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19. Reading – Eastern Europe
Mark Callagher
Introduction
There were five principle theatres where World War II was to be fought:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Atlantic
The Mediterranean and North Africa
Eastern Europe
The Pacific and Asia
Western Europe (from June 1944)
By the summer of 1942 Germany had recovered from its winter setback and
failure to complete Operation Barbarossa in the winter of 1941-42. Hitler and
his Generals were planning fresh offensives against Russia.
Three battles were particularly critical in the 18 months from mid 1942
through to the end of 1943 in turning the advantage in Russia’s favour:
1. The Battle of Leningrad
2. The Battle of Stalingrad
3. The Battle of Kursk
Russia’s Critical Role
Russia played a huge role in the defeat of
Germany. They had fought courageously and
had refused to give in, unlike the French.
While important battles were being fought in
North Africa, the numbers involved in the Battle
of Russia were quite staggering. North Africa
was a mere sideshow compared to the battle for
Eastern Europe. For the duration of World War
II over 75% of Germany’s forces were stationed
on the Eastern Front. Without this commitment
of German resources it is very doubtful that the
Western Allies would later have successfully
landed in France and defeated Germany.
<caption>Soviet Propaganda Poster</caption>
Total War
Russia was preparing for “Total War”, an all out effort to defeat Nazi
aggression.
Factories for war production had been transported east into Siberia behind
the safety of the Ural Mountains. This meant that the Soviet Union could
mass produce weapons without the fear of German bombing.
Every citizen of the country was called upon to contribute to Total War.
<caption>Russian women
working in munitions
factory</caption>
Leningrad
Leningrad was fully encircled by the Germans two and a half months after Barbarossa. It was under
siege for 900 days from 8 September 1941 until 27 January 27 1944.
Nearly 3 million civilians (including about 400 thousand children) plus troops didn't even consider
any calls for surrender.
Map showing Leningrad surrounded. The only route to help Leningrad citizens was across Lake Ladoga
The Toll
Food and fuel stocks were very limited (1-2 months only). All the public transport stopped. By the
winter of 1941-42 there was no heating, no water supply, almost no electricity and very little food.
January 1942 was an unusually cold winter. The lowest food rations in the city were only about
quarter of a pound of bread per day. In just two months 200 thousand people died in Leningrad of
cold and starvation. But some of the war industry still worked and the city did not surrender.
<caption>Starving and freezing to death in the
streets of Leningrad</caption>
<caption>Dead family members towed on sleds to be
buried</caption>
Road of Life
During winter several hundred thousand people were
evacuated from the city across the frozen Lake Ladoga. At
the same time the road across the lake helped the Red
Army to provide food and munitions to the defiant city.
<caption>Children being evacuated from
Leningrad</caption>
Siege ends
In January 1943 the Siege was broken. A year
later, on January 27, 1944 it was fully lifted.
At least 640 thousand people had died in
Leningrad during the Siege (some estimates put
this figure closer to 800 thousand).
Most of them were buried in mass graves in
different cemeteries.
Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad, meaning “city of Stalin”, was the
beginning of the end for Hitler’s Germany.
It would see the bitterest fighting and biggest loss of life
than any other campaign in the war.
Hitler would never win another battle in the East.
<caption>Stalin had named the city of Volgograd
after himself</caption>
1942 Summer Offensive
After failing to take Moscow
due to the onset of winter at
the end of 1941, Germany
regrouped its forces for a
summer offensive beginning
in June 1942.
The Grand Strategy
Hitler envisaged a vast pincer
movement from the
Caucasus, from Egypt (where
Rommel was still winning)
and from the Balkans that
would grasp the oil-fields of
the Middle East and provide
him with much-needed fuel to
keep up the momentum of his
Panzer (tank) divisions.
East Europe Objective
The main German thrust was
to be delivered against the
industrial and oil-producing
regions in the south.
<caption>The Grand Axis Strategy for 1942</caption>
In the north, efforts to take
Leningrad were to continue.
The central front facing
Moscow was to hold fast.
Fatal Decision
It took the Russians by surprise. Germany
began to record successes in the old blitzkrieg
style. This made Hitler overly optimistic.
Changing the Goal
On 23 July, Hitler changed his goals. He now
intended to carry out two simultaneous and
diverging attacks:
1. On Stalingrad – initially the VI Army
was to attack at Stalingrad which was
the flank of the main southern thrust. But
Hitler was determined to take the city
named after the Soviet leader.
2. And the Caucasus – this had been the
main initial objective. The German Army
never would reach the important oil
fields of Grozny and Baku.
Hitler was unmoved by his generals’ warnings
that their forces were not strong enough to
carry out both objectives at the same time. He
ordered the important IV Panzer Army away
from the Caucasus objective to help take
Stalingrad.
<caption>Change to the German Summer Operation Plan
1942</caption>
The German Empire
This map shows the full extent of the German Empire and its Axis Allies in 1941-1942
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad lasted five months and is
reckoned to have claimed more lives than any other
single conflict of the Second World War.
