War In Germany

Question 1

What did Germany use conquered countries for?

Answer 1

They took their resources and used the population for cheap labour.

Question 2

When was rationing introduced in Germany and what was its effect on the German people early on?

Answer 2

Rationing was introduced as soon as the war started. It initially lead to higher standards of health.

Question 3

What was eventually rationed in Germany?

Answer 3

• Clothes
• Warm water
• Soap
• Toilet paper was banned altogether

Question 4

How were women treated once war began?

Answer 4

The Nazis wanted them to work again but still support huge families. The Nazis tried to force 3 million women into work but only 1 million turned up.

Question 5

What effect did WW2 have on the health of German women?

Answer 5

It got significantly worse due to food shortages, bombings and anxiety.

Question 6

What was the role of propaganda in Germany in WW2?

Answer 6

It kept peoples’ morale high by playing on the fear of communism.

Question 7

What is generally considered the turning point in Germany’s war campaign?

Answer 7

Their loss at Stalingrad in 1942.

Question 8

Why did the loss at Stalingrad come as such a big shock to the German people?

Answer 8

Because propaganda had told them they were winning.

Question 9

What was Total War?

Answer 9

The total streamlining of the German economy to compensate for the loss at Stalingrad. Everything was centred around winning the war.

Question 10

What did Total War mean for Germany?

Answer 10

• Professional sport was discontinued.
• Magazines were banned
• Shops that didn’t contribute to the war effort were closed down.
• Working hours lengthened
• Food rationing increased.

Question 11

When did the Allies launch their bombing campaign against Germany?

Answer 11

1943

Question 12

Where was targeted during the Allied bombings?

Answer 12

Major cities like Berlin, Hamburg and Dresden.

Question 13

What were the effects of the Allied bombings?

Answer 13

• 800,000+ killed
• People fled cities so villages became overcrowded
• Those with homes had to share
• Morale was destroyed

Question 14

What was the Volkssturm?

Answer 14

The German equivalent of the Home Guard for those unable to join the army.

Question 15

What was the purpose of the Volkssturm?

Answer 15

To make those unable to join the army feel as though they were contributing to the effort.

Question 16

What jobs could boys in the Volkssturm do?

Answer 16

• Firemen
• Postmen
• Metal collecting

Question 17

What jobs could girls in the Volkssturm do?

Answer 17

• Help at nurseries
• Tend to OAPs at old peoples’ homes
• Singing

Question 18

What were ghettoes?

Answer 18

Decrepit areas where Jews were deposited. They were guarded 24/7 and were lined with barbed wire.

Question 19

How many people died in ghettoes?

Answer 19

500,000

Question 20

What was the Einsatzgruppen?

Answer 20

They were a special operation squad tasked with exterminating as many Jews as possible.

Question 21

How did the Einsatzgruppen kill Jews?

Answer 21

They rounded them up and got them to dig trenches. They were then shot into the trenches which were used as graves.

Question 22

How many Jews did the Einsatzgruppen kill?

Answer 22

750,000

Question 23

What was the Final Solution?

Answer 23

An order made by Goering in July 1941. It ordered Heydrich to prepare concentration camps to kill the Jews en mass.

Question 24

How many Jews were killed as part of the Final Solution?

Answer 24

6,000,000

Question 25

Who were the Edelweiss Pirates?

Answer 25

A youth organisation that beat up HJ members and mimicked their activities.

Question 26

What happened to the leader of the Edelweiss Pirates?

Answer 26

He was hanged.

Question 27

What was the Swing Youth?

Answer 27

Middle classes that wanted to dance to music deemed “un-German.” They wore English clothes and accepted Jews into their ranks.

Question 28

What was the White Rose Group?

Answer 28

Students that circulated anti-Nazi literature.

Question 29

What happened to the leaders of the White Rose Group?

Answer 29

They were arrested by the Gestapo, tortured and hanged.

Question 30

Who was Dietrich Bonhoffer?

Answer 30

A member of the church who preached that Hitler was the anti-Christ. He went on to work for a counter intelligence unit. He was killed in a concentration camp.

Question 31

What was the July Bomb Plot?

Answer 31

A plot by the Nazis to blow Hitler up and surrender. Count van Stauffenberg attended a meeting with Hitler and left a bomb disguised as a briefcase behind. The bomb was moved so Hitler survived.

Question 32

How did Hitler retaliate to the July Bomb Plot?

Answer 32

He slaughtered 5,000 opponents.

Question 33

How did Germany fare during the early years of WW2?

Answer 33

Blitzkreig was very effective so there were lots of victories early on. Civilians weren’t really affected due to the Four Year Plan.