9.3.2: Hitler's war against the USSR - TEACH-

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 3

AGE 9. The Time of World Wars

9.3.2. Europe at War: Hitler's war against the USSR

Word Duty

Words that are in bold print must be learned for a test. 

Words that are printed cursive in the texts, you just need to be able to understand & translate!

Operation Barbarossa: name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union

Red Army: the Soviet army

Wehrmacht: the German army

Great Patriotic War: the Russian name for World War 2

Einsatzgruppen: special death squads. Their task was to kill as many Jews and communists as possible.

scorched earth: a tactic used by the Red Army. It meant that they destroyed everything in their retreat that could not be transported, to leave nothing useful for the Germans.

WORD DUTY

The Battle of Britain 

Hitler's Luftwaffe had lost over 2 thousand airplanes over the British isles and Hitler couldn't afford to lose more > he needed them for his biggest conquest yet: the invasion of the Soviet Union

Hitler had 3 main goals:

1. The conquest of Russia,
2. the destruction of communism, and
3. the creation of Lebensraum for Germans.

So Hitler secretly planned an attack on the Soviet Union, which would take place in the spring of 1941. Then they should be finished before winter.

Hitler and his generals planning the invasion of the Soviet Union, spring 1941

Operation Barbarossa

The German invasion was named: Operation Barbarossa

At first, Hitler was successful:

• Stalin was taken by surprise and his Red Army was ill prepared for the Blitzkrieg
• The German army initially conquered a lot territory: they tried to conquer Leningrad (north), Moscow (centre) and Stalingrad (south)

Especially the south was important > Caucasus oilfields 

Source A

Hitler stabs Stalin in the back

German successes

The Blitzkrieg against the Red Army had devastating effects:

• The Germans destroyed the USSR'S entire air and tank forces 
• The Red Army suffered 4 million casualties (half of them deaths). 
• By September 1941, Leningrad (the second city in the USSR) was under siege. 
• The Germans almost reached the capital Moscow

• Stalin seriously considered surrendering. 
  

German soldiers marching through Russia. Note the use of many horse carriages in the German army.

German errors

Late in 1941 the German advance was halted by the Russian winter. From now on, the successful advance would never be repeated again. There are 7 reasons:

I. The German army was not prepared for a winter war.

II. Winter gave Stalin time to reorganise his army completely > "Great Patriotic War"

III. The Nazis themselves also helped Stalin with their Einsatzgruppen. 

IV. The Germans couldn't use the areas they had conquered thanks to the Red Armies 'scorched earth' policy.

V. The Soviet people rebuilt the USSR's economy and they eventually surpassed Germans war production

VI. The Germans were not efficient in supplying their troops. 

VII. Stalin's new allies supplied vast amounts of food, raw materials and industrial equipment 

Four questions you must answer when you analyze a cartoon:

1. What do you see? (elements & labels)
   
2. What do the elements symbolise?
3. What is the artist's message?
4. What is the artist's POV (point of view)?

Who is this?

one word

Who is this?

one word

What do you see at the bottom right corner?

What do you see at the bottom left corner?

What are Stalin and Hitler seem to be
doing here? (look only at this section)

Hitler stabs Stalin in the back. What does this
act symbolise?
One word

Stalin drops his pipe. What does it suggest that
he was smoking a pipe and now he drops it?

What else is Stalin dropping?
And what does dropping this document
symbolise?

What is the artist's message?

POV
To which side does the artist belong?

1. Germany + allies
2. Britain + allies
3. USSR

What is the artist's opinion about Hitler?

Homework for tomorrow:

• Write down the 7 German errors in your notebook 
• Read 'The tide turns'

AGE 9. The Time of World Wars

9.3.2. Europe at War: Hitler's war against the USSR

Why did Operation Barbarossa fail? Give two reasons

December 7 1941 is a day that will forever live in infamy. On this date, the Imperial Japanese Navy conducted a surprise attack on Naval Base Pearl Harbor. The Japanese intended the attack to be a preventative measure to keep the United States Pacific Fleet from interfering with Japanese plans for military conquest over the overseas territories of the U.S., United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. The surprise attack came as a shock to the American people who up until this point had not experienced the horrors of World War 2. Following the attack, the United States declared war on Japan and an active alliance with Great Britain was established leading Germany and Italy to declare war on the U.S. on December 11th. The U.S. would return the favor on December 12th and the nation was thrust into active involvement in the Second World War

On Dec. 7th 1941 Hitler's ally Japan attacked the US naval base on the island of Pearl Harbor, destroying most of the American fleet. President Roosevelt declared war on Japan. The next day Japan's allies Germany and Italy declared war on the USA.

The European war had tuned into a World War. In Europe the people in the occupied countries and in Britain got new hope: maybe the 'Yanks' are coming again...

meanwhile, at the other side of the world...

June 22,

1941

The Tide turns:

The Battle of Stalingrad (Sept 1942 - Jan 1943)

1942 began badly for the USSR > The Germans made further advances, and attempts by the Red Army to push them back led to a further casualties. 

The Red Army generals knew that they had to prevent the Germans from reaching the USSR'S oil fields > they had to be halted at Stalingrad. 

Stalingrad was a major industrial and strategic centre. If the Germans seized Stalingrad, they would cut the USSR'S links with southern Russia. 

Stalingrad became a savage hand-to-hand battle > German tanks were useless in the streets. 

On November 19th, when the Soviet commander Zhukov counter-attacked in pincer movements north and south of the city, part of the German army was encircled. 

Soviet soldiers defending the Red October factory from a German assault during the Battle of Stalingrad (1942–43).

Stalingrad

The Germans were outnumbered > the German commander Paulus wanted to retreat, but wasn't allowed to.

Paulus eventually surrendered on 31 January 1943:

• Soviet air power gradually cut off his supplies. 
• Soviet artillery, well supplied with shells, pounded the German positions 
• The Katyusha rocket launcher, rained down explosives on the Germans.
  

Stalingrad was the first major defeat for the Germans. > a turning point in the war had been reached.

With the USA preparing to join the Allies in Europe (while at the same time fighting against Japan), Hitler's troops were now on the retreat.

German soldiers are marched off as prisoners of war (POW's) after the surrender at Stalingrad, ( Januari 1943) guarded by Russian soldiers

The Western Front

The US commander general Eisenhower put together plans for a joint US-British attack on occupied Europe. 

• American forces built up on British mainland throughout 1942 and 1943
• President Roosevelt believed that the American priority was the war against Germany > 85% of US resources were targeted at Germany during the War.

In 1943, US and British forces attacked Italy from the south and Italy surrendered in september 1943

The main objective was still the liberation of France > not as easy as it may seem.

It was a very high risk undertaking but the start of Operation Overlord, was nonetheless fixed for 6 June 1944.

This would be D-Day, Decision Day.

The United States actually had a 'ghost army' with only one mission: to deceive the enemy tactically. During and after D-Day, they staged more than twenty operations, using inflatable tanks, sound trucks and misleading Morse Code and radio messages.

American soldiers landing on the Normandy beach in the early morning of June 6th, 1944.

When making a comparison, you need to highlight both sides
of the story in your answer

Use the internet
Why is Hitler being compared to Napoleon in this cartoon?

Stalingrad

The RETREAT

December 7

1941

Pearl Harbour, USA