The Soviet-German War

1
The Soviet-German War

• 1941 1945
• By Krieger

2
"Business Partners"

• 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

3
Misplaced Trust?

• 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

4
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

5

• 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

Initial Success
6
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
  Luftwaffes reach
• Fighting in areas such as Smolensk and Sevastopol
  slow German advance even more

7
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

8
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

9
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

10
War of the Rats

• 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

11
War of the Rats cont.

• 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

12
Citadel

• 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

13
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

14
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

15
Operation Bagration

• 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

16
Beginning of the End

• 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

17
Der Untergang

• April 20, 1945 (Hitlers birthday) Soviets
  begin shelling center of Berlin
• Dont 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

18
Endgame

• 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

19
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. Stalins Folly. Hougthton
  Mifflin Company New York, NY 2005.
• Website
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Front_28Worl
  d_War_II29
• http//www.aeronautics.ru/archive/wwii/photos/gall
  ery_002/page_01.htm