The eastern front of WWII

The second great world war

What Russians call ww2. The war was won and lost on the eastern front. It brought the soviets together against the nazis

Eastern front of WWII

Racism and Optimism. Optimistic for a good reason, after Finland Hitler looks at the USSR as a country of buffoons.

Operation Barbarossa

Soviet military told Stalin of the coming invasion in January 1941. This was hitlers greatest mistake along with not knowing when to retreat and having a racist mindset. Begins June 22 1941. In the first week 150,000 soviets were dead or wounded and the Germans advance 200 miles. It was predicted that the soviets would fall after 6 weeks. They would kill soviet commissioners and leave their bodies hanging for days as examples.

Georgy Zhukov

A Soviet general who played a crucial role in defeating Nazi Germany during World War II, particularly noted for his leadership in the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Berlin. Stalin tried to sue for peace in 1941 but Hitler denied it. He also called for a pre-emptive strike against Hitlers 2 million soldiers on Russias border.

Nazi POW camps

Enemies of Germany would go here and the conditions were so bad people had to resort to cannibalism because they were not given any food. Stalin son got caught and lied here. Most people attempted suicide.

Battle of Kiev

Soviet Soldiers sent to defend Kiev and had one riffle for every 5 men. They begged Stalin to retreat but Stalin says no because they can’t sacrifice their cities. Stalin tried t encircle the encirclement but those men get encircled too. Some men played dead and tried to stab the nazis when they came to check on them.

900 days: siege of Teningrad

1941-1944 over 3 million die from starvation and from battle. They were cut off from supplies and were forced to resort to eat dogs, cats, birds, and rats. 600 people were punished for cannibalism

October 1941

Nazi radio and newspaper report that the war in the east was all but won. Hitler is proclaimed a military genius.

December 1941

Nazis have gained more ground in less time than any other army in history

Dimitri Shostakovich

Creates the 17th symphony - dark and gloomy. He is from Leningrad. The sheet music was airlifted into Leningrad and anyone who was able could come listen to the symphony. The people who went dead from starvation played and left seats open for those who died. It was broadcasted on the radio.

Germany close to winning

The Germans were close to Moscow the civilians in the Soviet Union and Stalin were close to giving up. Then he discovers ow to fight, everyone is forced to fight or be killed. 8,000 civilians killed by their own soldiers as they tried to flee Moscow.

Winter 1942

Germans were close to entering a Russian winter. HEINZ GUDERIAN asks Hitler to re-group before attacking Moscow but Hitler refuses. Is one of many decisions that makes them loose the war.

Ukraine\Alfed Rosenberg

Ukraine welcomes the Nazis but because Hitler is racist and tries to kill them he scared them off. ALFRED ROSENBERG wanted to work with the Ukrainians but KOCH yelled at him and reported him to Hitler so hires fires him. The Ukrainians were starved by the Germans and had to eat bark from and tree and their dogs and cats.

SS death squad

A Nazi group known as Einsatzgruppen, responsible for mass killings of Jews and political opponents. 4 million dead. Some people would dig their own graves. Koch was blamed for this.

Partisans

Soviets and other eastern Europeans that fled into the woos and mountains in 1941 and conducted small scale guerilla attacks on the Nazis. They would be tortured if found by the Nazis. They also mined the roads so the nazis would capture children and force them to walk in the front of them to find landmines.

Russian propaganda

Celebrated the partisans as war heroes when in reality they were more like thugs

Stalingrad

August 1942-February 1943. 2 million dead. The soviets tried to flood the Germans with people to win and cross the river successfully. They made it across and it turned into street fighting. There were many snipers in this battle. Nazis ran out of supplies but still refused to retreat. Paulus (a field Marshall) surrendered against Hitlers orders. This was a turning point in the war. From here on out Germany will shrink, fall back, and suffer.

Soviet Penal Battalions

Prisoners that were released by the soviets to fight for their country. They were given fake guns so that they were fired upon, exposing the placement of the enemy. Reconnaissance through combat.

The road of life

A frozen lake that the Soviet’s passed supplies through. It is how the soviets won the siege

Firebombing of Dresden

A railroad down that got bombed. 24,000-40,000 people die. The fires took out the oxygen and created windstorms that sucked people who were running back into the fire. Allies targeting Germany.