The course of WW2 in Europe and North Africa Flashcards
How can the course of WW2 in Europe and North Africa be divided up?
- The course of the war in Europe from 1939 to June 1941
- The course of the war in Africa and Italy 1940–5
- The course of the war at sea 1939–45
- The course of the air war 1939–45
- The course of the land war in Europe, June 1941 to May 1945
Elements of the course of the war in Europe from 1939 to June 1941
- The invasion of Poland
- The Phoney War 1939-40
- The Winter War 1939-40
- The invasion of Denmark and Norway, April 1940
- The invasion of western Europe, May 1940
- The invasion of the Balkan peninsula, October 1940 to June 1941
When did Germany invade Poland?
1 September 1939
How long did it take Germany to successfully capture Poland
1 month of fighting
Why was Germany successful in capturing Poland within just 1 month of fighting?
- The Polish army rushed to defend its border, believing that French and British support was imminent; both Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3 September, but neither made any meaningful efforts to help defend Poland.
- Poland had 1 million soldiers compared to Germany’s 1.5 million.
- Germany had superior tanks and aircraft. German tanks outflanked the Polish army while aircraft were used to bomb strategic targets.
- The USSR invaded Poland on 17 September and captured key cities with relative ease as Polish forces were busy fighting the Germans.
What happened after Germany invaded Poland?
- The remaining Polish forces retreated to Romania before being moved to France, where the Polish government-in-exile was established on 30 September.
- Poland was divided between the USSR and Germany.
- Poland lost 65,000 soldiers during the fighting, with a further 660,000 being captured by German and Soviet forces.
What was the Phoney War?
Britain and France were involved in little fighting for the first nine months of the war and this period became known as the Phoney War.
Actions of different countries during the Phoney War- 1939-40
- France used this time to strengthen its defences along the border with Germany and Britain began to mobilize the troops in its empire.
- The USA altered its neutrality acts to enable Britain and France to purchase war-related goods.
- The increase in trade with America led to naval clashes in the Atlantic, with both Britain and Germany trying to blockade the other.
What did the USSR do over the winter of 1939-40?
It expanded its territory
The Winter War 1939-40
The USSR expanded its territory over the winter of 1939–40:
- Finland was invaded in November 1939 by hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops, supported by thousands of tanks and aircraft.
- The USSR went on to annex Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bessarabia in 1940.
Finnish reaction to invasion by the USSR (Winter War)
Finland resisted effectively but had a much smaller army, and an agreement was signed in February 1940, allowing Finland to remain independent but surrender eleven percent of its territory.
The invasion of Denmark and Norway, April 1940
- Germany needed to secure its supply of iron ore from Sweden, which was a challenge due to British attempts to blockade the Swedish ports and the ports freezing over in the winter.
- To solve the problem, Germany invaded Norway via Denmark on 9 April 1940.
- By June, Germany had conquered all of Norway, including the port of Narvik which was then used to ship Swedish iron ore.
When did Germany launch its first major offensive against France?
- May 1940
- It had successfully captured its capital by the 13th of June 1940
Events of the German invasion of Western Europe- overall
- Germany sent 3.3 million troops to fight, being slightly outnumbered by the Allied forces, which totaled almost 3.5 million.
- The Germans had superior equipment and tactics.
Events of the German invasion of Western Europe- the Netherlands
The Netherlands fell to the Germans just four days after being attacked.
Events of the German invasion of Western Europe- Luxembourg
Luxembourg failed to mount any meaningful resistance and was quickly captured, leaving Belgian and French borders more exposed.
Events of the German invasion of Western Europe- Belgium
- Belgium put up a stronger resistance as it received support from both the French and the British; however, the German army managed to surround enemy forces by successfully invading France through the Ardennes Forest.
- Belgium surrendered on 28 May, causing a mass evacuation of British and French soldiers.
Events of the German invasion of Western Europe- France
- France had put a great deal of effort into reinforcing the Maginot Line, believing the region in the north of the country would be impassable to German tanks.
- The French were wrong, however, and Germany managed to access the English Channel through the forest and cut off troops both in and traveling to Belgium.
- The evacuation of Dunkirk rescued around 330,000 soldiers, but all equipment had to be abandoned by the Germans and 20,000 French soldiers were captured by the German army.
- Germany was now able to focus its efforts on France, capturing its capital on 13 June after an Italian invasion to the south of France helped weaken its defense.
When was the Axis powers’ invasion of the Balkan Peninsula?
October 1940- June 1941
Axis invasion of the Balkan Peninsula- which countries were invaded?
- Albania
- Greece
- Yugoslavia
Italy’s invasion of Albania
Italy successfully conquered Albania in April 1939.
