The Great Patriotic War Flashcards
Since when had Hitler been planning his invasion of the USSR?
October 1940
Why was the invasion delayed?
It was initially scheduled for 1st June, but was delayed for 3 weeks because Italian policies had caused crisis in Yugoslavia.
This compelled Hitler to invade Yugoslavia in a blitzkrieg campaign
How was the German army organised?
Three huge army groups lead the invasion; one group marched north through the Baltic States towards Leningrad, another group marched south and east into Ukraine and the other group marched in a central thrust towards Moscow
Some of Hitler’s advisors wanted all of the forces to be concentrated in the central drive on Moscow, but Hitler overruled them
Evidence that Stalin was shocked by the invasion
He would not make a radio broadcast to the people (that task was delegated to Molotov), probably because he feared that the people and the Party would blame him and turn against him
When Stalin did eventually make a speech, what was striking about it?
Appealed to patriotism, religion and unity among nationalities (a stark change of tone from the terror)
Called the fightback ‘a great war of the whole Soviet people’
Why was the Soviet military so unprepared for war?
Purges had weakened the Red Army (some of its best commanders, like Tukhachevsky were killed)
The USSR’s weakness can be shown by its lacklustre campaign in Finland
Soviet resources were also stretched by the need to keep substantial forces in the Far East
Significant quotes from Molotov’s speech
‘The government calls upon you to once again close ranks around our glorious Bolshevik Party, around our Soviet government, and around our great leader, Comrade Stalin’
Compared the Nazi invasion with the failed invasion of Russia by Napoleon in 1812
Examples of Stalin’s poor leadership in the early stages of the war
He had a panic attack after the invasion and failed to give any leadership in the first few weeks (e.g. prepared to move the government away from Moscow to Samara on the Volga, but changed his mind at the last moment)
Relied for too long on unskilled commanders who had been promoted after the purges
In September 1941, he caused the massive defeat of his southern armies at Kiev by refusing to allow them to retreat until it was too late
What saved Stalin from defeat in the early stages of the war?
The sheer size of Russia with its huge population and distances, the severity of the Russian winter and the patriotism of the Soviet people
He also learned from his mistakes and was helped by his ‘master spy’ Richard Sorge, who revealed to Stalin Japan’s intentions for the US.
3 phases of the GPW
June 1941 - summer of 1942: Soviet Russia struggled to survive against successive German offences, suffering massive losses of people and territory
1942 - summer of 1943: Soviet Russia stabilised its war effort, built a powerhouse war economy and halted German advances
1943 - summer of 1945: Soviet armies began offensive attacks, recapturing lost territory and achieving total victory
Example of a huge Soviet defeat in the early stages of the war
At Minsk and Smolensk, Soviet armies were encircled and defeated
At Kiev, 665,000 Soviet troops were captured
How can we see that the USSR struggled for its survival in the early stages of the war
After two weeks, German generals believed the war was virtually won and that Moscow would be captured before the end of August.
Further big defeats for the USSR
Leningrad was encircled early in September
Forces were in place for a final advance on Moscow
Half a million Soviet troops surrendered after the fall of Kiev on the 19th of September
What did the Soviet leadership offer in October 1941?
15th October 1941 - offered negotiations for a compromise peace, which was rejected by Hitler
How did the course of the war begin to change towards the end of 1941?
In November, the weather worsened and Soviet defences hardened, with some counter-attacks pushing German forces back from the outskirts of Moscow
On December 5th, the advance on Moscow was halted
What did German victory depend on?
Speed was vital in securing a German victory, and Hitler knew he could not win a long war of attrition.
Weaknesses of Operation Barbarossa
The German military had very few troops in reserve.
Hitler’s generals underestimated the number of Soviet divisions - they initially believed they faced 200, but by August they had identified at least 360
What did German forces do in May 1942?
Launched an offensive aiming towards the Caucasus to knock Russia out of the war
Case Blue, as it was called, achieved massive victories in eastern Ukraine and brought about the fall of Rostov on the Don in July (one of the lowest moments for the USSR in the whole war)
What strategic mistake did Hitler make with Case Blue?
Decided to divert forces to the capture of Stalingrad. This became a symbolic battle, with Stalin desperate to defend it and Hitler obsessed with taking it.
In October, the balance changed - the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad was cut off and encircled
Why was the defence of Stalingrad significant?
Huge Soviet victory which changed the balance of power in the war.
In the summer of 1942, nine tenths of the city was in Nazi hands, and yet the Soviet forces were able to build up new armies and new weapons to defend their city.
Example of consequence of the victory of Stalingrad?
Rostov regained only 3 weeks later
When and what was Operation Citadel?
Launched (delayed) on the 4th of July 1943
It was a great offensive near Kursk
Why did Operation Citadel fail?
The German offensive was halted by massive Soviet firepower at the Battle of Prokhorovka, the biggest tank battle in history
Hitler called off the Kursk offensive on the 13th of July, but Prokhorovka invigorated the Soviet appetite to counter-attack and regain their lost territories
What was the foundation of Soviet victory at Prokhorovka?
Mass production of the T-34 tank, which was immensely durable and easy to repair.
How did the course of the GPW change after Kursk?
