barbarossa, the nazi crusade. why russia? integral part of nazi ideology – mein kampf: “war of...

BARBAROSSA,BARBAROSSA,thetheNazi CrusadeNazi Crusade

Why Russia?

• Integral part of Nazi ideology– Mein Kampf: “war of annihilation”– ‘lebensraum’– Communism-v-Fascism– a ’holy war’ against the ‘Bolshevik Hordes’– seen as an inevitable clash– ripe for the picking: “We have only to

kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down…”

• Practical reasons not as important– resources– labour– Red Army still re-organising after

purges of the early/mid 30s

The Plan• Russia- since Jan 1941, Stalin had received warnings about a German invasion but chose to ignore them.- still believed in the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939.

• Germany- invasion plans delayed by about

5 weeks by the Balkan invasion.- triple axis of advance- aim was to use Blitzkrieg tactics

again.- had built up armed forces on the

border with Russia steadily sinceMarch 1941.

- had covertly supported the Finnsafter the Russo-Finnish War of1939-40.

- new allies: Hungary, Rumania,Bulgaria & Finland.

Initial Success• Once again, Blitzkreig worked…- Russians were completely surprised although orders were given to

increase readiness.- Russian command & control systems thrown into chaos.- initial German objectives achieved.- Churchill: “Any state which fights Nazism will have our aid.”

• Directive No 33 (July 19)…- Hitler had become more involved in the running of the campaign, leading to some confusion as to the Wehrmacht’s goals.- Army Group Centre had easily (relatively) advanced 2/3 of the distance to Moscow but was ordered to destroy Soviet ‘pocket’ (trapped units) around Smolensk and transfer its panzer divisions to Army Groups North & South. - Russian resistance in the north & south was stronger and Axis troops were tired

(they had fewer panzers in proportion).

• By Sept 4…- Leningrad was under siege (AG North).- much of the Ukraine & Crimea was threatened (AG South).- Axis had taken 1 million + POWs, thousands of artillery pieces & AFVs.

• On Sept 5…- Hitler makes Moscow the primary target again.

• On Sept 19…- Kiev falls to the Germans (600,000 POWs, 2500 tanks, 1000 guns captured).

• On Sept 27…- the ‘rasputitza’

begins: autumn rain turns the roads

to mud.- within a month the

advance has stalled.

• On Nov 7…- the ground begins to

freeze & the advance can speed up again..

Initial Success

The Survival of Moscow: Dec 1941• Operation Typhoon – the attack on Moscow

• Success of blitzkrieg– staggering Soviet losses– ‘unstoppable’ Wehrmacht

• Sept: Kiev & the Ukraine– impressive victory, but…

• Dec: Moscow, so close, but…– climate– logistics & communication– Stalin & Soviet morale– Zhukov’s tactics– effect on German morale

Significance of theSurvival of Moscow (1)

• Russell Stolfi’s argument:– Hitler so close in 1941– Britain no real threat– result: German control of Europe

• Rodric Braithwaite’s argument:– chaos of Moscow– impact of Moscow’s fall/survival

• Significance of Moscow:– communications hub– industrial centre– issue of morale– military & political collapse

Significance of theSurvival of Moscow (2)

• Moscow’s survival meant the Soviet Union’s survival

– economically, politically & psychologically

• Strategic significance– meaningful two-front war– economics an issue– the USA

• Why not Stalingrad?– symptom not cause of Nazi failure

Why not Stalingrad?• July 1942…– AG South attacks in two directions: Caucasian oilfields & Stalingrad.

• Aug - Nov 1942…– von Paulus 6th Army attacks Stalingrad– fierce street fighting– Nov 19: Russian counter-offensive shatters Axis Minor Ally troops, traps 330,000 Axis troops in Stalingrad Pocket.

• Feb 1943…– final German surrender: 250,000 POWs.

• Hitler could have saved the situation by allowing a withdrawal.

• Germans still able to attack - eg. Kursk.

• Significant defeat yes, anything more is debatable.

The Battle of Kursk: July 1943

• Operation Citadel– Hitler’s view of Kursk– Stalin’s view of Kursk

• The battle:– greatest tank battle in history– Hitler ‘tantalisingly close’?– had to partially disengage to reinforce Sicily

• By Nov ‘43…– Germans had lost Kharkov, Smolensk, Kiev, etc

Significance of the outcome of the Battle of Kursk (1)

• Paul Carrell’s argument:– in ’43, Nazi victory still a possibility– victory by the Germans would allow them to regain the strategic initiative

• General view of Kursk:– decisive defeat for Germany– strategic initiative passed to Red Army– inexorable process of weakening of the Wehrmacht

Significance of the outcome of the Battle of Kursk (2)• Richard Overy’s argument:

– impact of German losses– balance of armoured vehicles now completely in favour of the Red Army– initiative passed to Red Army

• Teheran Conference in Nov ‘43:– dominated by the ‘Big Three’– discussed setting up post-war Europe– gave Stalin leverage

After KurskAfter Kursk• Aug 1943 - Jan 1944…

– Russian autumn & winter offensives relieve Leningrad, liberate the Ukraine & isolate the Crimea.

• March - May 1944…– Spring Offensive drives Germans back into

Baltic States & Poland.

• June - Aug 1944…– Summer Offensive advances to Warsaw &

captures Rumanian oilfields (Germany’s only major supply!).

• Sept - Dec 1944…– Autumn Offensive concentrates on Germany’s

Balkan allies.

• Jan - April 1945…– as the Western Allies advance, so to do the

Russians.– Eastern Germany, Baltic States, Czech., etc

Trivia Trivia Time!Time!CASUALTIES…

Soviet: 10,651,000 military + 14,500,000 civilians + 5,000,000 Jews in Holocaust (?)Axis: 5,178,000 military + unknown civilians

Pz III – 5774 Pz IV – 8870 Pz V – 6000 Pz VI - 1355

T34/76 & T34/85 – 28952 KV1 - 6500

Axis defeat: isn’t it obvious?

Axis defeat has an air of inevitability

about it

Allies had:more men,

more weapons, more everything

Superior Allied

economic strength

Germany had ‘bitten off more

than it could chew’

Axis Defeat

Soviet Union’s superhuman efforts

• Fight for survival

• Single-mindedness of the Soviet state & people

• Economic relocation

• Rationalisation

• Soviet morale

• Some amazing production stats

• Lend-lease

+ sheer size of Russia!

Reasons for Allied Victory

Reasonsfor

AlliedVictory

USA’s‘economicmiracle’ Soviet Union’s

superhumanefforts

Situationinside

Nazi Germany

Allied controlof theseas

Alliedleadership

Alliedair

supremacy

Allied victoryin the

‘war of morale’