Axis powers’ invasion of Greece
- In October 1940, Italy launched an attack on Greece from Albania, but the attack failed and Greece was able to push Italy back and occupy territory in Albania.
- In April of 1941, Greece was invaded and, despite support from British troops, the capital Athens was captured by 27 April and Greece surrendered soon afterward.
Germany’s invasion of Yugoslavia
Germany, with the support of Bulgaria, invaded and conquered Yugoslavia in April 1941, dividing it among Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, and Hungary.
The course of the war in Africa and Italy 1940-45- elements
- East Africa, January to November 1941
- North Africa 1940–43
- The Italian Front 1943–44
Entry of Italy into the war
- It joined on the side of Germany
- It joined in 1940
- It was quickly engaged in battles with Britain on the African continent
War in East Africa, January to November 1941
- In January 1941, Britain launched a three-pronged attack on Italy’s east African empire.
- By November 1941, this area had been conquered and the states were either granted independence or placed under British control.
War in North Africa 1940-43: Egypt
- Italy wanted to gain control of the Suez Canal to improve access to its east African colonies and Egypt.
- This was in order to access the valuable raw materials in the region.
- Italy invaded Egypt on 13 September 1940 but was met by strong British resistance, which successfully pushed Italian troops out of the country by December.
War in North Africa 1940-43: Lybia
- British forced invaded and captured eastern Libya in February 1941
- Germany responded by sending troops to assist Italy in the region and British troops were pushed out of Libya by April 1941
- Britain’s ‘Operation Crusader’ in November 1941 was unsuccessful and by May 1042, Lybia was under German and Italian control.
War in North Africa 1940-43: El Alamein (town in Egypt)
- The Axis powers attempted to break through the British line in Egypt in June 1942, but the British resisted the attack
- German forces were exhausted and struggling for supplies, while Britain had been able to resupply its forces through the Suez Canal.
- In October 1942, British, Polish, and Greek forces relaunched an attack against the Germans at El Alamein, causing the tired German soldiers to retreat into Libya
- By the end of May 1943, all Axis powers in northern Africa had been defeated.
Who was victorious in north Africa?
The Allies
Why did battles on the Italian Front in the years 1943-44 result in Allied victory and why were they important to the Allies’ overall success in the war? (a few examples)
- During the battle for Sicily, the Italian king deposed and arrested Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
- Italy, realizing an Axis defeat was likely and hoping for favorable peace terms, agreed to a secret armistice with the Allies on 3 September. Italian troops subsequently surrendered when confronted by Allied forces
- Italy fell into civil war in late 1944, with the north being controlled by Mussolini, who had been rescued from prison.
- The Allies made small territorial gains in northern Italy in early 1945 but the fighting did not stop until the German surrender on 2 May.
The course of WW2 at sea 1939-45- elements
- Battle of the Atlantic (1939-45)
- Mediterranean Sea (1940-43)
How was Naval power different in WW1 and WW2?
- Naval power had been a decisive factor in the outcome of the First World War, with Britain imposing a naval blockade on Germany that led to starvation and lack of raw materials for war production.
- The Germans feared the same at the start of the Second World War as their naval power was greatly inferior to that of Britain and France.
- This fear was not to play out, however, as Germany quickly conquered Norway and most of continental Europe, giving it access to food and supplies, as well as ports.
What was the Battle of the Atlantic?
- A battle that was ongoing for most of the war between German submarines and aircraft and British and US merchant and battle ships.
- 1939-45
Germany’s actions in the Battle of the Atlantic (1939-45)
- German submarines, organized into groups called wolf packs, launched attacks against increasing numbers of merchant ships carrying supplies from the USA.
- German aircraft supported the attacks, meaning that British ships had to face the enemy from below and above.
0Germany was very successful initially as it deciphered British naval codes, allowing its wolf packs to locate large convoys of British ships.
-848 Allied ships had been destroyed by July 1941, compared to just 43 German submarines.
Reaction of the Allies in the Battle of the Atlantic (1939-45)
- To counteract Germany’s initial success, the Allied ships traveled in large convoy systems, and aircraft were used to patrol the sea.
- The Allies developed various weapons to destroy German submarines, including depth charges, ASDIC or sonar, radar, and high-frequency direction-finding.
- In 1941, Britain decrypted the German naval codes, enabling it to locate German submarines
Who was victorious in the Battle of the Atlantic and why?
The Allies were victorious in the end, their naval technologies and intelligence being too much for the Germans to counter while building large numbers of submarines.
Different weapons in WW2?
More info needed on war at sea- Mediterranean Sea?
