The Soviet-German War1941 – 1945By Krieger

• August 23 1939, Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact ensures non-aggression between Hitler and Stalin– Secret condition dictates division of territory including

Poland, Finland and Baltic States

• Shortly after pact is signed, Nazi Germany invades Poland, prompting France and Great Britain to declare war– Soviet Union invades Poland on Sept. 17, 1939

• Following the conquest of mainland Europe, Hitler starts to look East

• Despite reports from Soviet spies and captured German soldiers announcing the date of the invasion, Stalin refuses to believe reports of any German threat

Operation Barbarossa

• June 22nd, 1941 – Over three million soldiers of the Wehrmacht invade the Soviet Union– Divided into Army Groups North,

Center, and South

• Soviet soldiers caught off guard are either killed, captured or found deserting

• On the surface invasion is a massive success– Luftwaffe virtually unchallenged, able to

routinely bomb Soviet cities

• Underlying problems such as supply lines help slow the advance, creating problems in the future

Faltering Blitzkrieg

• Stavka (Soviet High Command) makes plans to move Soviet factories towards the Ural Mountains in the east– Lack of long-range bomber puts

targets out of Luftwaffe’s reach• Fighting in areas such as Smolensk

and Sevastopol slow German advance even more

The Gates of Moscow

• After freeing up route to Moscow, Army Group Center dashes to the capital in late 1941- advance halts 30 km outside of the city

• Soviet counter-attack commanded by Georgy Zhukov pushes Germans back– Counter-attacks continue through January

1942

Leningrad

• Beginning in Sept. 1941, Army Group North besieges the city of Leningrad

• Siege lasts over 900 days, lifted by the Soviets in Jan. 1944– Over 1 million Soviet citizens perished

from bombardment or starvation

A New Objective

• After failing to capture Moscow, Hitler orders the Wehrmacht to strike south with aims to reach the oilfields in the Caucasus Mountains

• Wehrmacht appears revitalized, pushing the Red Army to the Volga River by August 1942

• In August 1942, the Wehrmacht begins attack on Stalingrad starting with massive bombardment– The ruined city plays to Soviets’ advantage,

supplying many areas to hide

• Bitter street fighting ensues, leaving the Germans virtually stranded in the city through the Russian winter

• In November 1942, Soviets counter-attacked in Operation Uranus– Trapped the German 6th Army– By Jan. 1943 they were forced into surrender

• Battle of Stalingrad proved to be the turning point in the war– Costliest battle in history; up to 2 million

casualties overall

• In July 1943, Wehrmacht attempted encircling 3 Soviet armies in salient near city of Kursk– The Soviets, well aware of the plan for

some time, built up elaborate lines of defense

• The resulting clash would end up as largest armored engagement in history– Also included most costly day in aerial

combat history

The Gates of Hell

• In January 1944, 56,000 elite German soldiers are encircled at Korsun-Cherkassy– The original rescue plan was altered by Hitler

to attempt to outflank the attacking Soviets– About 35,000 of the soldiers were able to

escape

• Though mostly a success, the incident served as an example of the increasing Soviet threat in both size and skill

Retaking the Motherland

• Throughout 1944, the Soviet Union starts to regain the last of the territory lost since the war started in 1941

• Local resistances in German-occupied countries inadvertently help the Soviets retake territory

• June 22nd, 1944 (3 years after Barbarossa), the Soviets launch a secret massive attack against Army Group Center– The Germans expected an attack on the

weakened Army Group South

• This offensive combined with another operation brought the Soviets within reach of Warsaw by the end of July

• Vistula-Oder Offensive, Soviets take Baltic States, East Prussia, etc.– 60 mi. east of Berlin by end of

offensive

• Enter Austria on March 30, 1945– Capture Vienna by April 13

• April 20, 1945 (Hitler’s birthday) – Soviets begin shelling center of Berlin– Don’t cease until city surrendered– Hitler commits suicide 10 days later

• German High Command surrenders unconditionally May 8, 1945– V-E Day celebrated globally the

next day

• Post-War Germany divided into four zones– Eastern half occupied by Soviets for 4 decades

• Axis forces deaths more than 4 million– Soviet military/civilian deaths over 20 million

• War covered more land than all other WWII fronts combined

Bibliography

• Books– Glantz, David and Jonathan House. When Titans Clashed. University

Press of Kansas: Lawrence, Kansas 1995.

– Bonn, Keith E. Slaughterhouse: Handbook of the Eastern Front. The Aberjona Press: Bedford, PA 2005.

– Pleshakov, Constantine. Stalin’s Folly. Hougthton Mifflin Company: New York, NY 2005.

• Website– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Front_%28World_War_II%29

– http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/wwii/photos/gallery_002/page_01.htm