Dream of Lebensraum Lebensraum-Living Space Must clear out E. Europe for German settlement –Remove Jews –Enslave the Slavs Slavs-Untermenschen- “Sub-human” GB-Not a threat- –U-boats still successful in the Atlantic Himmler tried to convince Hitler not to invade

Operation Barbarossa Hitler never impressed with Soviet Army Must win btwn May & October 1941 –Used 183 divisions –Didn’t want to fight in Winter –Why Not? Soviets still have formidable force: Remember their vastness –170 infantry divisions (only 54% of their strength) –46 armored divisions –20,000 Tanks-superior to the Germans-KV &T34 –Weakness-Airforce Soviet Problem-Stalin’s purges-eliminated a lot of Soviet generals

Army Group North-27 infantry divisions-Drive thru Baltic States & take Leningrad Army Group Center-42 infantry divisions-take Moscow Army Group South-38 infantry divisions-take Ukraine and Caucasus oil fields Making way for German settlements Eisatzgrubben- followed killing Jews-many methods German 3-prong attack- Took Soviets by surprise The German Bliztkrieg in the USSR

1941 Summer German Successes: Army Group North- Surrounded Leningrad- Placed in a seige-over 900 days Army Group Center- Drove within 18 miles of Moscow-bogged down in rain Army Group South- Drove through Ukraine- made way to oil fields- Why important? Hitler wanted Stalingrad- Why?

Hitler’s Greatest Blunder Soviets used a scorched earth policy –Burned anything –Took all that could be moved –Where have we seen this before? General Winter –Nov Winter freezes the wet soil –German troops without winter supplies –Soviets launch counter- attack & retake ground

German Advances on Stalingrad, 1942 Hitler’s Second Great Blunder- Why does he want it?

Battle for Stalingrad- turning point of War Not strategically imp. Stalin’s City Hitler wanted it Germans took 90% of city Street to Street Fighting-Soviets lost 200,000 including civilians Vassili Zaitsev-Soviet sniper-raised morale of Soviets Soviets defeat German 6th Army

Hitler’s Europe at the end of 1942

1943 Soviet Counterattack Stalin had moved entire industrial force east behind Urals (VAST!) Producing more equipment –Tanks, Guns, Planes Battle at Kurszk- –Hitler needed a victory after Stalingrad –Largest tank battle ever –German Tiger & Panzer tanks vs. Soviet KV’s& T34’s Soviets Assembled: –1.3 million men; 3,600 tanks, 20,000 artillery pieces, & 2,400 aircraft Germans Assembled: –900,000 men, 2,700 tanks & 2,400 aircraft

Battle of Germans-pinch off the Soviet bulge –Soviets placed strong defenses on front –Wear down Germans Soviet counterattacked to surround the Germans –Close range fighting ensued –German tanks ineffective without machine gun protection Germans forever on the defensive –Had to divert troops to Sicily –Kept Germans away from oil fields Kurszk

Where are the Allies? By end of 1943 Soviet fighting Germans by themselves for 2 1/2 years Stalin demands opening of a second front Why? –Must fight/defend along an 1,800 mile front Late 1943 Allies land in Sicily & then Italy Not until June 6, 1944 do Allies invade France –By this time, Soviets are steadily pushing Germans back How do you think this affected Soviet/US relations?

1944 Soviet Advances After Battle of Kurszk –Soviets steadily moving west –Soviet Industrial capability now hitting full stride Soviets advance from one river to the next –Volga, Don, Dnieper, Dniester –Vistula (Poland), Elbe (Germany) Early 1944 liberated Ukraine & rescued Lenningrad Fall 1944: liberate Belarus, invaded Romania & Baltic States Took two years to go from Kurszk to Berlin Why do you think so? –What can the Germans do at each river?

1945 Soviet Strategy Take every inch of Soviet soil back from the Reich A lot like the Western Allies Plan Long & Protracted war –Cost the Soviets literally millions of lives –Soviets were ruthless towards the Germans- Why? Once in Poland-drive for Germany –How does geography affect the path of the Soviets? Stalin determined to be in Berlin by May 1, 1945 –Had to make a final push to Berlin –Why do you think Stalin wanted to get there first?

Battle of Seelow Heights Large Plateau outside of Berlin-35 miles away –Easy to defend –Needed to take before Berlin –Not since 1200’s had Berlin been attacked from East Was a battle of attrition- 1 st day Soviet Casualties: –75 tanks, 2,250 killed, 3,400 wounded, 12 fighter-bombers lost –Germans-2 tanks, 300 men, 10 planes In 3 days, only 2Km had been gained One week long –Killed: Red Army-30,000 Germans- 80,000 Soviets just had too many men & supplies By April 12 in the suburbs of Berlin

Battle of Berlin Soviets-1.3 million men to attack Soviets had a military advantage- Outnumbered Germans –Men 5 to 1 –Guns 15 to 1 –Tanks 5 to 1 –Planes 3 to 1 Intense Street to Street Fighting –Berlin reduced to rubble Soviets lost 600,000 men Hitler committed suicide April 30 in his bunker Stalin on Hitler’s death: –"So that's the end of the bastard. Too bad it was impossible to take him alive." City surrendered May, 2 May 8-Victory in Europe April 16, 1945