★ World War 2 Flashcards
(34 cards)
★ What is World War 2 also known as?
★ The Great Patriotic War
★ What was Stalin’s speech in 1931 which was his reasoning behind rapid industrialisation?
★ “We are fifty or a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make up this gap in ten years. Either we do it or they crush us.”
★ What was Operation Barbarossa?
★ Germany’s invasion of USSR
★ Was originally scheduled for 1 June but had to be delayed for 3 weeks because of Italy’s crisis in Yugoslavia, was instead reset for 22 June
★ Was made up of 3 huge armies, north through the Baltic States towards Leningrad, south and east into Ukraine and a central thrust towards Moscow
★ Also an attempt to seize control over the entire Soviet economy and eradicate communism
★ What was the Stalinist reaction?
★ Stalin’s miscalculation about the effectiveness of the Navi-Soviet Pact left the Soviet Union unprepared for war in June 1941
★ Shrank away from making a radio broadcast and lost his nerve
★ Began appealing to patriotism and religion and unity among the nationalities
★ What were the three distinct phases of the Russo-German war?
★ 22 June 1941 - Summer 1942: Soviet Russia struggled to survive against successive German offensives, suffering massive losses of people and territory
★ Autumn 1942 - Summer 1943: Soviet Russia stabilised its war effort, built a powerhouse war economy and halted German advances
★ 1943 - Summer 1945: Soviet armies moved on to the offensive, recaptured vast areas that had been occupied, and achieved total victory
★ What was the Grand Alliance?
★ The USSR was part of the Grand Alliance, with Britain and with the USA
★ Supplied crucial supplies to aid the USSR’s war effort
★ What was the First Phase of the GPW like?
★ German advance was extremely fast
★ Huge Soviet armies were encircled and defeated at Minsk and Smolensk and near Kiev where 665,000 Soviet troops were captured
★ Moscow close to capture in August
★ 15 Oct: Soviet leadership offered negotiations for a compromise peace but Hitler rejected it
★ November: Weather worsened and Soviet forces hardened, counter-attacking, by December German victory was close but was halted
★ What was Case Blue?
★ Germany’s plan for a summer offensive in the caucaus region
★ When was the Battle of Stalingrad?
★ July 17 1942 - February 2 1943
★ What were the causes of the Battle of Stalingrad?
★ Wanted to destroy what was left of the Soviet Union’s army and capture the Caucasus Oilfields
★ Cultural/Ideological reasons, Stalingrad was in Stalin’s name and therefore directly linked with Hitler’s takeover of Communism
★ What were the consequences of the Battle of Stalingrad?
★ Heavily bombed by Luftwaffe
★ Bitter street fighting
★ By October, most of the city was in German hands
★ Russians clung onto the bank of the river Volga, ferried across vital resources
★ July 28 - Order No. 227 decreed that defenders of Stalingrad would take ‘not one step back’ would be executed
★ Refused to allow the evacuation of civillians
★ What was the Significance of the Battle of Stalingrad?
★ Decisive battle - Hitler’s first loss
★ Who was the German Sixth Army led by?
★ General Friedrich von Paulus
★ How many Soviet reinforcements were killed/wounded in a week?
★ 80%
★ What were some weaknesses of Hitler’s army?
★ Refused to allow troops to retreat
★ German troops had no food, fuel, ammo or winter uniforms
★ Needed airlift, only 120 tonnes of supplies each day, less than half of what was needed
★ 2 German tanks divisions were intercepted by Soviet tanks 6 miles short, created an impenetrable barrier
★ What phase was the Battle of Kursk in?
★ Second phase
★ What was Operation Citadel?
★ Offensive near Kursk in July
★ Was halted by massive Soviet firepower at the Battle of Prokhorovka
★ Kursk offensive called off on 13th July but became a springboard for Soviet forces to counter attack and to regain huge territories from German occupation
★ By 1943, USSR fully mobilised its economy with a huge surge in guns, tanks and aircraft from factories east of the Urals
★ What were the causes of the Battle of Kursk?
★ German plan to eliminate Kursk salient
★ Operation Citadel
★ What were the consequences of the Battle of Kursk?
★ Soviet Union gained initiative in the East
★ Germans never launched any major offensive
★ What was the significant of the Battle of Kursk?
★ Psychological: Hitler’s distrust intensified causing him to micro-manage the war despite having no military knowledge, Stalin was the opposite and allowed his military leaders to take over things
★ Physical: Germany was in strategic retreat until the end of the war, Soviet recovery due to man power
★ When did the Battle of Kursk begin?
★ Feb 21st
★ How did the Soviets defend Kursk?
★ Built defensive constructions such as barbed wire
★ Disrupted supplies and communications
★ Destroyed 298 locomotives, 1222 railway wagons and 44 bridges
★ Had 2 million men and 5,000 tanks while Germany only had 780,000 men and 3,000 tanks
★ How many tanks did the USSR and Germany lose?
★ USSR: ~40 tanks
★ Germany: 7 tanks
★ What was the Battle of Prokhorovka?
★ Heavy Soviet losses, tanks that were damaged were between 330 and 650
★ Germans lost 60-80 tanks
★ Soviet losses stalled German advance, drained resources and created ground for a successful counteroffensive
★ Was the first time that the Germans were unable to make a significant breakthrough on the Eastern Front