The war in the air: elements
- Britain attacked, July 1940- July 1941
- Bombing Germany 1940- 45
- Other bombings
What was significant about the use of aircraft in WW2
It highlighted the extent to which warfare was changing in the twentieth century
Describe the events of Britain being attacked (July 1940- July 1941)
- Germany began bombing Britain in July 1940, causing serious damage to cities and industrial areas across the country.
- Up to 60,000 people had died by July 1941 as a result of the bombs.
- Germany hoped either to force the British government into negotiating a peace settlement, in order to prevent such high civilian casualties, or to weaken Britain enough to enable German ships to safely cross the English Channel.
- Germany was not successful and the Allies responded by bombing Germany.
What were the two elements of the bombings on Germany?
- Initial campaign
- Area bombing 1942-45
Describe the initial campaign of Britain bombing Germany
- Britain began bombing German industrial sites and railways in May 1940 with the aim of slowing down the German invasion of France.
- British bombers struggled to hit targets accurately, with only 30% of bombs dropped landing within eight kilometres of their intended target.
How did Britain change its strategy to bombing after the initial campaign?
It changed its strategy to area bombing, or targetting a larger area to negate the need for precision.
What was the aim of the British area bombing on Germany?
- To both destroy industrial areas and lower morale, as citizens would get caught up in the bombing.
- The bombing raids would take place in waves, with the first wave destroying the roofs of buildings before a second wave caused fires within the buildings
What places in Germany did Britain area bomb?
- The German city of Lübeck was bombed using the technique of carrying out bombing raids in waves (previous flashcard) in March 1943, with 62% of the city being destroyed.
- In May 1942, Operation Millennium was launched, involving over 1000 British bombers which attacked the German city of Cologne, destroying 3300 houses and 36 factories.
- The strategy continued to be used throughout the war, assisted by US planes once the USA joined the Allies in 1942.
What places, other than Germany, were attacked by British and US bombers?
Romania’s oilfields and parts of Italy
What areas other than Britain were bombed by the Germans?
The Germans also continued to use aerial bombing as a strategy, targeting Soviet cities and areas of North Africa.
The bombing campaigns led to the death of ___ Allied area crew
160,000
Different sized of the debate about how important bombing campaigns were to the war effort and the eventual Allied victory
- Improvements in Allied air attacks had significantly harmed Germany by the end of 1944 due to repeated campaigns on its oil installations and railways.
- However, targeting civilians seems to have increased rather than decreased their morale, and Germany managed to repair damage to industrial areas at rapid speed.
- The cost of the campaigns was also incredibly high, with an estimated 600,000 civilians killed in Germany and many more injured or made homeless as a result of the bombings.
Elements of the land war in Europe
- Operation Barbarossa 1941
- German offensives in the USSR 1942
- Operation Uranus November 1942- January 1943
- Soviet offensives 1943
What was the state of the war for Germany in mid-1941?
- Germany controlled much of northern, central, western, and south-eastern Europe.
- The next step was to eliminate the threat from the USSR.
When was Operation Barbarossa?
June 1941
How many German troops invaded the USSR in Operation Barbarossa and what equipment was used?
Three million German troops, 3500 tanks, and 2000 aircraft invaded the USSR.
Initial events of Operation Barbarossa?
The USSR was caught by surprise and Germany quickly advanced, capturing large areas of land, armies, and equipment.
How far did the Germans advance by November 1941 (Operation Barbarossa)?
They were just 32 km from Moscow
Soviet defense against Operation Barbarossa
The Soviets launched a counterattack that was able to save Moscow and brought an end to Operation Barbarossa.
Soviet losses from Operation Barbarossa
An estimated 3 million Soviet troops were killed and a further 3.5 million captured
Soviet response to Operation Barbarossa
- While the Soviets were initially overwhelmed and suffered massive losses in terms of both human casualties and machinery, they continued to put up resistance for longer than the Germans had prepared themselves to fight for.
- The Soviet government understood the importance of saving its workers and evacuated as many personnel as it could from industrial areas, ensuring that they did not become German prisoners.
Timeline of German offensives in the USSR in 1942
- Early 1942 – the Soviets launched various counterattacks against the Germans, all of which were unsuccessful.
- June 1942 – Germany launched Operation Case Blue against Stalingrad, with the aim of capturing the oilfields.
- Mid-August 1942 – the Germans had advanced a further 600 km (375 miles) and successfully captured the USSR’s western oilfields.
- Mid-September – Germany occupied most of Stalingrad. Effective capture of this city had the potential to completely halt the Soviets’ oil supply lines.
What was Operation Uranus?
Soviet armies launched a counterattack on German forces in Stalingrad
When was Operation Uranus?
