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Hitler to Russia
Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis:
The Tripartite Pact
September, 1940
• Accordingly, the governments of Germany, Italy and Japan have
agreed as follows:
• ARTICLE ONE Japan recognizes and respects the leadership of
Germany and Italy in establishment of a new order in Europe.
• ARTICLE TWO Germany and Italy recognize and respect the
leadership of Japan in the establishment of a new order in greater East
Asia.
• ARTICLE THREE Germany, Italy and Japan agree to co-operate in
their efforts on aforesaid lines. They further undertake to assist one
another with all political, economic and military means when one of
the three contracting powers is attacked by a power at present not
involved in the European war or in the Chinese-Japanese conflict.
• Before invading Poland, Germany signed the NaziSoviet Nonaggression Pact, securing the eastern
border of Germany. Everyone involved knew that
the treaty was a measure on both sides to buy time.
• Why were each side trying to buy time?
• Ideologically, both nations despised the other. Hitler
had devoted much of Mein Kampf to his believe in
the menace of Communism. Nazism was against
everything Communism stood for.
• It was just a matter of time…..
• Adolf Hitler had convinced himself by
December 1940 that England lay prostrate
before German air power. November had seen
the worst of the air attacks; acres of England’s
cities were reduced to rubble. Hitler believed
she would never rise again to threaten
Germany.
• So…..
• The High Command
developed plans for an
invasion of Russia. The
original name of the plan was
called Fritz and then
Directive 21, Hitler seized on
the idea of invading Russia
and issued the directive,
renaming it Operation
Barbarossa in honor of
Frederick I, the twelfth
century Prussian King who
was prophesied to rise from
his grave and restore
Germany to world power.
Operational orders were
given in January 1941.
Operation Barbarossa:
Hitler’s Biggest Mistake
• The German Generals
that would carry out
the operation wanted
an all-out drive on
Moscow. Hitler, in a
uncharacteristic show
of orthodox military
strategy, insisted on a
three-pronged, broad
frontal assault on three
major areas before
driving on the Soviet
Capital.
• The German High
Command
massed the greatest army
ever assembled to invade
the Soviet Union. One
hundred forty-eight
divisions (114 infantry,
fifteen motorized, and
nineteen panzer;) 67,000
German Norwegian
garrison troops and
500,000 Finns; and
150,000 Rumanians were
recruited to take up the
invasion. A total of
3,050,000 men, 7184
artillery pieces, 3,350
tanks, 2,770 aircraft,
600,000 vehicles
Soviet Defense
Vs.
Ten thousand tanks
and 2,300 aircraft
operated by
2,300,000 men
stood against this
large force
• 22 June 1941: Operation Barbarossa. After conquering France,
the Nazi army turned east to invade the Soviet Union. This broke
the German-Soviet pact (agreement) which Hitler and Stalin drew
up at the start of the war.
• The Russians used the
same scorched earth
policy they had used
against Napoleon. The
retreating armies and
civilians carried away
what they could and
destroyed everything
else. Therefore the
territory Germany
gained was useless.
• Now it is winter…
Should Hitler continue
or should he retreat?
• Many Russian cities fell to Germany but Hitler had
not expected the conquest of Russia to last into
winter. The German soldiers did not have winter
clothing and many froze to death. By November
1942 the tables were turning and the Russians won
their first victory against Germany at the Battle of
Stalingrad.
Battle of
Stalingrad:
Winter of 1942-1943
German Army
Russian Army
1,011,500 men
1,000,500 men
10,290 artillery guns
13,541 artillery guns
675 tanks
894 tanks
1,216 planes
1,115 planes
• Hitler wanted to capture the
city that bore Stalin’s name,
and Stalin wanted it held for
the same reason.
• Hitler also hoped to captured
Soviet oil fields
•
Stalingrad before the war
Stalingrad, September 1942
Women
volunteers
signing Oath of
Allegiance
Stalingrad: street fighting
• The Battle of Stalingrad claimed over two
million casualties, more than any other battle in
human history, and was also one of the longest:
it raged for 199 days.
• Killed, wounded or captured at Stalingrad:
– Soviets: 1,290,000
– Germans and allies: 850,000
The “Big Three”
Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin