didn’t advance on Britain
- Then took over all of Eastern Europe and invaded Russia in June 1941 with Operation Barbarossa
Reverse
- Suffered defeats at Stalingrad (January 1943) and Kursk (July 1943) which lead to the big retreat on the Eastern front
- Forces were moved away from the Eastern front to support Mussolini in the desert war
Retreat
- German forces were pushed back into Germany from the 2 fronts, Hitler then committing suicide on the 30th of April 1945
Radicalisation during the war
Nazi policy became increasingly radical
- 1937-38 Removed figures in politics who were non-Nazis such as Schacht who did and may voice doubts about war and Nazi policy
- 1939 Hitler embarked on the war while non-Nazi conservatives were advising against
- Under the cover of war, Hitler launched Genocides of Gypsies, Jews and disabled people
Hitler’s disappearance from public view
- Became entirely reclusive as the war progressed, Goebbels taking over the more public role
- Led to a possible problem with morale
Resistance
- Limited in the 1930s due to Hitler’s popularity and the Gestapo, apart from the Red Orchestra that operated until 1942
Later years saw an increase of resistance to Nazism
- Members of the communist resistance in places such as the Ruhr
- The “white rose” group who dissented through graffiti and spread of information, mainly brought on through disgust at the anti-Jewish atrocities
- Kreisau Circle was a group of upper class moderates who focused on creating democratic plans for post-Nazi Germany
- “Beck-Goerdeler” group were a group of upper class Nationalists who turned against Nazism afer they saw the turmoil and defeat Hitler was causing. Wanted to assassinate Hitler
July Plot
July 1944
- Beck and Goerdeler had many allies in high ranks of the German army who could get close to Hitler
- Claus Von Stauffenberg planted a bomb in a conference room that narrowly missed killing Hitler, although all members of the plot were exectued
German economy and Foreign resources in wartime
Use of Foreign resources
- Captured territories helped ease some of the problems pre-war Germany had - took over all conquered countries’ industry, farming and raw materials
- Captured large amounts of foreign military equipment, and this was used up until 1945
- POWs from captured territories were transported to factories and used as effective slave labour for the Nazis, while millions of civilians from other places were taken to concentration/extermination camps also to work. Made up 1/5 of the German workforce and used for companies like BMW, I.G.Farben and Messerschmitt
- Most slave labour was untrained and there were many shortages of trained individuals, as well as oil that Hitler had hoped to conquer in Russia
German economy and Albert Speer in the wartime
- Took over Goering’s position as Armament minister due to Hitler’s reduced faith in him after failures in the economy, places such as Dunkirk and in anti-allied bombing
- Seen as a surprising choice for this position but was a personal friend of Hitler’s, a good organiser and a realist
- Highly effective due to his
- increase in armament spending
- organised all the chaotic systems and practises so that
production trebled by 1944
- Ineffective managers were sacked and factories were
streamlined
- More intensive use of the slave labour force
- His efforts enabled Germany to survive much longer than it
would have
Military casualties
Between 1939 and 1945:
- Over 3 million people killed in action
- 1.5 million taken prisoner
- Casualties increased until the war ended
- Home front created when defeat looked inevitable, with even
Hitler youth members being used to defend places against the
advancing allies
Bombing and its effects
Between 1943 and 1945 intense air bombing took place over Germany.
- Over 300,000 were killed and over 750,000 were injured.
- Over 1 fifth of Germany’s housing was damaged or destroyed, and by the end of the war over 7 million Germans were homeless
Percentages of major German cities destroyed
- Hamburg 75%
- Frankfurt 52%
- Berlin 33%
Aim of the allies was to cause panic, reduce morale and damage German war economy
- authorities helped to organise efficient clean up organisations, which helped sustain morale however in the later part of the war many were disillusioned with the state of the country and millions of Germans lived in fear
Refugees
- German armies invading Russia were brutal, so in 1945 the favour was returned by Russian forces - causing over 5 million Germans to flee westwards between January and May
- Soviet soldiers raped around 100,000 women during their rampage on Germany
German women at war
- Incredible pressure put on women to upkeep their households and industry during the wartime period with so much conscription
- around a 10 % increase in women working in labour between 1940 and 1944, however there were already a large number of women were employed before the outbreak of war
Wartime propaganda
- Goebbels desperately tried to rally support during Hitler’s recluse and the defeat in the war, saying that Germany would suffer total destruction if the war was not won
- Played on people’s fear of the Russians in an attempt to motivate
- Claimed Germany was developing miracle weapons to save the war effort
- Couldn’t however stop the support from ebbing away
Why did Germany lose the war?: Economy
- Up against Britain, Russia and the USA - 3 of some of the most powerful economies with the largest industrial potentials of the period
- Germany’s military and constant production was dwarfed by just that of the USA
- Had fewer people, factories and raw materials
- War was not just based on the economic evidence however, as had been proven by France and Britain in 1940
Why did Germany lose the war?: Effective Allied forces
- Germany had showed its prowess in war multiple times, telling the allies they needed to improve equipment, training and leadership before the end of the war to stand a chance
- Russia’s military performance had been shocking, losing: 4 million men, 8000 aircraft and 17,000 tanks. However changes were made and morale improved, and the fighting qualities of the Russians cannot be underestimated when judging the effectiveness of Russia
- German soldiers were dosed with high amounts of drugs and went long periods without rest, showing inconsistencies, lower morale and general fatigue within the army
Why did Germany lose the war?: Hitler’s miscalculations and mistakes
- Not the only leader to make mistakes however his stand out on an enormous scale
- Hitler did not allow for Churchill’s stubborn aggression after the fall of Germany and France
- Underestimated Russia’s capacity to wage war as he viewed them as racial inferiors and their system of politics/ideologies as broken
- Underestimated the influence of the USA in the war, declaring it upon them in 1941 and not expecting immediate help
- Hitler lost Stalingrad through not listening to the advice of his peers, instead choosing to have 100,000 of his men killed and a further 150,000 imprisoned by Russia
