Practices of WWII:How war changed between 1939-1945

OverviewAfter WWI, methodologies of war changed so

that states put every effort into war in order to crush their enemies.

This war blurred the line between soldier and civilian and nations aimed to annihilate entire populations of people. (war of attrition)

Modern weaponry combined with industrialization made casualties unseen heights.

The fascist and dictators of the time made war the prime objective of the state.

Overview continuedUnlike WWI, states fought until there was no

alternative. For Germany, this meant being encircled by enemy

armies, and the suicide of Adolf Hitler.Genocide was systematically initiated by the German

state to exterminate the Jewish population. The second world war improved on mobility Air warfare and fluid fronts were made possible by

tanks and improved aircrafts. Consequently this required strategic planning.

The three main phases of the Second World War1. Blitzkrieg and rapid advances (1939-42)2. Counter-attacks from 19423. Heavy and costly fighting in the later part of

the war

Blitzkrieg and Rapid Advances (1939-42)The start of the war saw rapid attacks which

were more successful than the 1st World War efforts. (Poland Norway, Denmark, Belgium and The Netherlands fell within weeks.)

Axis (German, Italian and Japanese forces) quickly conquered the Balkans. Britain was able to attack North Africa, and had variety of success and failures, Japan achieved quick results in series of attacks on US and European colonies.

This Period was known as the Blitzkrieg or “Lightening war.”

Counter Attacks from 1942At the end of 1942 the momentum began to reverse for

the Allied forces by various counter-attacks.Russia began the long drive to expel Germany by victory

at Stalingrad.British forces drove the Germans back at El Alamein in

North Africa.The Americans held the Solomon Islands after their

victory at the Battle of Midway. (4-7 June 1942, occurred when Japanese attempted to lead American forces into a trap at island of Midway; US planes operating from Aircraft carriers inflicted great damage on Japanese fleet. This was the turning point of the Pacific war.)

Counter Attacks ContinuedThe British turned the tide of German U

boats The allies stole the momentum and the Axis

powers had to fight defensively.

What did the Axis Powers underestimate?The Role of Britain: 300,000 soldiers survived Dunkirk

evacuation. Germany lost air dominance in the Battle of Britain, and Britain maintained its control of the English Channel and North Sea due to a lack of investment by the Germans.

Winston Churchill remained steadfast in refusal to negotiate with Hitler, and put pressure on American for assistance with the war effort.

Britain took an active role in attacking Italian forces in North Africa and enlisted it’s manpower from colonies (240,000,000) colonial subjects who could potentially fight.

Britain forced Germany to fight on 2 fronts throughout the war.

Germany underestimates the US of A!Britain depended on financial and material support

for war efforts. In Dec. 1949 President Roosevelt spoke of America

as the “Arsenal of Democracy.”Germany needed to cut the supply line between the

USA and UK therefore initiated U boat attacks. The attack on the USS Greer, provoked Roosevelt to initiate a “Shoot first” policy if confronted by Germans in the Atlantic.

Germany miscalculated American dedication to Isolationism. They forgot that attacks on boats make us go to war.

Germany miscalculates Eastern Europe!After the swift victories in Poland, Norway, Netherlands,

Belgium and France; Germany went on to repeat the pattern in Greece and Yugoslavia.

They even had the audacity to believe they could invade, and conquer Russia!

(Operation Barbarossa)-named after a medieval German Emperor during the crusades.

This was the largest land invasion in the history of warfare.

It was the culmination of the Germany’s war preparations since 1933. 4.5 million German troops attempted to march across 1800 miles of Russia. BAD IDEA!!!!

Operation BarbarossaInitially a great success as the Germans were superior

by: (4:1 aircrafts, 1.6:1 in Men, 1.8:1 artillery, 1.5:1 in tanks)

The plans were built around previous successes, and included three concentrations of force

1.)In the North (aimed at Leningrad)2.)In the center, aimed at Moscow3.) In the South, pushing towards Kiev and the black

sea.The ideas of concentrated force, rapid mechanized movement and strong air support was not possible in an invasion of Russia. Therefore The Germans were poorly led.

Operation Barbarossa continuedBetween June and December of 1941 4.5 million Russian soldiers had

been killed.Germany failed to unify disenfranchised Russians against the

Communist regime, which could have increased German Troops.Germany conquered Belarus and the Ukraine and they suffered

tremendous violence at the hands of the Germans. (90 million Russians were under German Rule)

Russian troops were able to stabilize a front line by the end of October unlike the French or Polish. Therefore German Troops were stopped outside Moscow and Leningrad.

Germans blame bad weather on the stopping the advance, but equally important was their ability to counter attack. At the end of the war Russia lost a total of 25,000,000 people (more than any other nation)

Stalin’s dictatorship and iron hand policies provided for a regime as determined to fight as the Nazis

Japanese Failures in the PacificJapan also miscalculated, Pearl Harbor failed

to destroy the aircraft carriers and the American Naval fleet.

America’s industrial capabilities to reproduce war supplies and their determination to avenge the “Day of Infamy” was underestimated by the Japanese.

The loss of the Battle of Midway prevented Japan for securing its hoped for defensive ring and destroyed vital Japanese carriers.

Underestimated the cost!Germany underestimated the cost of the war. At first Germany was optimistic because of

quick victories as well as their ability to loot war materials from conquered territories. However, once bombing campaigns began and counter attacks started in 1942, the cost was impossible to sustain.

Inadequate Preparation by ItalyEnough said!

What changed the momentum?Japan was defeated at the battle of Midway,

which stopped further advances.Germans were defeated at the battle at El

Alamein in North Africa, which led to their withdrawal from Africa.

In Russia, the Germans were held at the battle of Stalingrad, which led to a major defeat in February 1943.