WW II

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Lesson 13
WW II Germany Turns East
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Lesson Objectives
  Describe and analyze the German decision
process to attack the Soviet Union in June 1941.
  Describe and analyze the operational and
logistic implications of Operation Barbarossa.
  Understand and be able to discuss the impact
of total war within the Soviet Union.  
Understand how the initial successes of the
German invasion of the USSR turned into such a
total disaster.   Be able to describe the
magnitude of the Soviet-German War and its impact
on the outcome of World War II.

3
Review
Battle of Britain
Operation Sealion
September 17, 1940
Operation Sealion postponed indefinitely
Unable to gain air superiority
Approach of winter
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Hitler Turns East
Background
Germany, USSR signed nonaggression pact (August
23, 1939)
After German defeat of Poland, Germany and USSR
divided Poland
USSR invaded Finland November 30, 1939 (The
Winter War)
250,000 Finnish troops vs. 1,000,000 Soviets
British, French considered support via Norway
and Sweden
By March 1940 26,000 Finnish dead vs. 126,000
Soviets
Soviet military weakness from 1930s purges
noted by Hitler
In July 1940 Hitler told his generals to prepare
for war with USSR within a year
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Hitler Turns East
Hitler regarded the Soviet Union and Bolshevism
as the greatest threat to Germany
He felt that the weakness of the Red Army created
the best possible opportunity to eliminate this
threat
Rejected (or ignored) the possibility of
two-front war
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Operation Barbarossa
German Invasion of the Soviet Union
The classic example of the cost of not learning
the lessons of history
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The Impact of Logistics on War
Go To
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Why Do We Study War?
History doesnt repeat itself, but it rhymes.
Attributed to Samuel Clements (1835-1910)
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Operation Barbarossa
June 22, 1941

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Operation Barbarossa

Note conquered nation participation
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Conquered Nation Support

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Operation Barbarossa

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Barbarossa
Click for Video
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Operation Barbarossa
Siege of Leningrad
September 1941 - January 1944

872 days
Civilian 1,000,000

Soviet Dead
Red Army 330,000
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Siege of Leningrad
Battle of Moscow
October 1941 - January 1942
Soviets
Germans
1,000,000 men, 1,700 tanks
1,250,000 men, 1,000 tanks
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Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Moscow
August 1942 - February 1943
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Battle of Stalingrad
August 1942 - February 1943
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Battle of Stalingrad
German Grand Strategy-Russia, N Africa Oil-12.05
Video (824)
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Battle of Stalingrad
August 1942 - February 1943
Fatal Distraction?
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German Grand Strategy
German Grand Strategy
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Battle of Kursk
July - August 1943
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Eastern Front
December 1944
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German-Soviet War
Until June 1944

Soviet Union bore main thrust of German army
Stalin pressed for Second Front
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Soviet Losses
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Soviet Losses
Significance
The Soviet war effort was so overwhelming that
impartial historians of the future are unlikely
to rate the British and American contribution to
the European theatre as much more than a sound
supporting role.
Norman Davies Europe at War, 1939-1945 Quoted by
Benjamin Schwarz Stalin's Gift The Atlantic,
May 2007
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Lesson 14 WW II -- Unrestricted Submarine
Warfareand the Second Battle of the Atlantic
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Lesson Objectives
  Understand the magnitude and significance of
the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II.
  Understand the degree of British dependence
on maritime lines of communication.   Describe
U.S. participation in the Battle of the Atlantic
prior to December 1941.   Describe and analyze
the tactics and technology used by both sides in
the Battle of the Atlantic.   Understand the
importance of code breaking in the Atlantic war.

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End