19 November 1942- January 1943
Was Operation Uranus successful?
Yes
Why was Operation Uranus successful?
- The German army was taken by surprise and many were trapped in the city and cut off from supplies.
- German soldiers struggled in the freezing temperatures and surrendered on 31 January 1943.
What was significant about the German loss in the Battle of Stalingrad (Operation Uranus)?
It was the first major German defeat of the Second World War
Overview of Soviet offensives in 1943
The Soviets also launched additional attacks against German troops which led to the recapture of Kursk, Rostov, and Kharkiv by mid-February 1943.
The Battle of Kursk
- This involved a close-range tank battle that left thousands dead, hundreds of tanks destroyed and no clear victory for either side.
- What the battle did prove, however, was that Germany had failed to mount a successful offensive against the Soviets.
Operations Kutuzov and Rumyantsev
The Soviets successfully captured hundreds of thousands of German soldiers and the cities of Kharkov, Kiev and Briansk, among others.
After July 1943, the Germans failed to ___
Win any major offensive on the Eastern front
Elements of the war in Europe 1944-45
- Soviet offensives 1944
- Balkan campaign
- Baltic campaign
- Battle of Berlin
When was the Balkan campaign?
1944-45
When was the Baltic campaign?
June 1944- January 1945
When was the Battle of Berlin
20 April - 2 May 1945
Describe Soviet offensives in 1944
-The USSR continued to make advances on the Eastern Front and in the Balkans.
Soviet forces successfully drove German armies out of Ukraine early in 1944, causing them to retreat west and south-west.
-In June 1944, the Soviets launched Operation Bagration.
What was Operation Bagration?
- A highly successful operation in which Soviet armies advanced 160 km (100 miles) into German-held territory.
- By August, Soviet forces controlled eastern Poland.
Describe the Balkan Campaign 1944-45
- In August 1944, the USSR launched an attack on German and Axis troops in Romania, causing Romania to switch sides in the war and giving the Soviets control of oilfields.
- Bulgaria subsequently left the Axis powers and joined the Allies in September 1944. In October 1944, Soviet troops captured Yugoslavia’s capital, Belgrade.
Describe the Baltic campaign June 1944- January 1945
- Soviet troops launched a large-scale attack on German and Finnish troops in Leningrad.
- Finland’s army was driven out of the city by the end of June.
- By September, Soviet troops had successfully captured Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, which Germany had been occupying.
- By the end of January 1945, the Soviets had also captured the Latvian capital, Riga, and Memel, which was a German territory.
Describe the Battle of Berlin April- May 1945
- On 16 April, Soviet forces entered Germany bound for Berlin. Hitler continued to direct operations from a bunker in Berlin until he killed himself on 29 April.
- By 2 May 1945, Soviet forces had captured Berlin.
What did the leaders of the USA, Britain, and the USSR agree on when they met in Tehran, Iran, in 1944?
They agreed to open a second front against Germany in the west
Outline of activity on the Western front (chronological)
- Operation Overlord (D-Day)
- Operation Dragoon
- Allied caputre of Paris
- Battle of the Bulge
- German troops made territorial gains
- Allied troops capturing key territory in Germany
The Western Front: Operation Overlord (D-Day)
- The invasion, Operation Overlord, was launched in June 1944.
- 160,000 British, Canadian and US troops landed on the beaches in Normandy, northern France, supported by 1200 warships and bombers which attacked German defences.
- All five beaches were captured by the end of the day and by 4 July there were over 1 million Allied troops in France
When was Operation Dragoon launched?
August 1944
What was the outcome of Operation Dragoon?
Allied forces successfuly drove German troops out of southern France
When did Allied troops capture Paris?
- 25th August
- By December, German troops had retreated from most of France and Belgium
German counterattack against Allied capture of Paris (and German troops retreating from most of France and Belgium)
- Germany counterattacked in December 1944, launching attacks against Allied forces in the Ardennes Forest in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge.
- The German troops took Allied forces by surprise and made initial territorial gains, but these had been lost by the end of January and Germany lost valuable weaponry and supplies which it could not replenish.
-Allied troops capturing key territory in Germany
Allied troops entered Germany early in 1945, capturing key territory. Berlin was not invaded by Allied forces as it had been agreed that the USSR would capture the city.
When did Germany surrender?
May 1945
Describe Germany’s surrender in May 1945
- Grand Admiral Karl Donitz assumed authority in Germany once Hitler had killed himself.
- On 4 May, German troops in the Netherlands, Denmark and north-western Germany surrendered.
- In the official German surrender, signed on 7 May 1945, Germany agreed to unconditionally surrender on 8 May 1945.
