Download Chapter 5 Reasons for Germany`s defeat

Dark days: 1939 – 1941
0 Sep 1939: Germany captured Poland using Blitzkrieg
0 Feb-May 1940: Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium,
Luxembourg fell.
0 June 1940: France fell; Britain stood alone.
0 July 1940: Germany attacked Britain but was unable to
defeat the British air force in the Battle of Britain
0 June 1941: Hitler invaded Soviet Union
0 Dec 1941: Japan bombed Pearl Harbour; USA formally
entered WW2
The tide turns: 1942-43
0 Oct 1942: Germans defeated in Battle of Alamein in
North Africa
0 Aug 1942 – Feb 1943: Battle of Stalingrad – German
forces encircled and defeated by Soviet troops in bitter
winter
0 Jul-Aug 1943: Battle of Kursk, Germany retreated from
Eastern Front as Soviets scored another decisive victory
0 Sep 1943: Italy surrendered
The end of the Third Reich:
1944-1945
0 June 1944: Operation Overlord to liberate Europe
commenced with D-Day landings in France
0 Aug 1944: Ploesti oilfields put out of operation
0 Apr 1945: Allies entered Berlin; Hitler committed suicide
0 May 1945: Germany surrendered; WW2 in Europe ended
Key reasons for Germany’s
defeat in WW2
0 Entry of USA into the war
0 Germany’s weaknesses and miscalculations
0 Allied resistance
Was the entry of the USA in
1941 the main cause of
Germany’s defeat in World
War II?
CHAPTER 5: GERMANY’S DEFEAT IN WORLD WAR II
American entry into war
(Band of Brothers trailer)
(http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=8ehwsOL
04og)
Play this video clip for
the students and then
ask them this question:
• How important do you think the
American entry into World War
II was?
CHAPTER 5: GERMANY’S DEFEAT IN WORLD WAR II
Declaration of War
(http://www.history.com/t
opics/d-day/videos#dday-invasion)
Ask your students
these questions:
• What was the significance
of D-Day?
• How do you think
American involvement
would impact the Allied
war effort?
CHAPTER 5: GERMANY’S DEFEAT IN WORLD WAR II
US entry into the war
US isolationism regarding
Europe
US direct involvement in the
war
 From ‘cash and carry’ to Lend-
lease
 ‘Arsenal of democracy’
 Other forms of aid
USA formally enters World
War II
Roosevelt and Churchill.
 Contribution of vast resources
and manpower
 Collaboration with Allies in
military strategies
CHAPTER 5: GERMANY’S DEFEAT IN WORLD WAR II
US initial isolationism regarding
Europe
0 US maintained isolationist position despite escalating
tensions in Europe and Far East in 1930s
0 Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR): “We are determined to
keep out of war”
0 Passed Neutrality Act (May 1937) – US ships
prohibited from transporting passengers or materials
to warring nations
US indirect involvement in the war –
arsenal of democracy
0 Once WW2 broke out, FDR believed that USA should be
the ‘arsenal of democracy’ i.e. USA should support
democratic nations in their fight against Axis powers
0 FDR revised Neutrality Act in 1939 to allow Britain and
France to buy arms from USA on a “cash and carry” basis
0 Intention was to supply aid to allies while maintaining US
neutrality
US indirect involvement in the war –
arsenal of democracy
0 After France fell in June 1940, FDR convinced US
Congress to give ‘all aid short of war’ to Britain
0 Lend-Lease Act passed in 1941 – allowed USA to supply
weapons, food and equipment directly to the Allies;
payment could be deferred to later date
0 Signalled the end of US neutrality and played key role in
helping Allies win the war
Other forms of aid
0 FDR mobilized US Navy to provide escort roles for all
Allied convoys carrying goods and supplies at sea
0 Imposed economic sanctions on Axis powers to deprive
them of resources need for war effort
USA formally enters World War II
0 Dec 1941: Japan attacked US Pacific Fleet at Pearl
Harbour; US declared war on Japan
0 As Japan was his ally, Hitler declared war on USA, thus
formally bringing the USA into war in Europe
0 US formal entry into war brought contribution of vast
resources and manpower, as well as collaboration with
Allies on military strategy
Contribution of vast resources and
manpower
0 Contribution of vast resources and manpower bolstered
Allied war machine
0 USA – world’s largest producer of goods – able to convert its
factories for military production at a faster rate than Axis
