The Impact of War Flashcards
The Impact of War and the Defeat on Germany 1939-1949
How many members were conscripted army in 1935?
555,000
When was the Rhineland remilitarised?
1936
When was the Anchsluss with Austria?
1938
When was the Munich agreement ceded with German speaking Sudetenland?
1938
Why were Britain and France getting frustrated?
Germany expanded to Czechoslovakia.
Why did Britain and France declare war on Germany in 1939?
They wanted to uphold Poland’s independence but Germany attacked in 1939, causing them to declare war?
What tactic did Germany use to defeat Poland within weeks?
Blitzkrieg tactics
When was the Phoney War?
May 1940
What happened during the Phoney War?
attack on the Western Front, prolonging Anglo-French . Hitler planned to destroy France and Britain to accept German aspiration.
How long did it take for Germany to defeat low countries and France?
Six weeks
What was the state of German expansion by 1941?
Hitler ruled Paris to Warsaw- the third reich bordered by friendly powers- Spain, Italy and USSR. Germany assumed the war was over.
Why was the Battle of Britain instigated?
Churchill refused to negotiate, Germany needed to secure air superiority and invade Britain- disable military and strategic potential.
When was Battle of Britain and where was it?
July-October 1940 Air battle fought over skies of Southern England
What mistake did Hitler make during the Battle of Britain?
He decided to switch military focus to prepare for USSR invasion before neutralising Britain
When was Operation Barbarossa and what was it?
June 1941 Invasion of the USSR
What tactics did Germany use in Operation Barbarossa?
Blitzkrieg tactics- wanted successful quick victory against USSR like Poland and France.
What happened during Operation Barbarossa?
The beginning seemed successful- vast tracts of Russian territory occupied and thousands were taken prisoner, because it was a surprise attack for the USSR
How far away was the Nazis from Moscow by November 1941?
Only miles away from Moscow and Leningrad
Why did France fall to the Nazis expansion?
French defence strategy on Maginot Line (Franco-German frontier fortification defence), making it powerless against Blitzkrieg, losing the will to resist
When did German expansion of the USSR start to fail?
December 1941
When was Pearl Harbour and Germany and Japan’s declaration of war against the US?
December 1941
What was the US’ response to Pearl Harbour? What did this mean for Germany’s position during the war?
The US prompted into the Battle of the Atlantic. This didn’t fit with the Blitzkrieg strategy of turning industrial capacity of the worlds greatest power. It shows a loss in military and diplomatic intuition.
What military failures occurred in 1942?
Britain won at El Alamein in North Africa Soviet counter offensive- forced 300,000 soldiers to surrender, Germany were no longer invisible. Naval struggle during Battle of Atlantic
What happened to German strategy by 1943?
Turned to defensive but still driven by the idea of invisibility and prejudices about race and communism. Continued new radical orders of the Final Solution despite military struggles
What was the state of Germany by 1943?
Germany were facing bombing raids which caused destruction, dislocation, total devastation.
What did the Allies demand by 1943 in their strategic advantage?
Allies demanded an unconditional surrender- not accepting any negotiations.
When was the Battle of Normandy?
1944
When did Soviets start to advance through Europe? When did it reach its climax?
1944 (during Battle of Normandy). By 1945 they were a mile away from Berlin.
What suggests that from the start, Germany were going to lose the War?
Was not expecting a war by 1939- had limited resources. Planned for a localised war with Poland under the 4 year Plan. A full scale war was predicted to be more suited for Germany in mid 1940s.They started with no sense of strategy or national engagement- had to stretch to the fullest.
What domestic factors contributed to the state of Germany’s role in the War ?
1941, 2/3 of industrialist warfare engaged in war activities. By 1941, there was modest weapon output causing the poor performance- failing to establish central agency for economic affairs and lacked cabinet control- meaning no key group to discuss the issues.
How had civilian consumption been affected between 1939-1941?
Civilian consumption went on decline by 20% in 1939-1941
What were Germany’s main economic methods during the war?
To gain territory (vital for economic resources) Fritz Todt methods (responsible for prestige of National Motorway Project and Minister of Armament) Albert Speer policies for self-responsibility and the Central Planning Board
What was Albert Speer responsible for?
Responsible for: Increased arm production, ‘industrialist self-responsibility programme’, mass production, Central planning Board, influenced the Gaulieter
How much did Albert Speer’s methods increase, tank, ammunition and total arms production?
Tank = 25% Ammunition= 97% Total = 59%
What was the significance of the Central Planning Board? When was it formed?
1942 Industrialists gained a degree of freedom, maintaining some control over the economy.
How were the SS a burden for the domestic economy?
the SS did what they wanted- exploiting land for personal gain, conquered territories which weren’t used properly
What was Fritz Sauckel responsible for?
Coordinated millions of forced labour workers. This meant large and small companies could exploit foreign labour work. But he was also responsible for the exploitation and death of millions of forced labourers.
