barbarossa to ve day

The German invasion The German invasion of the Soviet Unionof the Soviet Union

Hitler’s Big Mistake

June 1941Operation Barbarossa

Over 3 MILLION German soldiers(more than 130 Divisions) and over 3,000 tanks blitz into the Soviet Union

Germans Blitzkrieg the Soviet front line forcesSoviets cut off

–Hundreds of thousands surrender

Germans advance on Leningrad, Moscow and the Southern Caucasus Region

“The Cauldron Battles:

  665,000 Red Army

soldiers surrender on 25 August at

Kiev

The Opening Phases Stalin was so surprised he was paralyzed by fear.

Cant make a decision Stalin finally announces a scorched earth policy

– If it can be moved east - move it. If it can’t – burn it.• Just like Russians did against Napoleon

– Soviets move entire factories to the east to keep them from getting captured

• Then reassemble them and start churning out equipment even before the walls are in place or the roof is on

A Brutal War

Soviets never signed Geneva Convention– Germans often shot Soviet prisoners– In return, Soviets shoot German prisoners

Civilians targeted– Massacres on both sides

Enemy At The Gates

Germans reach the outskirts of Moscow. Leningrad is surrounded and under siege

Stalin brings in Marshal Zhukov from Siberia– One of the few generals to

survive the Great Purge

Citizens of Moscow prepare to defend the city

Will the Germans capture Moscow?

Then the first snows of winter begin to fall

Germans still have summer uniforms!

Soviets are nice and warm in their winter uniforms

Germans can not take Moscow. Barely hold on during the winter

But they will try again in the spring

Meanwhile: In the Pacific

Japan taking over much of China– Many atrocities

• “Rape of Nanking”

US cuts off exports to Japan– Oil, scrap metal.

Japan looks to Southeast Asia to get the resources it needs– But first it must make sure the US navy can not

intervene to stop them.

Tojo – if you don’t

stop killing Chinese, we will cut off

your oil

Do not threaten

us! That’s it, no oil for

youThen we will have to take it

from somewhere else

Dec 7th, 1941US Fleet at Pearl Harbor Hawaii bombedBy Japanese

US Enters the War

Dec 8th 1941, US declares war on Japan

Dec 9th 1941 – Germany declares war on US

The Limits of Japanese Expansion (Spring 1942)

1942 – The Year the War Changed

US is now in the war Germans stopped at Stalingrad by Soviets Germans stopped at El Alamein in North

Africa by British Americans land in North Africa to help

Brits Japanese stopped by the US at the Battle of

Midway in the Pacific

1942 Germans finally halted at Stalingrad

Tried for 4 months to take city

House to house, even room to room fighting

January of 1943 Russians counterattack.

330,000 German troops killed

or captured

Africa and Italy Continued

1942 – 1943 US and British seize Sicily and then invade Italy– Italy surrenders in 1943. – Mussolini overthrown and executed by Italian

mob– Germans continue to occupy and fight in Italy

1943 - Allies invade Italy

Mussolini arrested by King of ItalyGermans occupy Italy and continue to fight

The Return to FranceThe Return to France

Build up to D-Day

The Normandy Invasion“Operation Overlord”

D-Day, June 6th, 1944.– US, British, Canadian and Free French forces

land in Normandy (Northwest coast of France)– Allied Troops under command of Gen. Dwight

D Eisenhower.

OOOPS!!

August 1944 – The BreakoutAllies fight hard in Normandy during summer.

Then break out and race across France.http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/

launch_ani_overlord_campaign.shtml

Germany seems about to surrender

September 1944

Allies outrun their supply capabilityRun out of gas

“A Bridge Too Far”

Germans regroup. Plan for counteroffensive in the winter

December 1944

Battle of the Bulge– German Counteroffensive– Attack through Ardennes Forrest.

• Same as in 1940

– Germany’s Last Great Roll of the Dice Initially very successful, then allies counterattack

and defeat the Germans.– 101st Airborne holds Bastogne

Germany has lost its last shot at the war.

May 1945 – Hitler kills himself