Chapter 21 - The Great Patriotic War and its impact

Question 1

When was the German offensive pushed back from Moscow?

Answer 1

December 1941

Question 2

When did the new German offensive advance towards the Caucasus oilfields?

Answer 2

June 1942

Question 3

When was the German offensive halted at Stalingrad?

Answer 3

October 1942

Question 4

When was the German surrender at Stalingrad?

Answer 4

February 1943

Question 5

When was the new German offensive defeated at Kursk?

Answer 5

July 1943

Question 6

When was Kiev liberated by the Red Army?

Answer 6

November 1943

Question 7

When did the siege of Leningrad end?

Answer 7

January 1944

Question 8

When did the Soviet forces reach Budapest?

Answer 8

December 1944

Question 9

When was Warsaw captured by the Red Army?

Answer 9

January 1945

Question 10

When was the Yalta summit meeting?

Answer 10

February 1945

Question 11

When was the final defeat of Germany?

Answer 11

May 1945

Question 12

When did Japan surrender?

Answer 12

August 1945

Question 13

What was Operation Barbarossa?

Answer 13

The codename for the German invasion of the USSR

Question 14

When did Germany invade the USSR?

Answer 14

22 June 1941

Question 15

How long did the Germans think it would take to complete Operation Barbarossa?

Answer 15

A few weeks, well before the onset of winter

Question 16

When was the German invasion originally planned for and why was it delayed?

Answer 16

1 June
Because of the Nazi invasion of Yugoslavia

Question 17

The German invasion forces were split into 3 army groups. Where were they going?

Answer 17

Leningrad, Ukraine and Moscow

Question 18

Why did Stalin take no direct action to prepare for a German invasion?

Answer 18

2 possible reasons
1. He didn’t believe it would happen
2. He was worried that if he increased Soviet defences it would provoke attack

Question 19

How did Stalin respond to the invasion?

Answer 19

Ignored it for nearly 2 weeks, spoke publicly about it on 3 July
Molotov made a speech in his place on the day of the invasion

Question 20

What did Stalin say when he first acknowledged the invasion himself?

Answer 20

He stressed themes of patriotism, religion and unity
Called on all the peoples of the USSR to join the patriotic war against fascism

Question 21

In which ways was poor leadership an issue in the early stages of the war?

Answer 21

• Stalin was indecisive
• The army had inexperienced commanders
• Stalin refused to let the southern armies retreat from Kiev until it was too late

Question 22

Give an example of Stalin’s indecisiveness in the early stages of the war

Answer 22

Preparations to move the capital from Moscow to Kuybyshev were cancelled at the last minute on his orders

Question 23

What was the result of Stalin’s refusal to allow his army to retreat from Kiev?

Answer 23

A massive defeat in the south in September 1941

Question 24

What were the 3 main stages of the war?

Answer 24

June 1941 - summer 1942
1942 - summer 1943
1943 - summer 1945

Question 25

Give a summary of Stage 1 of the war

Answer 25

Russia struggled to survive against successive German offensives, suffering massive losses of people and territory

Question 26

What are the key dates of Stage 1 of the war?

Answer 26

September 1941: siege of Leningrad begins December 1941: German advance on Moscow halts; first sign of German hesitation in the war August 1942: bombardment of Stalingrad begins

Question 27

What are the key details of Stage 1 of the war?

Answer 27

- 3 mill German troops invaded the USSR in June 1941 - German advance was swift, huge losses for the Soviets (665,000 troops captured at Kiev) - Soviets attempted peace negotiations on 15.10 but Hitler ignored their offer

Question 28

What was the turning point of Stage 1 of the war?

Answer 28

October 1941: Germans were unable to capture Moscow because of bad weather and because Stalin had recieved intelligence reports from Japan that allowed him to bring troops back from Siberia

Question 29

Give a summary of Stage 2 of the war

Answer 29

Russia stabilised its war effort, built a powerhouse war economy and stopped German advances

Question 30

What are the key dates of Stage 2 of the war?

Answer 30

February 1943: Surrender of German Sixth Army at Stalingrad July 1943: Battle of Prokhorovka July 1943: Kursk offensive called off

Question 31

What are the key details of Stage 2 of the war?

Answer 31

- The war was turning into a war of attrition and Hitler didn't have the resources to compete - Mass production of the T-34 tank was central to Soviet success in the Battle of Prokhorovka

Question 32

What was the turning point of Stage 2 of the war?

