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WAR IN THE EASTERN FRONTGermany invades the Soviet Union
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German Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
• Signed in 1939• Beneficial to Germany as it meant no two-front war
• Beneficial to Soviet Union because it allowed more time to build up industry
• Both countries knew that it would eventually be broken
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Operation Barbarossa
• Code name given to the German invasion of the Soviet Union
• Began 6/22/1941• Largest invasion in the
history of warfare• Roughly 4 million Axis
(Germany and their allies) troops took part
• Hitler had expressed a desire to take over the Soviet Union in Mein Kampf
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Initial Success
• First day of combat the Russian Air Force loses an estimated 2,000 aircraft, Germany loses 35
• Air superiority was quickly achieved and maintained
• German Blitzkrieg tactics quickly outmaneuvered Russian counter-attacks
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Lightning War
• Blitzkrieg employed the use of Tanks, Planes, and fast moving Infantry, all of which supported one another
• Defenses were bypassed or shattered
• Infantry would form the second wave of attack, hitting the enemy in the front while the Tanks and Aircraft attacked from the rear and the sides
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Delay• Summer rains made roads
muddy and slowed the advance
• Germany command had underestimated the size of the Russian Army, and needed time to resupply
• Hitler went against the suggestions of his command, who wanted to take Moscow (the Russian capital)
• Hitler instead wanted to attack South and try and achieve victory through economic damage
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Autumn Warfare
• Germany continued to advance with success into September
• They had killed/captured over 3 million Russian troops
• Heavy rains and fog continued to be a problem for Tanks and Aircraft, only got worse as the year went on
• Germany army is able to get within 5 miles of Moscow, but cannot sustain the attack
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Battle of Stalingrad
• Fought 8/23/1942-2/2/1943• City was of importance as
it was Stalin’s namesake• Close quarters combat
prevented Germany from using blitzkrieg tactics
• Regarded as the bloodiest battle in the history of warfare
• Turning point in the war; Germany was always on the retreat after that point
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Battle of Stalingrad cont.
• Germany can’t keep up with massive numbers of Soviet troops, dwindling supplies, and winter warfare
• Hitler forbids German surrender, but starving, freezing, and low on ammunition the German army cannot continue
• German army in Stalingrad surrenders on 2/2/1943
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Russian T-34 Tank
• First saw battle in 1940• Credited as the most
effective, efficient, and influential tank design of World War II
• Fast, hard hitting, well protected, and rugged
• Most produced tank of the war
• Helped turn the tide against German Tanks