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33 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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How quickly did Hitler's armies defeat Europe using Blitzkrieg?
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Denmark and Norway defeated in two months
France defeated in six weeks. Greece defeated in three weeks. Belgium defeated in 17 days. Yugoslavia defeated in 11 days. Holland defeated in 5 days. |
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What was the significance of Blitzkrieg?
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Essence was surprise, speed and movement. Napoleonic warfare enhanced by modern technology.
Surprise attack used to destroy headquarters, communications and air force on the ground by air strike or artillery. |
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Why did Germany adopt Blitzkrieg?
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Blitzkrieg appealed to Hitler's gambler instincts.
Blitzkrieg cheap option of resources and casualties for Hitler. Blitzkrieg offered short decisive victories before Germany's enemies could mobilize their economies for war. |
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What was the strategy of Blitzkrieg?
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German tanks and armored cars were concentrated in mass in advance shock units at the weakest point.
The slower ground infantry would consolidate and hold the ground. Nazi forces owed their breakthrough to surprise and superior organisation and morale. |
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How was the German army composed?
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The elite Panzer tank divisions made 10% of the army.
Germany had air superiority of 3:2 in 1940. The German Panzer sprinted 250 miles to Ardennes forest to cut Allied forces in two. |
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How many soldiers did Hitler commit to Operation Barbarossa?
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4 million men.
"We'll kick the door in and the whole rotten building will fall down" - Hitler |
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Why did Blitzkrieg fail in the East?
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Russia was able to trade space for time, owing to manpower and resources.
Operation lasted more than 3 months, temperatures reached -40 degrees. Germany did not have air-superiority. Minefields, anti-tank guns and artillery became more effective. Russian counter-attacks trapped 200,000 Germans at Stalingrad. |
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What battle in North Africa showed the dominance of mobile artillery?
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1942, British in North Africa at the third battle of El Alamein.
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What was the Richard Overy quote on the state of the German army on the East?
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"the losses sustained in combat and from wear saw the modern army crumble away"
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How did the Allies use Blitzkrieg?
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The Allied air forces enjoyed a superiority of 70:1.
Communications, railways and defensive positions were bombed. Paratroops were landed hours before D-Day. Within five days over 300,000 Allied troops were on French soil. |
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How did Hitler prove to be a bad leader?
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1941, Hitler's badly prepared and timed invasion of Russia and war on the USA.
Hitler did not change blitzkrieg to attrition. Let Von Paulus' 200,000 6th army die in Stalingrad. "survivors and the annihilated". A.W. Purdue "As a commander in a defensive war, he was a disaster". Demonstrated the fighting ability of the German armed forces, given the handicap in leadership. |
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What was Churchill's impact as a leader?
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1915, responsible for the failed Gallipoli campaign.
1940, promoted the badly organised Norwegian invasion. 1941-2 saw setbacks for his plans in Greece, Crete and Singapore. Churchill's contribution was in terms of morale and maintaining the Grand Alliance. |
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What was Roosevelt's impact as a leader?
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Roosevelt provided inspiration and leadership through a spirit of conciliation.
Maintained the Grand Alliance. |
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What was Stalin's impact as a leader?
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Had centralized political and military power on himself.
Purged 2/3 of the country's leadership in 1937-38. Chose General Zhukov to lead the Red Army. Greatest commander of the Second World War. Stalin lessened control, listened to his generals and increased the effectiveness of the armed forces as a result. |
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What was the impact of the Allies' strategic bombing?
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1 in 3 bombers reached five miles of the target.
Germany was defended by 50,000 anti-aircraft guns and fighter pilots. |
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How did the Allies improve their strategic bombing campaign?
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Use of disposable fuel tanks increased range of fighter escorts from 500 to 2,000 miles.
Germany lost half of fighter force each month 1944-5 Allied bombing offensive destroyed 40% of industry and 90% of oil supplies and 9,000 aircraft. Germany had 2 million men manning anti-aircraft guns. |
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What was Soviet Russia's air superiority ratio by 1944?
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26:1
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What was the Western Allies air superiority?
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70:1
John Buckley - "In many ways air war was the epitome of total war." |
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What was the state of the German economy?
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1936-39, 2/3 of German investment went into war projects.
Axis controlled only 3% of oil. German agencies inefficient. 425 different aircraft, 151 different lorries and 150 different motor-cycles produced. Lost advantage of mass production. |
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How did Germany solve its economic inefficiency?
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1942, Albert Speer appointed Minister of Armaments.
Weapons production trebled. Output per worked doubled. 1944, 9.3 million or 30% of workers were foreign. But racist policies of Nazis meant foreign workers became less productive. |
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What was the state of Russia's economy?
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End of 1941, USSR lost half of farmland, 3/4 of iron, coal and steel.
1/3 electricity and rail network. 1942, produced many more high quality tanks, guns and aircraft than Germans. 2,600 factories removed and placed east beyond German reach. "It was as if the world was tilted up. Everything human and mechanical was moved East." |
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What was the state of Russia's economy? (2)
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2,300 new factories created.
2/3 female population conscripted for war work. Output increased three-fold. Labour camps provided food to those who worked. Stalin - "A single war camp" |
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How did Western aid help Soviet Russia's economy?
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Provided half of Soviet explosives and aircraft fuel.
500,000 US vehicles and 1,900 American trains, Soviet only 92. Britain and US supply 35,000 radio stations and 625,000 field telephones. |
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What was the state of the United States' economy?
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Roosevelt - US would be "arsenal of democracy"
General Motors produced 10% of American war production. Ford company produced more military equipment during war than Italy. US economy produced 2/3 of all Allied equipment. 1942, US out-produced all of Axis powers combined. |
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What was the state of the British economy?
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Mines, shipping and railways under state control.
Rationing introduced Male and female labour mobilized. 1942, Britain outproduced Germany. 1943, Britain reached its economic limit. |
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What was the significance of Science and Technology at War?
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Sonar
Radar U-boats Flying Fortress V1 and V2 rocket Atomic bomb |
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How much aircraft could the German rocket programme have produced?
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24,000 aircraft
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What percentage of Americans were in favour of isolationism in 1939?
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99%
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What was the significance of propaganda during World War 2?
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Sir John Reith - "News is the shocktroops of propaganda"
BBC believed in reputation for reliability. Used to encourage and organize resistance. British and American propaganda portrayed Japanese as apes. |
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How many Germans were held in concentration camps to quash opposition?
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1942, 100,000 Germans
1945, 500,000 Germans |
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How was propaganda used by the various factions?
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Germany - Last ditch defense of civilized Europe from Communism.
Russia - "Great Patriotic War" for "Mother Russia" |
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What were the civilian casualties during World War 2?
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Russia - 12 million civilians.
Germany and Japan - 400,000 each France - 350,000 civilians. Britain - 60,000 in bombing raids Auschwitz-Birkenau - 10,000 a day from poison gas. |
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What were the casualties in World War 2?
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55 million deaths - five times First World War
Soviet Union - 20 million dead. 7 million servicemen. 2 million POWs. Chinese - 10 million Poland - 6 million deaths (3 million Jews) out of 30. Germany - 4 million deaths Japan - 2.4 million. Yugoslavia - 1.5 million Britain - 450,000 and 120,000 in Empire Italy - 400,000 US - 300,000 France - 250,000. |