From August 1943 to December 1944, there was a chain of Soviet victories across eastern Europe, such as the reconquering of Ukraine, lifting the siege of Leningrad and invading Poland, Lithuania , Romania and Hungary
When was the liberation of Kiev?
6th November 1943
When was the Tehran summit?
28th November 1943
When did Soviet forces enter Poland?
4th January 1944
When was the siege of Leningrad lifted?
27th January 1944 (after 972 days of German encirclement)
When was Crimea liberated by the Red Army?
13th May 1944
When was the capture of Vilnius in Lithuania?
13th July 1944
When was the start of the Soviet siege of Budapest?
29th December 1944
When was the start of the siege of Leningrad?
8th September 1941
When was the fall of Kiev to German forces?
19th September 1941
When was Case Blue launched?
28th June 1942
When did Rostov-on-Don fall?
24th July 1942
When was the surrender of the German army at Stalingrad?
2nd February 1943
When was Rostov liberated?
24th February 1943
What was Stalin’s war cabinet called?
Stavka - formed on the 23rd June 1941, it comprised key generals such as Timoshenko and Zhukov as well as key politicians like Molotov and Voroshilov
When was the Battle of Prokharovka?
12th July 1943
4 key battles in the course of the Great Patriotic War?
Siege of Leningrad
Battle of Moscow
Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Kursk
When and what was the siege of Leningrad?
September 1941-January 1944
Leningrad was encircled by Nazi forces by early September 1941, leading to severe losses of life (around 700,000 inhabitants died of hypothermia or starvation). Zhukov’s leadership was key in preventing German takeover.
When and what was the Battle of Moscow?
September 1941
Muscovites dug anti-tank trenches in the freezing earth by hand to halt the German advance. Zhukov embarked on a successful counter-attack and pushed German forces back by 200km. By the 5th of December, the Germans lost their chance to capture the capital city.
When and what was the Battle of Stalingrad?
June 1942-January 1943
The battle lasted over 6 months and over a million Soviet soldiers died fighting. Zhukov was able to command massive Russian reinforcements to defend the city. German forces suffered heavy losses (200,000 dead) due to Hitler’s orders forbidding retreat.
When and what was the Battle of Kursk?
July 1943
The biggest tank battle in history - 2,400 German tanks and 1,800 aircraft against 3,400 Soviet tanks and 2,100 aircraft.
700,000 German troops faced 1.3 million Soviet forces who were aided by superior tank and aircraft numbers. Huge victory for Russia.
Examples of women contributing to the war effort
Central Women’s School for Sniper Training turned out 1,061 snipers - its graduates killed 12,00 German soldiers
The ‘night witches’ (female pilots) flew over 23,000 sorties over the course of the war
Distinguished female pilots include Marina Raskova, who trained and led the night witches.
By the end of 1941, how many Soviet troops had been captured or killed?
5.9 million
What happened at the Tehran Conference?
The USA and Britain agreed to launch an attack on Germany, which would ease pressure on the eastern front.
Agreed that the Soviet Union could keep land it had seized from Poland in 1939.
How many towns and villages were damaged during the war?
1700 towns and cities (e.g. Kharkiv in Ukraine)
70,000 villages
According to estimates, how many civilians died during the war?
More than 12 million (e.g. in the siege of Leningrad, over 700,000 inhabitants died of hypothermia and starvation)
What had Nazi leaders expected during the campaign?
They had talked of ‘liberating’ people from the communist system and there were some examples of Germans being welcomed in parts of Ukraine and in the Baltic States. But this did not last, and the Germans were shocked by the loyalty of Soviet citizens.
How did the Germans alienate local populations?
Atrocities against local populations, such as the massacre at Babi Yar near Kiev, in which 34,000 Jews were shot and thrown into mass graves.
How did the Soviet government repress some of their citizens during the war?
Thousands of people were arrested or executed by secret police due to suspicion that they weren’t contributing to the war effort.
The government was also very suspicious of ethnic minorities such as the Chechens and the Crimean Tartars (in May 1944, the entire Tartar population of around 240,000 people were deported to Uzbekistan)
Impact of the invasion on industry and agriculture
Whole sectors of industry were ruined by bombardment or deliberately destroyed if they were likely to fall into German hands (32,000 factories destroyed)
The solution was to relocate industry to rebuild.
How many trains were used to relocate industry to the east?
20,000 (e.g. 80,000 wagons used to move 500 factories from Moscow)
What economic model was replicated during the war?
Resembled the Five Year Plans. In the 1930s, a centralised command economy was inefficient and ill-suited to peacetime conditions, but it was well matched to the needs of total war.
How did the Soviet war economy develop in 1942?
In 1942, the Soviet Union began to build a huge industrial base for war production, especially guns, tanks and aircraft.
Evidence of huge relocation of industry?
Between July-December 1941, 2,593 separate industrial enterprises were transported east of the Urals
Evidence of huge demands of war economy?
Industrial workers were expected to work 7 days a week, with shifts of 12-18 hours per day
Evidence that the war economy was prioritised?
Agriculture suffered because tractor stations and factories were converted to tank and aircraft production
How did the US support the Russian war effort?
US/UK agreed at Tehran conference to launch an attack on Germany to lessen the pressure on the eastern front
The US sent huge quantities of armaments, industrial goods and foodstuffs
Provided 300,000 American trucks
Over $500 million in aid through Lend-Lease programme