How did the economic issues during the war impact the Nazis position in the war?
Unable to replace the planes after Battle of Britain Unable to defeat Russian- 1/3 of troops had inadequate equipment.
How did the war benefit the industrialists?
They worked with the regime and it increased their profits for big businesses. In 1943, chemicals (IG Farben) businesses for extermination supplied 1/2 labour force
When were economic decrees passed for increased war production?
1939
How much did military expenditure increase between 1939- 1941?
It more than doubled
What was the state of mobilisation for total war by 1941?
It failed to achieve the required levels of arm production
What rationing was introduced? When were they introduced?
Food (the start) Clothes (by Nov 1939) Soap and toilet paper
What confrontations were faced between Ministry of Arms, Labour and Finances?
Ministries of Arms, Labour and Finances were all seeking for different interests
What evidence suggests that the economy and production was still stable in the middle of the war?
Blitzkrieg methods suggest the economy wasn’t strained Production did still increase during the bombings Speer continued to increase weapons for two years
What did the Central Planing Board do?
Controlled distributions of raw materials, industrial equipment and components. Reorganised factories
How much steel did they convert to finished weapons?
100,000 tons of steel for the armed forces. 10,000 tons of finished weapons were made from that.
How many tons of weapons increased by 1944?
Increased by 4 folds- to 40,000
Why was production so inefficient?
Factories were wasteful in their production. This was slowly overcome in the following 2 years with rigorous application of modern methods of mass production
How did Bombing start to seriously effect the economy by 1943?
Large scale bombing impacted performance- reducing potential war production in 1944 by 50% despite having the potential to expand. Caused substantial disparity- failing to produce as many aircrafts and artillery pieces.
How did bombing impact civilians?
Air raids began in 1940 and intensified by 1942. Many left cities for rural areas. Emergency services couldn’t cope, so government were forced to build emergency accommodation.
How many were killed in the Hamburg attack?
30,000
How many were killed in Dresden in 1945?
150,000, 70% of properties destroyed
How much had bombs increased from 1940 to 1944?
10,000 to 650,000
How many doctors were around in 1939?
15 doctors per 10,000
How many doctors were around in 1941?
One doctor per 10,000
How much fur was collected for the army in 1941-2?
1.5 million
What were the state of the hospital trains by 1941?
hospital trains brought back thousands of wounded soldiers
What had been ended in 1943 for civilians?
Professional sport ends, sweet shops close, manufacturing of civilian clothe shops stop
What bomber raid occurred in Cologne 1942?
Thousand bomber raid on cologne
When was Volkssturm formed?
1944
What was the Jewish annihilation like in Poland?
Indiscriminate killing occurred as soon as the SS-SD police operated in Europe as killing was adjunct to forced emigration
How many fronts was Germany fighting on in 1941?
3 fronts
What was the Speech to Reichstag about in 1939? Significance?
Annihilation of the Jewry in Europe in the outbreak of a ‘World War’. Transition from piecemeal mass killing to systematic extermination. ‘Removal of the Jews’ became an ambiguous prophesy. This speech was repeated every January.
What was significant about Kristallnacht in indoctrinating the Jewish annihilation ideology?
Turning point for stripping their humanity
How many Jews were sent to camp in the early stages? What did this mean for the solution?
20,000 No longer a matter of legality
What camps were set up in WWII?
Extermination camps such as Dachau
What domestic racial and discriminatory measure were initiated from the out break of war?
Rationing cards had to have a J on them Jewish emigration became a priority Goebbels pushed for radical measures
How many Jews were deported to the French camp in July 1940? What was the response of this?
20,000 The French protested against being a ‘dumping ground’ - things had to change. Jews began to be exiled to Madagascar (pushed by Heydrich in 1940). Nazis utilised this as a propaganda technique as being ‘generous’
How many Jews were encouraged to leave in 1939-1940?
70,000
What was the weakness of the Nazi racial policy in Poland?
They were overrun by Jews- causing contradictions. Acquired Poland with 2 million Jews. No clear policies other than Einsatzgruppen methods
What contradictions of racial policy occurred by Goering in 1941?
He wanted the restrictions of Jewish employment to be lifted. Showed that he had no clear idea of the racial policy. he had people discriminated but no massacres
What was the SS Einsatzgruppen? How many people were massacred?
2,700 ‘task forces’ of SS and Police units. 16,000 Poles were massacred from mass shooting.
How did Himmler describe the deportation methods?
Cruel and tragic ‘but better than physical extermination’
What was the racial situation in Denmark? How many Jews were smuggled?
Germany lightly occupied Denmark since 1940 (but the Danish gov’t had power and so little antisemitism) In 1943, 8,000 Jews were smuggled to safety in Sweden (95% of the Jewish population) Danish kings were willing to protest if Nazis pushed
What was the Police Battalion 101?
10-12 of 500 men stepped forward and asked to be excused from participating murder of Jews on Jozefow. They were given other duties and the rest carried out their duties. No one was punished.