Topic 5: The Great Patriotic Struggle (WW2) Flashcards
when was the German invasion of the USSR?
- 22nd June 1941
when was Stalin’s first wartime broadcast to the Soviet people?
3 July 1941
when did the Siege of Leningrad begin?
8 September 1941
what were the impacts of the siege of Leningrad?
- 600,000 people died of hunger and cold during the 900 day siege
- 100,000 German bombs fell on the city
- police arrested 226 people for cannibalism
when was Stalin’s order 227 issued?
28 July 1942
when did the German sixth army surrender at Petrograd?
2 February 1943
when did the siege of Leningrad end?
27 January 1944
when did the Red army reach Berlin?
23 April 1945
what were the losses at the final battle for Berlin?
- 80,000 Soviets
- 150k Germans
when did Berlin surrender unconditionally to the USSR?
9 May 1945
when was operation Barbarossa launched?
22 June 1941
where did the forces of operation Barbarossa split?
- one group headed towards Leningrad
- one into Ukraine
- one towards Moscow
what forces did Germany have when they invaded the USSR in June 1941?
- 3 million troops
- 3000 aircraft
- 500k motorised vehicles
- 4000 tanks
what were Soviet losses as a result of German invasion?
- between June and December 1941 Red Army lost 2,663,000 and 3,350,000 taken prisoner of which 2 million died
why is Stalin criticised for the German invasion?
- because there were 80 warnings in 8 months of German intentions and build up of troops
- repeated reconnaissance flights over Soviet territory were ignored
- when the German attack came Stalin did nothing- it was nearly 2 months before he spoke publicly about the invasion
why was poor leadership an issue in the early stages of the war?
- Stalin was indecisive
- the army had inexperienced commanders as Stalin removed the most experienced officers in his military purges of 1937 (35k officers arrested)
- he refused to allow his southern armies to retreat from Kiev until it was too late which brought a massive defeat
how did industrial production suffer at the start of the war?
In November 1941, industrial production was only 51.7% the output of November 1940
what did the USSR lose in the areas occupied by the Germans?
- 85% of pre-war grain harvests
- 60% of the capacity for pig iron
- armament factories
- coal and aluminium
- 40% pre-war grain harvests and cattle
- 60% of pre-war pig herds
how many convictions were there for lateness and absenteeism?
7.5 million
when was the battle of Stalingrad?
September to November 1942
what happened at the battle of Stalingrad?
- a few thousand courageous Soviet men and women held up the Germans in spite of 75% casualties
- the railway station changed hands 15 times and a giant grain elevator was besieged for 58 days
- the German 6th army surrendered on January 31 1943
- 800k German troops lost
what did the victory at Stalingrad do for the Stalin cult?
Stalin’s cult grew even stronger. Praise for him was not confined to the Soviet Union: in the USA he was made Man of the Year 1942 by Time magazine
which men did Stalin start to increasingly rely on?
Vasilevsky, Antonov and Zhukov
- the battle at Stalingrad was won by the Red Army and not lost by the Germans because of these men
how many civilians died in the war?
12 million. 1/8 of the population
how many towns and villages were destroyed in the war?
1700 towns and 70k villages
what is the comparison between soviet losses with other countries?
for every Briton or American who died, the Japanese lost 7 people, the Germans 20 and the Soviets 85
what % of the male cohort of soldiers born in 1923 survived until 1945?
3%
how many writers and artists joined the campaign to report on the front and how many died?
400 died of the 1000 who joined
what are examples of German brutality and repression?
- thousands of Soviet soldiers held as prisoners of war
- captured commissars executed immediately
- massacres and deportations of Jews
what are examples of Soviet brutality and repression?
- thousands arrested or executed as ‘slackers’, ‘deserters’ and ‘defeatists’
- 170k military personnel were executed for treason
- mass deportations of ethnic minorities (In May 1944, the entire Tartar population of 240k people were deported to Uzbekistan)
how many soldiers did the Red Army have in 1941?
4.8 million
how much did conscription add to the Red Army?
29.5 million
where was Soviet industry relocated?
relocated from the western areas to the Urals, beyond reach of German bombs
how was Soviet industry relocated to the Urals?
whole factories were dismantled and moved, with equipment and workers, via 20k trains. 500 factories moved from Moscow.
what military improvements were seen?
huge improvements were made to military vehicles and to military tactics. The T-34 tank was equal to the German Tiger Tank but was also quick to manufacture and easier to repair
What did the Lend-Lease scheme provide for the USSR?
- 300,000 American trucks
- 43, 728 jeeps
- 14,204 aircraft
- 14,793,000 pairs of boots
when was the US Lend-Lease scheme?
1941-1945
what % of Soviet GNP did did LL amount to in 1942?
5%
what % of Soviet GNP did LL amount to in 1943 and 1944?
10%
what was the worse year for agriculture and what level was it?
1943- total output 38% of the 1940 level
how important were Soviet women in the war effort?
- 500k women served in the armed forces and 500k in civilian support staff
- women made up 25% of active partisans
- The Central Women’s School for Sniper Training turned out 1061 snipers and 407 instructors killing 12k German soldiers
how important were Soviet women domestically in the war effort?
- 80-90% of light industry workforce were women
- by the end of 1942 80% of Leningrad’s workers were women
- women were 53% of industrial workforce between 1942-1945
what did the USSR lose in the race for Berlin?
- 300,00 casualties and 70,000 in the race for Berlin
- 2000 tanks in 3 weeks
how many casualties came as a result of operation Bagration?
765,000
what and when was operation Bagration?
a 58 day battle in the summer of 1944 which opened the way for Soviet forces to invade Germany
why were German weaknesses a factor in German defeat?
- From December 1941 Germany had to fight a two front war
- Germany lacked self-sufficiency in raw materials so by 1943 resources became an issue
- Hitler made crucial mistakes like replacing experienced generals with ‘yes men’
- harsh repression in occupied countries increased partisans
why were Soviet strengths a factor in German defeat?
- USSR geographical size meant German supply lines were stretched too far by the end of 1941
- Soviet population 3x German population
- command economy
- effective propaganda and patriotism (4 million people volunteered for citizens’ defence in 1941)
why was allied contribution a factor in German defeat?
- Stalin’s allies meant Hitler had to fight on two fronts
- mass bombing campaigns by the British and Americans from 1943 inflicted huge damage on German war effort
- Allied secret intelligence
- Lend-Lease
what was the name for Stalin’s war cabinet?
Stavka
what was Stalin’s war cabinet comprised of?
- key generals like Timoshenko and Zhukov
- key politicians like Molotov and Voroshilov
how many Soviet troops became prisoners of war?
5.25 million- 4 million of which died in captivity
why did Soviet prisoners have no protection?
the USSR had not signed the Geneva Convention
what were the 3 distinct stages of the war?
- June 1941 to summer 1942- Soviet Russia struggled to survive against successive German offences
- 1942 to summer 1943- Soviet Russia stabilised its war effort, built a powerful economy and halted advances
- 1943 to summer 1945- Soviet armies moved on to the offensive and achieved total victory
what were the positive results of victory for the USSR?
- the USSR became a superpower
- communist ideology was vindicated
- cult of Stalin was strengthened as he was viewed as a saviour
- massive territorial expansion of the USSR and its ‘sphere of influence’
what were the negative results of victory in war?
- at least 20 million Soviet citizens were killed
- much of the economy and infrastructure were destroyed
- Cold war tensions developed
what was the result for churches after the ending of war?
brought a respite in the persecution of churches. The improved relations between the Church and the state continued after the war. By the time of Stalin’s death in 1953, 25,000 churches had reopened
