Download MAY –JUNE 1940 - SMCC12ModHist

AV: The World at War (Ep 5): BARBAROSSA, June – Dec 1941
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July 1940: Hitler already thinking about an attack on Soviet Union. _______ ________ had set out
his plans for lebensraum in Eastern Europe. The Nazi-Soviet Pact had served its purpose for Hitler
but Stalin was still reorganising the Red Army following the political __________ of the 1930s.
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Whilst Hitler was busy with the Battle of ____________, Stalin ordered the annexation of the Baltic
States (Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania) and the northern region of Rumania. This brought Russian troops
within striking distance of Germany’s only source of ______ - the Rumanian fields of Ploesti.
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Hitler used this aggressive act by Russia to increase diplomatic pressure in the Balkans, which
resulted in Hungary, Bulgaria & Rumania agreeing to join the _______.
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________________ Pact (signed Sept. 1940) between Germany, Italy & Japan; allegedly aimed at
USA & Britain. However, Russia felt threatened since Germany & Finland were growing closer.
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Operation Barbarossa - the invasion of the Soviet Union - was originally set down for ________ 1941
but was delayed for 5 weeks due to the Balkan Campaign. Hitler’s generals were unhappy because
an unconquered Britain would mean a ______-front war - exactly what Germany least wanted.
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In 1941, the Red Army was the world’s ____________: in terms of planes & tanks, it equalled the
rest of the world combined. However Hitler’s belief was: “You have only to kick in the _______ and
the whole rotten structure will come crashing down.” This was because of Stalin’s purges, the Red
Army’s performance in the Russo-Finnish War.
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Stalin was warned of the impending invasion by his own intelligence service & the Western Allies but
believed it to be a British ________ to split Germany & Russia. Even incursions by German
reconnaissance aircraft failed to sway him.
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On June ____ , 3 million German troops along with their allies (Bulg, Hung, Rum, Finn & Italians)
attacked all along the border. German forces were organised into 3 Armee Gruppes: North (objective
Leningrad), Centre (Moscow) & South (Caucasus oilfields).
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Germans were very confident: they had achieved surprise, air superiority (2000 Russian planes
destroyed) & armoured breakthroughs. As a result, Russian frontier armies ____________.
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Within one week, the Germans were ___________ to Moscow. Within one month, they had captured
an area equal to two (1939) Germanys.
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In some parts of Russia, the Germans were welcomed as _________________. This changed very
quickly. However, the true horrors of the German occupation were not discovered until the Russians
began to recapture lost territory in December.
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During the first month of the campaign, the Russians lost over 6000 tanks, 1.5 million soldiers.
Germans were amazed at the poor ___________ of their enemies (almost WWI in nature).
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However, the Wehrmacht was forced to disrupt its schedule again. The _______________ wanted
AG Centre to continue the blitzkrieg towards Moscow - a transport/production/communications hub
(which may well have forced a Russian surrender) but __________ insisted they turn south to
capture the city of Kiev & destroy the remnants of the Red Army still in the Ukraine. 750,000
Russians were captured but valuable __________ was lost.
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Russian prisoners of war (POWs) were _______________ by the Germans who had been
indoctrinated to see them as sub-human. Their survival rate was less than 5%. As a result, the
opposite was to happen later.
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By September, the Red Army had suffered _______________ casualties but their resistance, which
was to astonish the world, was increasing. An anonymous German colonel compared the
Wehrmacht’s task to that of an _______________ trying to destroy an ant colony - eventually the
elephant is eaten. The size of Russia & the task yet to be done began to dismay the ordinary German
soldier.
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Russians drew on the experience of past invasions (eg. Napoleon) to trade _________ for ________
in order to gather themselves for a counterattack.
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With the Ukraine captured & _________________ surrounded, Hitler now turned again to Moscow.
The Germans were now 200 miles from the city, which was already in a panic with daily Luftwaffe
bombing raids & rumours of an impending surrender.
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The Battle for Moscow proper started in October. 750,000 Russians soon became POWs. However,
the __________ began early, catching the Wehrmacht unprepared (eg. winter greatcoats were still
in depots in Poland). Stalin appointed a new commander to the Moscow Front - General Georgi
Zhukov - a brilliant soldier who had already saved Leningrad from the Axis.
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When the snow stopped falling, it ___________, turning the countryside into a ‘sea of mud’. With
few __________ roads to use, the German advance halted. The panzer divisions were ordered to
attack again as soon as the weather allowed.
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Zhukov used this time to strengthen Moscow’s _____________. As the fighting got nearer, the city’s
population began to flee.
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The Russians had one last strategic reserve - their 40 best divisions were located in _____________
facing the Japanese. They were well-equipped & trained to fight in winter conditions. Once Russian
spies reported in November that Japan’s ambitions lay elsewhere, Stalin ordered their transfer to the
Moscow Front.
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Unlike the majority of government officials, ___________ chose to stay in Moscow. This bolstered
morale greatly.
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When the ground hardened, the panzers resumed their advance again, this time to within ____ miles
of the Kremlin. However, once again, temperatures dropped – this time to minus ____˚C! Oil froze
and the Wehrmacht’s panzers, guns, aircraft & trucks became inoperable. Men & animals died of
_____________.
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On December 6, with the Germans _____ miles from Moscow, Zhukov launched his Siberian troops
in a surprise counterattack. For the first time, the ordinary German soldier began to think the war
could be _______. 300,000 Germans were killed or captured.