The Great Patriotic War
Impact of war
Operation Barbarossa:
- German forces were experienced, hardened and well-equipped after
success in war with France
- Invasion originally scheduled for 1 June but was delayed 3 weeks
because of the Italian crisis in Yugoslavia – Hitler invaded Yugoslavia
in a blitzkrieg campaign
- Three army groups spearheaded the German invasion plan: north
towards Leningrad; central into Moscow and southeast into Ukraine
– some of Hitler’s advisers wanted all forces to be concentrated on
Moscow, but he ignored them
- Hitler wanted to eradicated communism
Stalinist reaction to operation Barbarossa:
- Unprepared for war in June 1941
- When foreign sources warned Stalin that Hitler was preparing for
war, he took no action
- Stalin had a panic attack after the invasion and failed to give
leadership in the first weeks; he prepared to move the government
away from Moscow and only at the last moment decided to stay at
Moscow
- Stalin didn’t make a radio broadcast to the people and left that task
to Molotov
- Stalin made a radio speech on 3 July and appealed to patriotism and
religion, and to unity among the nationalities
- Friendship with Nazi Germany replaced with ideological hatred – new
friend was Winston Churchill
- Relied for too long on inferior commanders who had been promoted
for political reasons after the purge of the army
- Refused to allow armies in Kiev to retreat in September 1941,
causing a massive defeat
- Showed no urgency in defending Leningrad
- After a long series of defeats, Stavka, the ‘war cabinet’ became
effective – formed on 23 June 1941
- Provided with intentions of Japan by a ‘master spy’ Richard Sorge,
saving Russia from having to fight a two-front war – discovered that
the target of Japanese aggression would be the U.S. so Stalin had
time to transfer troops from Siberia to Moscow
, The course of the Great Patriotic War:
June 1941 to October 1942; the struggle for survival:
- 665,000 Soviet troops captured near Kiev
- After two weeks, German generals believed that the war was
virtually won
- Leningrad encircled in early September – forces in place for a final
advance on Moscow
- 500,000 troops surrendered after the fall of Kiev on 19 September
- On 15 October, Soviet leadership offered secret negotiations for a
compromise peace – Hitler disregarded this
- In November, the weather worsened and Soviet defences hardened,
with some counterattacks pushing Germans back from the outskirts
of Moscow
- On 5 December, the German advance on Moscow was halted
- Limited fighting in early 1942, but in May, Germany was ready to
launch another offensive – massive victories in eastern Ukraine
- Fall of Rostov on the Don in July was one of the lowest moments for
the USSR
- Hitler became sidetracked with the capture of Stalingrad – Stalin put
immense efforts into defending it, so Hitler became obsessed with
capturing it
- From October, German forces began to pull back from the Caucasus
October 1942 to August 1943:
- The mistake in persisting with Stalingrad forced the war into the
long war that Germany had been desperate to avoid
- 1943 2 Feb surrender of German sixth army at Stalingrad
- 24 Feb Rostov was liberated by the Red Army, with its force of T-34
tanks
- On 13 July, Hitler called off the Kursk offensive
August 1943 to December 1944; the road to Berlin:
- November 1943 liberation of Kiev
- November 1943 Tehran summit between Stalin, Roosevelt and
Churchill to discuss what to do now that Allied victory was inevitable
- January 1944 siege of Leningrad ends
Impact of war
Operation Barbarossa:
- German forces were experienced, hardened and well-equipped after
success in war with France
- Invasion originally scheduled for 1 June but was delayed 3 weeks
because of the Italian crisis in Yugoslavia – Hitler invaded Yugoslavia
in a blitzkrieg campaign
- Three army groups spearheaded the German invasion plan: north
towards Leningrad; central into Moscow and southeast into Ukraine
– some of Hitler’s advisers wanted all forces to be concentrated on
Moscow, but he ignored them
- Hitler wanted to eradicated communism
Stalinist reaction to operation Barbarossa:
- Unprepared for war in June 1941
- When foreign sources warned Stalin that Hitler was preparing for
war, he took no action
- Stalin had a panic attack after the invasion and failed to give
leadership in the first weeks; he prepared to move the government
away from Moscow and only at the last moment decided to stay at
Moscow
- Stalin didn’t make a radio broadcast to the people and left that task
to Molotov
- Stalin made a radio speech on 3 July and appealed to patriotism and
religion, and to unity among the nationalities
- Friendship with Nazi Germany replaced with ideological hatred – new
friend was Winston Churchill
- Relied for too long on inferior commanders who had been promoted
for political reasons after the purge of the army
- Refused to allow armies in Kiev to retreat in September 1941,
causing a massive defeat
- Showed no urgency in defending Leningrad
- After a long series of defeats, Stavka, the ‘war cabinet’ became
effective – formed on 23 June 1941
- Provided with intentions of Japan by a ‘master spy’ Richard Sorge,
saving Russia from having to fight a two-front war – discovered that
the target of Japanese aggression would be the U.S. so Stalin had
time to transfer troops from Siberia to Moscow
, The course of the Great Patriotic War:
June 1941 to October 1942; the struggle for survival:
- 665,000 Soviet troops captured near Kiev
- After two weeks, German generals believed that the war was
virtually won
- Leningrad encircled in early September – forces in place for a final
advance on Moscow
- 500,000 troops surrendered after the fall of Kiev on 19 September
- On 15 October, Soviet leadership offered secret negotiations for a
compromise peace – Hitler disregarded this
- In November, the weather worsened and Soviet defences hardened,
with some counterattacks pushing Germans back from the outskirts
of Moscow
- On 5 December, the German advance on Moscow was halted
- Limited fighting in early 1942, but in May, Germany was ready to
launch another offensive – massive victories in eastern Ukraine
- Fall of Rostov on the Don in July was one of the lowest moments for
the USSR
- Hitler became sidetracked with the capture of Stalingrad – Stalin put
immense efforts into defending it, so Hitler became obsessed with
capturing it
- From October, German forces began to pull back from the Caucasus
October 1942 to August 1943:
- The mistake in persisting with Stalingrad forced the war into the
long war that Germany had been desperate to avoid
- 1943 2 Feb surrender of German sixth army at Stalingrad
- 24 Feb Rostov was liberated by the Red Army, with its force of T-34
tanks
- On 13 July, Hitler called off the Kursk offensive
August 1943 to December 1944; the road to Berlin:
- November 1943 liberation of Kiev
- November 1943 Tehran summit between Stalin, Roosevelt and
Churchill to discuss what to do now that Allied victory was inevitable
- January 1944 siege of Leningrad ends
