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Title Description Keywords Objectives Author Organisation Version Date Copyright 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. Winmedia File Path Width Height Autostart Align Long description Caption Link to player <caption>Soviet Katyusha’s mounted on the back of trucks.</caption> Fighting Back katyusha.wmv C:\Documents and Settings\Mark Callagher\My Documents\History\PPT Origins of World War II\ 427 320 True Left Katyusha rockets False 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>