powers (refer to p.144)
0 US also sent large numbers of ground troops and
intelligence officers to aid Allied military campaigns
Aircraft available in Europe
US
Soviet
TOTAL
German
Allied
Ratio
June 1942 9500
0
2100
11,600
3700
3.1:1
December
11,300
1942
1300
3800
16,400
3400
4.8:1
June 1943 12,700
5000
5600
23,300
4600
5.1:1
December
11,800
1943
7500
8800
28,100
4700
6:1
June 1944 13,200
11,800
14,700
39,700
4600
8.6:1
December
14,500
1944
12,200
15,800
42,500
8500
5:1
Date
British
Collaboration with Allies on military
strategies
0 US participation in the planning and execution of military
strategies enabled Allies to achieve control of air and sea
0 E.g.1 control of air – regular bombing of vital infrastructure
such as rail links and oil plants by US/ British combined air
offensives prevented essential resources from reaching
Germany; bombing of cities dented German morale
0 E.g.2 control of sea – combined navies of USA and Britain
achieved total control of the Atlantic (p.145)
Collaboration with Allies on military
strategies
0 Control of air and sea vital in Allied tactical successes
against Germany
0 E.g. D-Day landings on Normandy (6 June 1944) –
successful attempt in liberating Western Europe and vital
in turning the tide against Germany, as Soviet troops were
attacking from the Eastern Front at the same time
0 Refer to p.146-147 for details
A map showing the D-Day advances along Normandy beach.
Significance of US role in Germany’s defeat
0 Provision of military aid to Allies before Dec 1941  e.g.
Lend-Lease Act  Enabled the exhausted Allies to sustain
the war and eventually gain military superiority over
Germany, which was drained as war dragged on. (link)
0 Contribution of vast resources and manpower after US
formal entry into war  boosted Allied war capabilities
and allowed them to attack Germany with over-whelming
force, ultimately contributing to defeat of Germany’s
drained and war-weary army
Significance of US role in Germany’s defeat
0 Collaboration with Allies on military strategies e.g.
aerial bombing of infrastructure and cities; control of
Atlantic  Helped the Allies to achieve mastery of air
and sea, which greatly contributed to tactical success of
D-Day landings, paving the way for liberation of Europe
and eventual Allied victory
German weaknesses and
miscalculations
Ineffective command
structure
Inappropriate use of
resources and military
funds
Heavy reliance on
petroleum
War on two fronts
Illustration of a German U-Boat.
CHAPTER 5: GERMANY’S DEFEAT IN WORLD WAR II
German weaknesses and
miscalculations
(http://www.history.com/topics/dday/videos#hitlers-military-blunders)
Play this video for students and ask them these
questions:
• What were some of the miscalculations and
weaknesses in the German strategy?
• How did this give the Allies an advantage?
Ineffective command
structure
0 Confusing system of overlapping authority
0 Hitler insisted on making all decisions himself and often
went against the advice of his generals
0 E.g.1 in the Battle of Britain, Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe
to attack Britain’s cities instead of focusing on destroying
the British Royal Air Force (RAF)
0 This gave the RAF time to recover and enabled it to
prevent Britain from falling to Germany.
Ineffective command
structure
0 E.g.2 in the invasion of Soviet Union, Hitler disregarded
the advice of his generals and attacked other cities
instead of focusing on capturing Moscow.
0 As a result, the Germans found themselves trapped in the
bitter Russian winter, unable to end the war against the
Soviets quickly.
Link to Germany’s defeat
0 Grave mistakes by Hitler cost the German military to
lose great opportunities for decisive victories against
Britain and Soviet Union
0 Allowed time and space for Britain and Soviet Union
to recover and turn the tide against Germany, leading
to its eventual defeat
Inappropriate use of
resources and military funds
0 Inappropriate use of resources and funds weakened German
military production and effectiveness
0 E.g. slow and inefficient armament production due to lack of
workers – German women stayed at home instead of
contributing to war effort
0 E.g. shortage of proven weapons and essential equipment due
to Hitler’s constant demands for most up-to-date weapons.