Answer 32

February 1943: Hitler made a major mistake in refusing to pull his troops out of Stalingrad. The defeat of the Sixth Army was a military and psychological disaster for the Germans

Question 33

Give a summary of Stage 3 of the war

Answer 33

Soviet armies moved on to the offensive, capturing vast areas that had been ocupied, and finally defeating the Germans

Question 34

What are the key dates of Stage 3 of the war?

Answer 34

November 1943: liberation of Kiev November 1943: Tehran summit January 1944: Soviet troops enter Poland January 1944: siege of Leningrad ends

Question 35

What is a key detail of Stage 3 of the war?

Answer 35

There was a series of Soviet chain victories across Eastern Europe from Aug 1943 onwards, but the Germans were resilient defenders and it took until April 1945 for the Red Army to reach Berlin

Question 36

What was the turning point of Stage 3 of the war?

Answer 36

July 1943: Soviet victory at Prokhorovka was a springboard for Soviet counter attacks. Start of the Soviet offensive that actually won the war

Question 37

In what two ways was the USSR 'ravaged by war'?

Answer 37

1. The German advance caused huge destruction 2. Soviet 'scorched earth' tactics as the Red Army retreated

Question 38

Why was life for civilians on the Home Front hard?

Answer 38

Food, fuel and shelter in short supply Many factories, hospitals and houses destroyed

Question 39

How many civilians died in the war?

Answer 39

~12 million 1/8 of the pop alive before the war was dead by 1945

Question 40

How many towns, cities and villages were destroyed in the war?

Answer 40

1700 towns and cities 70,000 villages

Question 41

Examples of German brutality and repression in the war

Answer 41

- 1000s of Soviet soldiers held as prisoners of war - 1000s of Soviet workers conscripted to work in German war factories - Captured Soviet commissars executed immediately - Vicious reprisals against partisans - Massacres and deportations of Jews

Question 42

Give an example of a massacre of Jews

Answer 42

Sept 1941, 34,000 Jews were shot and buried in mass graves at Babi Yar

Question 43

Examples of Soviet brutality and repression in the war

Answer 43

- 1000s arrested or executed as 'slackers', 'deserters' and 'defeatists' - 170,000 military personnel executed for treason during the war - Harsh treatment of people from liberated western areas - Harsh treatment of returned prisoners of war - Mass deportations of ethnic minorities

Question 44

Give an example of mass deportations of ethnic minorities

Answer 44

May 1944, the entire Tartar population of 24,000 people were deported to Uzbekistan

Question 45

Name 3 powerful unifying factors during the war

Answer 45

- fear and hatred of the Germans (helped by German repression and cruelty) - deep patriotism in defending the Motherland - an underlying faith in Stalin and defence against fascism

Question 46

What was the impact of conscription on the Red Army?

Answer 46

1941: 4.8 million soldiers +29.5 million over course of war

Question 47

How many factories were moved from Moscow?

Answer 47

500

Question 48

Rapid mobilisation in the Soviet war economy

Answer 48

In the early stages of the war, Stalin's errors lost millions of Red Army men and equipment Rapid and massive conscription was a major strength to the USSR

Question 49

Evacuation of industry in the Soviet war economy

Answer 49

German invasion and occupation of western regions destroyed the basis of the economy in industry and agriculture Industry was relocated from the western areas to the Urals and further east Whole factories were dismantled and moved with their equipment and workers

Question 50

How many trains were used to transport the factories?

Answer 50

20,000

Question 51

Improved military resources in the Soviet war economy

Answer 51

- Began to build a huge industrial base for war production in 1942 - Centrally controlled command economy was especially effective during wartime, helped USSR produce the resources it needed - Huge improvements made to military vehicles and tactics - Industrial capacity meant they could withstand the loss of 1000s of T-34 tanks in battle

Question 52

Why was the T-34 tank so good?

Answer 52

- equal to the German Tiger tank in close-up fighting - quick to manufacture - easy to repair

Question 53

Foreign aid from the USA

Answer 53

Huge quantities of armaments, industrial goods and food 300,000 American trucks supplied through the Lend-Lease scheme

Question 54

What was the US Lend-Lease scheme?

Answer 54

A US policy in which the USA supplied its allies with food, oil and military equipment 1941-45

Question 55

Why was foreign aid important for the USSR?

Answer 55

- It was an important factor in the ability to mobilise for total war - Vital in the winter of 1942-43 when the USSR was recovering from heavy losses earlier in the war