1941-1942

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The Reasons for and Extent of Soviet setbacks 1941-1942

In June 1941, the Germans launched a campaign (called Operation Barbarossa) against the USSR. In the immediate aftermath of this invasion, the Soviets were on the back foot.

The Nazi Soviet Pact

The Nazi-Soviet Pact was signed in 1939.
Stalin was adamant that Hitler would not invade the USSR whilst they were still fighting on the western front.

Did Stalin plan his own invasion?

Some historians argue that Stalin was already planning his own invasion of Germany.
He may have been taken by surprise and was not ready to deal with a German invasion.

On the back foot

Taken by surprise, the Red Army were almost destroyed by the Wehrmacht (German army) and their blitzkrieg tactics.
The German troops besieged Leningrad. Starvation led to the death of one million people.
By October 1941, around three million Red Army soldiers were POWs (prisoners of war).
- The Germans killed or captured 6,000,000 people by December 1941.

Order 270

Stalin issued Order 270 to try and prevent the Germans from advancing further.
- He ordered commanders and commissars not to leave the front.
- The families of those who did could be arrested.
- The families of soldiers who surrendered would be prevented from receiving entitlements and welfare.
- In the Battle of Moscow, 8,000 people were executed for cowardice.
Stalin installed ‘blocking detachments’. These stood behind the front line and would execute any deserters.

Reasons for the USSR's Survival in WW2

Although the Soviet Union were almost destroyed by the German offensive, it managed to survive. Largely, this was due to the USSR's industrial output.

War industry production

From 1941, the Soviet economy was mobilised for total war.
- Some argue that the ratio of Soviet to German munitions production between 1941 and 1944 was 5:3.
During Operation Bagration, the Soviet Union outstripped Germany with 10:1 in tanks.
Alongside the human cost, there was an enormous economic cost to war.
In 1942, 60% of national spending went to the military.

Relocating industry

In the first few weeks of the war with Germany, the Soviets lost a number of their most important industrial sites.
Stalin decided to physically move factories east of the Ural mountains to protect them.
- Factories and equipment were transported by rail.
- In 1941, 1525 factories went east.

New factories

The Soviets built 3,500 new factories.
Between 1942 and 1943, the Soviets produced aircraft and other arms much faster than the Germans could.
- The T-34 tank was a particularly crucial part of this effort.

Support from the Allies

The Soviet Union was also supported by the US Lend-Lease supplies.
- The Soviet Union received around $11 billion of military equipment from the Allies. This included trucks, armoured vehicles, aircrafts and food.

The Battle of Stalingrad, 1942

The turning point on the Eastern Front was the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942.

German attack

General Paulus was the commander of the German 6th Army.
August 1942: The 6th Army reached Stalingrad.
The Germans wanted to take the city so that they could supply their armies in the south of the country.

Change of Soviet tactics

The Red Army began to use different tactics. This was called the ‘fighting retreat’. This tactic placed a strain on the supply lines for the German army.

Soviet response

Stalin forbade any evacuation of Stalingrad.
Troops had to cross the river Volga to fight the Germans.
Historians argue that, on average, a private soldier in the Red Army would only live for 24 hours in the Battle of Stalingrad.
The Soviet Union launched Operation Uranus and began to close in on the German army.
By the end of the battle, one million Soviet troops had died.

German response

The Wehrmacht were surprised by the Soviet fighting. They had never faced this scale of resistance using their blitzkrieg tactics.
The Germans were not prepared for winter.
Eventually, the German troops were defeated.