Some were not even tested before mass production.
Link to Germany’s defeat
0 Failure to use its resources efficiently deprived
Germany of essential weapons and weakened its war
capabilities.
0 As a result, the Allies were able to gain military
superiority, contributing to Germany’s defeat.
Heavy reliance on petroleum
0 Germany lacked adequate petroleum reserves
0 It invented synthetic oil as a substitute for petroleum, and
used the oilfields of German occupied territories for its war
effort.
0 However, from 1943 onwards, German synthetic oil plants
and oilfields were subjected to heavy bombing by the USA.
0 The Ploesti oilfields in Romania, which were Germany’s chief
source of oil imports, were put out of operation as a result of
Allied attacks.
Link to Germany’s defeat
0 Germany’s heavy reliance on petroleum rendered its
war machine and war efforts vulnerable.
0 Without adequate supply of petroleum resources,
Germany’s military campaigns were severely
weakened and this made its defeat inevitable.
War on two fronts
0 While still fighting the West in Europe, Hitler invaded
the USSR in 1941. this was because Hitler wanted to
quickly achieve his goal of Lebensraum.
0 When he seemed to be gaining the upper hand against
the Soviets, Hitler again declared war against the USA.
0 Hitler was convinced that the USA would be busy
fighting in the Pacific and not focused on the war in
Europe. However, Roosevelt concentrated his troops
in North Africa and Europe.
Link to Germany’s defeat
0 As a result, Germany’s limited war resources were
over-stretched and depleted as it had to fight a war on
two fronts at the same time.
0 Having to fight a two-front war proved to be a costly
mistake which contributed to Germany’s defeat.
Allied resistance
Reorganisation of the
USSR
British resistance to
German invasion
Resistance movements
Destruction from the German bombings during the Battle of Britain.
CHAPTER 5: GERMANY’S DEFEAT IN WORLD WAR II
Reorganization of the Soviet Union
0 When Germany invaded the USSR, it was unprepared
and Soviet forces suffered heavy casualties
0 However, the resistance of Soviet troops helped by the
harsh Russian winters set German forces back and gave
the USSR time to reorganize and rebuild its military.
Reorganization of the Soviet Union
0 Major Russian industrial plants were moved to central
and eastern Russia, beyond German reach. These
industrial plants were devoted solely to military
production and this helped the USSR to rebuild its
military rapidly.
0 By 1943, the USSR was scoring decisive victories
against the retreating German military e.g. Battle of
Stalingrad, Battle of Kursk
Link to Germany’s defeat
0 Thus, the reorganization of the Soviet Union showed
that Germany’s armed forces were effective in fast
moving warfare but could not keep up with longdrawn-out confrontations.
0 This ultimately drained Germany’s war resources and
contributed to its defeat.
British resistance to German
invasion
0 Germany’s strategy of bombing strategic targets such
as airfields and radar installations were very effective
in weakening the British Royal Air Force (RAF).
0 However, Hitler decided to change focus and attacked
British cities instead. Thus tactical changes on the
German side allowed the RAF breathing space and
time to recover.
0 At the same time, the resilience and unity of the
British people strengthened their resolve to defeat the
Germans.
Link to Germany’s defeat
0 The fierce resistance in the Battle of Britain was a
turning point as it ensured the survival of Britain and
boosted the morale of the Allies in fighting Hitler.
0 This ultimately drained Germany’s war resources and
contributed to its defeat.
Resistance groups in Europe
0 Resistance movements in Nazi-occupied territories in
Europe provided vital information and support to the
Allies.
0 E.g. the Polish and Soviet resistance movements and
the Free French Forces under Charles de Gaulle
0 These resistance movements carried out sabotage
operations, spread false information to Germans,
gathered intelligence for the Allies, and joined the
attack on the Germans once their retreat began
Link to Germany’s defeat
0 Thus, these resistance movements stretched German
resources as considerable manpower and equipment
had to be used to put down these resistance
movements.
0 This weakened the German war effort further, leading
to its eventual defeat.