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• Lebensraum-Living Space • Must clear out E. Europe for German settlement Dream of Lebensraum – Remove Jews – Enslave the Slavs • Slavs-Untermenschen“Sub-human” • GB-Not a threat– U-boats still successful in the Atlantic • Himmler tried to convince Hitler not to invade Operation Barbarossa • Hitler never impressed with Soviet Army • Must win btwn May & October 1941 – Used 183 divisions – Didn’t want to fight in Winter – Why Not? • Soviets still have formidable force: Remember their vastness – 170 infantry divisions (only 54% of their strength) – 46 armored divisions – 20,000 Tanks-superior to the Germans-KV &T34 – Weakness-Airforce • Soviet Problem-Stalin’s purges-eliminated a lot of Soviet generals The German Bliztkrieg in the USSR German 3-prong attackTook Soviets by surprise •Army Group North-27 infantry divisions-Drive thru Baltic States & take Leningrad •Army Group Center-42 infantry divisions-take Moscow •Army Group South-38 infantry divisions-take Ukraine and Caucasus oil fields •Making way for German settlements •Eisatzgrubben- followed killing Jews-many methods 1941 Summer German Successes: •Army Group NorthSurrounded LeningradPlaced in a seige-over 900 days •Army Group CenterDrove within 18 miles of Moscow-bogged down in rain •Army Group SouthDrove through Ukrainemade way to oil fieldsWhy important? •Hitler wanted Stalingrad- Why? • Soviets used a scorched earth policy – Burned anything – Took all that could be moved – Where have we seen this before? • General Winter – Nov. 1941-Winter freezes the wet soil – German troops without winter supplies – Soviets launch counterattack & retake ground Hitler’s Greatest Blunder German Advances on Stalingrad, 1942 Hitler’s Second Great Blunder- Why does he want it? Battle for Stalingradturning point of War •Not strategically imp. •Stalin’s City •Hitler wanted it •Germans took 90% of city •Street to Street Fighting-Soviets lost 200,000 including civilians •Vassili Zaitsev-Soviet sniper-raised morale of Soviets •Soviets defeat German 6th Army Hitler’s Europe at the end of 1942 1943 Soviet Counterattack • Stalin had moved entire industrial force east behind Urals (VAST!) • Producing more equipment – Tanks, Guns, Planes • Battle at Kurszk– Hitler needed a victory after Stalingrad – Largest tank battle ever – German Tiger & Panzer tanks vs. Soviet KV’s& T34’s • Soviets Assembled: – 1.3 million men; 3,600 tanks, 20,000 artillery pieces, & 2,400 aircraft • Germans Assembled: – 900,000 men, 2,700 tanks & 2,400 aircraft Battle of • Germans-pinch off the Soviet bulge – Soviets placed strong defenses on front – Wear down Germans • Soviet counterattacked to surround the Germans – Close range fighting ensued – German tanks ineffective without machine gun protection • Germans forever on the defensive Kurszk – Had to divert troops to Sicily – Kept Germans away from oil fields Where are the Allies? • By end of 1943 Soviet fighting Germans by themselves for 2 1/2 years • Stalin demands opening of a second front Why? – Must fight/defend along an 1,800 mile front • Late 1943 Allies land in Sicily & then Italy • Not until June 6, 1944 do Allies invade France – By this time, Soviets are steadily pushing Germans back • How do you think this affected Soviet/US relations? • After Battle of Kurszk 1944 Soviet Advances – Soviets steadily moving west – Soviet Industrial capability now hitting full stride • Soviets advance from one river to the next – Volga, Don, Dnieper, Dniester – Vistula (Poland), Elbe (Germany) • Early 1944 liberated Ukraine & rescued Lenningrad • Fall 1944: liberate Belarus, invaded Romania & Baltic States • Took two years to go from Kurszk to Berlin • Why do you think so? – What can the Germans do at each river? • Take every inch of Soviet soil back from the Reich • A lot like the Western Allies Plan • Long & Protracted war 1945 Soviet Strategy – Cost the Soviets literally millions of lives – Soviets were ruthless towards the Germans- Why? • Once in Poland-drive for Germany – How does geography affect the path of the Soviets? • Stalin determined to be in Berlin by May 1, 1945 – Had to make a final push to Berlin – Why do you think Stalin wanted to get there first? Battle of Seelow Heights • Large Plateau outside of Berlin-35 miles away – Easy to defend – Needed to take before Berlin – Not since 1200’s had Berlin been attacked from East • Was a battle of attrition• 1st day Soviet Casualties: – 75 tanks, 2,250 killed, 3,400 wounded, 12 fighter-bombers lost – Germans-2 tanks, 300 men, 10 planes • In 3 days, only 2Km had been gained • One week long – Killed: Red Army-30,000 Germans80,000 • Soviets just had too many men & supplies • By April 12 in the suburbs of Berlin • Soviets-1.3 million men to attack • Soviets had a military advantageOutnumbered Germans – – – – Men 5 to 1 Guns 15 to 1 Tanks 5 to 1 Planes 3 to 1 • Intense Street to Street Fighting – Berlin reduced to rubble • Soviets lost 600,000 men • Hitler committed suicide April 30 in his bunker • Stalin on Hitler’s death: – "So that's the end of the bastard. Too bad it was impossible to take him alive." • City surrendered May, 2 • May 8-Victory in Europe Battle of Berlin April 16, 1945