The Western Front Of The European Theater

The Battle of Stalingrad in 1942 was one of the major turning points in World War Two. It was a major turning point for a number of reasons, the first being that Germany lost considerable amounts of manpower and equipment in this battle; losses from which they never recovered. In addition, the Battle of Stalingrad had a sizeable effect on the German’s and the Allies moral that ultimately led to Nazi Germany’s downfall. Moreover, the Battle of Stalingrad stopped the German advance into Russia, denying them access to the Caucasus oil wells, exacerbating Germany’s fuel crisis and crippling the German army. Finally, the Battle

“While the German army had success the first day, it was Hitler’s desire to occupy the entire city that cost him the battle” (Background). Despite being in a favorable position early on, Hitler decide to continue to push on and quickly take over the city of Stalingrad. Logically, Hitler would have been content with the position he had, and held it for some time. Despite throwing large amounts of men into the fighting the Germans only made small amounts of progress, losing absurd amounts of men and supplies to take over a single building. Once Hitler had started this push, however, he could not pull out of it. It would be a defeat in his eyes, and avoiding defeat was more important to him than the lives of his men. “Fresh divisions were thrown in and were soon ground to pieces in the inferno (a fiery hell). To Hitler [Stalingrad’s] capture was now a question of personal prestige” (Document 1). After a certain point, a victory under his name became won important to Hitler than the territory won in the battle. Especially due to the city's importance to Stalin himself, it was more of a personal battle for Hitler than a battle between nations. The Battle of Stalingrad became a test of Hitler’s prestige and what he was willing to do to protect it. The answer to that question would turn out to be too much, as the Soviets would be on the front foot for the

There were two main causes of tension between Russia and the West from 1941 and 1945. One cause, according to historians was the disagreements over a Second Front being opened. Tensions arose due to the West’s perceived delay in opening a front, the front being used as a political tool by Stalin and the perceived lack of supplies and materials being sent to the soviets as aid. A more significant cause of tension, however, is believed by some to be Stalin’s attempts to create a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe and his actions in Poland.

Assess the view that the disagreements about the Second Front were the most significant cause of tension between Russia and the West between 1941-5?

Other than causing the liberation of France and the establishment of a new battlefront, the invasion also relieved the Soviet Union’s pressure. Before the Invasion, Germany had over two million troops fighting against the Red Army in the Eastern Front, and many of Soviet’s cities were captured. The Russians fought desperately to protect their cities. However, after the invasion, with the launch of a new major battlefront in the West, Hitler had to transport many of his forces to the West in order to defend his own country. Without as many troops to fight against, the Soviet army was able to push through Czechoslovakia, Poland and eventually penetrate into Germany; the Soviet Union’s progress greatly sped up the endof the war. (Naval History and Heritage- D-Day, the Normandy Invasion, 6 - 25 June 1944)

Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Germany’s leader who started the World War II, had a great plan to conquer every single corner of the world with his powerful army. He actually won a bunch of battles; however several mistakes he made finally led him to the loss. In my opinion, Hitler made his fatal blunder on the Operation Barbarossa, which was the invasion operation on the Soviet Union. The Blitz was a tough loss for Germany in which they focused on killing the civilians but only motivated their enemies; however it didn’t reflect the final failure directly. The war declaration on the U.S. was another mistake, which boosted their lost. The Operation Barbarossa was his fatal mistake, and finally led him to his death.

warfare, splitting up the German defenses. Stalin realized from years of experience that a unified

The lands that Hitler aspired for Lebensraum were also rich in resources. Hitler envisioned his people to have living space in the east and within that area there were many resources that Hitler wanted. Hitler could use these resources for his German War Machine and for the home front. Germany had, “Limited access to basic raw materials.” At the time that Hitler and his German military attacked in 1941, they were already preoccupied with Great Britain and what was left of its allies. Germany needed to be economically self-sufficient to win a war; otherwise they would be greatly vulnerable. “Hitler was heavily influenced by the collapse of the German home front in 1918, which resulted in large measure from the British Naval blockade and the consequent food shortages.” Russia was “rich in natural resources” . Before Germany attacked Russia, Russia had supplied Germany with the natural resources that it needed. Russia demanded armaments in payment for the natural resources and that is something that many top German officials strongly did not want. Germany did not want these weapons used against them once a war broke out. The natural resources that

Stalin authorized the covert operation but did not interfere with the details. Part of the reason for its success was due to this unified command. Stalin, in contrast to Hitler during this period, listened to reasoned arguments. He surrounded himself with a small group of competent advisors, listened to the advice of field commanders and usually accepted it. The Red Army strategically out maneuvered and virtually annihilated the Axis force during the operation but they were also helped by excessive German ambitions and in cohesive military strategies.

From the time of ‘Mein Kampf’ Hitler had outwardly expressed his desire to move toward Russia in his quest for ‘Lebensraum,’ however in 1939, it was beneficial for him

In June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, opening the largest and bloodiest theater of war in history. Soviet war casualties accounted for the highest proportion of the conflict in the effort of acquiring the upper hand over Axis forces at intense battles such as Stalingrad and Kursk. The territories overtaken by the Red Army became satellite states of the USSR; the postwar division of Europe into capitalist and communist halves would lead to increased tensions with the West, led by the United States.

Joseph Stalin’s decisions and actions during World War 2 proved that he was an unethical leader who fell into numerous ethical traps and lead through fear and positional power rather than inspiration, motivation, flexibility and integrity. Although there are numerous examples of Stalin’s behavior that could be referenced, three specific events have been selected to highlight his unethical leadership style. The first of these events was Stalin’s failure to mobilize the Red Army prior to the German invasion in the spring of 1941. Prior to 1941, Stalin had allied his nation with Germany in the hopes of gaining crucial territories through mutual treaties. According to McNeal (1988), Stalin continued to build up his military at a staggering pace. In 1941, the Soviet military reached its pinnacle of 4.2 million personnel and more tanks than the rest of the world combined! Unfortunately, Stalin failed to listen to his advisors as they warned him of

Whenever there was massive casualties in the east, large swaths of personnel would be shipped in from the western front. As a result, the western front line would become soft and easier to defeat. Germany, quite simply, did not have the man power to do two theaters at once. Moreover, fighting a two-front war made it easier for the Allies on both fronts to push the Germans back into their land. Essentially, fighting two wars allowed the Allies to encircle the German forces as they pushed the Germans farther and farther into their original territory. If Hitler would have stuck to his plan of ‘one war at a time’ then maybe a successful campaign in the Soviet Union would have been possible. However, it is universally accepted that starting up a front in the east led to Hitler and the Nazi’s

Germany was not able to claim victory during World War II due to poor military guidance. Hitler’s military tactics led

The Russo-Finnish War, or Winter War, began on 30 November 1939 when the Soviet Union invaded Finland. The objectives of the Red Army were simply, conquer and subjugate all of Finland and re-establish the borders that existed prior to the First World War. The Soviet Union held the advantage in manpower, equipment, and resources, but the Finnish Army inflicted casualties on the Red Army that far exceeded their own. Not a single Red Army unit reached its initial objectives and Stalin was forced to come to the negotiation table and make a peace that left Finland as a sovereign state. The Finnish military was successful because the Red Army lacked competent leadership, didn’t have the proper equipment to fight in subzero temperatures, and the Finnish Army was able to adapt to a changing environment and use their smaller numbers to their advantage. The gaping holes in Soviet military capabilities helped fuel Hitler’s willingness to initiate Operation Barbarossa. Additionally, by invading Finland the Soviet Union turned a disinterested and essentially neutral into an enemy that had the capabilities to strike into the heart of Russia.