AQA A Level History Depth Study Notes - Russia: The Great Patriotic War

Recap:

Stalin had signed the Nazi-Soviet in 1939 believing that it would buy his under-prepared country
more time before any Nazi invasion of the USSR. Stalin continued to trust in the Pact, despite
intelligence reports warning him about German preparations for invasion, months before it began.

The war, which Stalin had tried so hard to avoid, nearly destroyed the USSR; but fighting the war,
and ultimately achieving victory, transformed the Soviet Union into a military-industrial superpower.

Operation Barbarossa & The Stalinist Reaction

OPERATION BARBAROSSA:
 German invasion
 Launched 22nd June 1941 -> intended to win a decisive
victory in a matter of weeks, well before onset of winter
 Invasion originally planned for 1 June but was delayed
until 22nd June (3 weeks) following Nazi invasion
(blitzkriegs) of Yugoslavia
o Yugoslavian uprising – Hitler saw it as a personal
insult
o Split Hitler’s forces slightly (needed lots of tanks)
+ gave Stalin a bit more time
o Also put invasion at risk of running into winter
(short term insignificant – long term significant)
o William L. Shirer -> “the most catastrophic single
decision in Hitler’s career”
 Invasion forces split between 3 huge groups, 1 heading
towards Leningrad, 1 into Ukraine + 1 towards Moscow

STALIN’S IMMEDIATE REACTION:
 Stalin hadn’t taken direct action in the spring to prepare
for a German invasion, either because he did not believe it would happen or because he
worried that if he increased Soviet defences, this would provoke attack
 When the German attack on 22nd June 1941, Stalin did nothing -> went AWOL
o It was nearly 2 weeks before he spoke publicly about the invasion
o Molotov (foreign minister) made a radio broadcast in his place on 22 nd
 Stalin’s speech on 3rd July stressed themes of patriotism, religion + unity
o He called on all the peoples of the USSR to join a patriotic war against fascism

The issue of poor leadership:
 Stalin = indecisive (e.g. preparations to move the capital from Moscow to Kuybyshev Pg 178 sources
(Samara) were cancelled last min on Stalin’s orders) likely to come
 The Soviet army had inexperienced commanders (Stalin had removed the most up -> Stalin’s
experience officers in his military purges of 1937 & Molotov’s
 Stalin refused to allow his southern armies to retreat from Kiev until it was too late speeches
o Brought massive defeat in the south Sept 1941

Richard Sorge – Soviet agent (double agent)
- Warned Stalin of impending Barbarossa attack – Stalin ignored him
- Also found that Japan deliberated attacking the USSR but decided it wasn’t worth it unless
Germany knocked USSR out quickly

, Key Events:
 Siege of Leningrad – starts Sept 1941
 Fall of Kiev & loss of Ukraine – Sept 1941
 USSR secretly offer peace – Oct 1941
The Course of the War  Germans reach outskirts of Moscow – Nov
1941
STAGE 1: ‘THE STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL’  ‘Case Blue’ German attack on caucuses –
 June 1941- summer (October) 1942 June 1942
 Soviets struggled to survive against successive  Battle of Stalingrad begins – Aug 1942
German offensives
o Massive losses of people + territory
Key dates:
 8th Sept 1941: siege of Leningrad begins -> General Zhukov put in charge of defending city –
he organised defences – he = crucial
 Sept 1941: Fall of Kiev + loss
 October 1941: USSR secretly offer peace (rejected)
 5th Dec 1941: German advance on Moscow (Operation Typhoon) halts
o 1st sign of German hesitation in the war
rd
 23 Aug 1942: Battle of Stalingrad begins
o Case blue was prevented from breaking the Soviet Union due to the Battle of
Stalingrad
Key details:
 3m German troops invaded the USSR June 1941
o Leningrad encircled by Sept -> lasted until Spring 1944 (600,000 died there mostly
from hunger/cold)
 The German advance was swift + there were huge losses for the Soviets (e.g. 665,000
captured at Kiev + a catastrophic loss of Soviet Aircraft)
 Further 500,000 surrendered after fall of Kiev
 On 15th October the Soviets attempted peace negotiations but Hitler ignored their offer
o Huge territories had been loss + German forces heading to Moscow -> if succeeded
Japan would have invaded in East hence talks
 340,000 killed/captured in Minsk
 750,000 killed/captured at Smolensk
Turning points:
 18th October 1941
 Intelligence reports from Japan allowed Stalin to bring troops back from Siberia to defend
Moscow
 This, plus bad weather conditions, meant German capture of Moscow was avoided
 At the Nuremburg Trials after the war when Field Marshal Keitel (Chief of Staff of the
German High Command) was asked when he knew Barbarossa was failing he said one word
“Moscow”


STAGE 2: ‘TURNING THE TIDE’
 1942 to summer 1943
 Soviet Russia stabilised its war effort, built a powerhouse war economy + halted German
advances
Key dates:
 2nd Feb 1943: Surrender of German Sixth Army at Stalingrad
 12th July 1943: Battle of Prokhorovka
 13th July 1943: Kursk offensive called off
Key details:
 The war was turning into a war of attrition + Hitler didn’t have resources to compete
 Mass production of T-34 tanks = central to Soviet success in Battle of Prokhorovka