The Germans bombed the city on the Volga River. It
was quickly turned to rubble.
But this made it easier for the Russians to defend.
Instead of retreating to safety across the Volga River
the Russians decided to defend the city which bore
their leaders name.
<caption>Battle of Stalingrad Map</caption>
Bitter fighting
One German soldier said:
“It was a terrible battle – above and below ground, in the ruins, the cellars and the
sewers of the great city. Tanks crunched through the ruins, firing at point blank range.
What was worse was that night after night the Russians brought in more men and
supplies from the eastern bank of the River Volga. Across the river in the thick forest the
enemy had big guns hidden from sight, firing all the time”
The fighting continued on to a stalemate through to November.
<caption>Fighting in the rubble of
Stalingrad</caption>
Stalin Organs
Katyusha multiple rocket launchers were
feared by the German troops. They were usually
mounted on trucks. German troops coined the
name Stalin organ, after Soviet premier Joseph
Stalin and also alluding to the sound of the
weapon's rockets, as well as the look of the
rocket battery resembling the pipes of an organ.
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<caption>Soviet Katyusha’s mounted on the back of
trucks.</caption>
Fighting Back
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Marshall Zhukov devised a brilliant plan.
He saw that German flanks were
protected by weak Axis powers
(Romania, Italy and Hungary) which the
Red Army could over power. The Red
Army secretly began to mobilize one
million troops, 14,000 heavy guns, 979
tanks, and 1,350 aircraft to attack the
German flanks.
<caption>The legendary Marshall Zhukov was to never lose a battle
against the German Army</caption>
Operation Uranus
On November 19 Operation
Uranus was launched. Soviet
forces from the Southwestern Front and Don Front
attacked Romanian, Italian,
and Hungarian positions.
The front collapsed as fast
moving Soviet troops began
encircling German Army
Group B from the North and
South. This created a panic
among the German soldiers,
trying frantically to get out of
the encirclement. Within four
days, the two Soviet armies
met 60 miles west of
Stalingrad.
<caption>Map showing Operation Uranus and further Russian
offensives</caption>
Surrounded
The German 6th Army and part of the 4th Panzer
Army were completely surrounded, a total of
330,000 men. The Armies tried to break out but
failed. The only alternative was to have supplies
airlifted from German held territory into Stalingrad.
The German 6th Army fought against the Soviet
attacks for over a month. Not enough supplies were
airlifted in. Winter, starvation and defeat faced them.
<caption>This movie poster shoes the agony on trapped
German soldiers faces</caption>
The Defeat
German Field Marshall Von Paulus finally
surrendered. The Soviets took more than 110,000
prisoners, few of whom survived captivity. Twentytwo German divisions had been destroyed during
the Battle of Stalingrad and over 800,000 German
soldiers died.
These were losses from which Hitler's war machine
could never hope to recover.
The Doctor’s Dilemma
This cartoon comments on Mussolini having just
survived an assassination attempt along with
Hitler’s military reverses in Russia.
<caption>By Partridge (Punch Magazine), June
1943</caption>
Kursk
The Soviet winter advance had settled around the town of Kursk. The Red Army had created a
salient (bulge) in their front line. It was an attack here on which the Germany Army would pin its
remaining hopes for a victory in Russia.
The Kursk Salient: German Forces = Green, Soviet Forces = Red
The Buildup
The Battle of Kursk became the biggest tank battle in history and would prove to be the decisive
victory for the Red Army.
The Germans planned a pincer offensive to surround the Red Armies in the Kursk salient. However
the Red Army had gained detailed knowledge of the German attack plan including the exact time
that it was to begin.
The Germans had 1800 tanks. In reply, the Russians had prepared and mostly hidden 3600 tanks,
20,000 artillery pieces which included 6000 anti-tank guns, 2400 aircraft and 1.3 million men.
German Tanks moving forward in the Battle of Kursk
The T-34
The T-34 Tank was to the Soviets
what the Spitfire was to the British.
It was widely regarded as the world’s
best tank when the Soviet Union
entered the Second World War. It had
a simple effect design and was quick
and reliable over all sorts of terrain.
The T-34 became the most produced
tank of the war.
<caption>Mass production of the T-34 at a Soviet Factory behind the
Ural Mountains</caption>
Operation Citadel
The Germans started Operation Citadel
(Battle of Kursk) on 4 July 1943.
However, they were quickly frustrated by
the well planned defensive strategy of
the Soviets.
The Soviets then launched their counteroffensive which severely damaged the
German Army which lost half of their
tanks.
The Kursk battle had lasted less than
three weeks but when it was over the
Red Army had exhausted the German
ability to launch any more offensives.
<caption>Russian T-34’s hunt for German Armour</caption>
Conclusion
After Kursk the Wehrmacht
would not win another victory.
They were now outnumbered
on the Eastern Front. Germany
had 3 million soldiers to
Russia’s 6 million.
Russia was now out-producing
Germany in all areas of
weaponry.
From now on it would be a
staged defence all the way
back to Berlin.
<caption>“Keeps rolling along” – American Cartoon, 1943</caption>