The Battles between the Soviet Union and Germany - Essay Example

? The Battle of Dunkirk (or Dunkerque) began on the evening of May 9/10 of 1940. Although for several months prior, there was a phony war between Germany and Great Britain, this was the real beginning. Under the direction of General Gerd von Runstedt, the German forces attacked Britain. French troops came to the aid of the British Expeditionary Force, but were unable to help them enough to prevent their utter failure. Later, on May 14, German Panzers began ripping through the Ardennes towards the English Channel. The BEF, French and other forces could not stop this advancing of German forces. Six days later, on May 20, the German forces reached the coast, ultimately cutting off the BEF along with a huge number of Allied troops. Knowing this, the Germans headed north to capture the Channel’s ports before the Allies could effectively evacuate. On May 24, Hitler strongly urged General von Rundstedt to continue on with the attack. Von Rundstedt held his army west and south of Dunkirk, using his infantry group to finish the BEF. This attack was assisted by intense support from the Luftwaffe, and the next day, General Lord Gort, the commander of the BEF decided to evacuate his troops from northern France. Given the designation ‘Operation Dynamo’, this evacuation began in the perimeter around the port at Dunkirk. Agreed upon by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Vice President Admiral Bertram Ramsay, they planned the evacuation effort. With strong urging from Ramsay, Operation Dynamo was to be implemented by a fleet of naval destroyers, merchant ships and some 700 other ships, which consisted of yachts, lifeboats, fishing vessels, anything that floated on water. Admiral Ramsay asked the public sector to help out in this rescue, and he was not disappointed. In many cases, civilians risked life and limb to cross the Channel and rescue troops. The original idea was for 45,000 men to be rescued in a two day span, because they already anticipated German advances would end the rescue operation. They abandoned nearly all of their heavy artillery, but over the course of those first two days over 25,000 men were rescued. The Royal Air Force did their best to keep the German’s Luftwaffe away from the Channel, which definitely helped. Operation Dynamo rescued over 332,000 men from Dunkirk, even in spite of a Luftwaffe attack during the evacuation process. Although the media played this out to be a “miracle of deliverance”, as Churchill referred to it, it is important to note that there were over 400 Luftwaffe pilots dropping bombs at Dunkirk and causing heavy casualties. Although 332,000 men were saved, thousands lost their lives at the Battle of Dunkirk. In the Battle of Dunkirk, the hypothesis given can and does ring true in some instances. It is true that the Germans used new technology, in the form of their Panzers and the Luftwaffe, to gain control at Dunkirk. However, the Germans also used the aspect of attrition to their advantage, because they knew that they outnumbered the British troops, as well as were able to take full advantage of the lackadaisical feeling that had overcome the British troops over the months of phony war. Continuing in the theater of the given hypothesis, improved old technologies did become decisive for the British and French troops. The old technology was simple: call upon your fellow man, and he will answer your call. If it weren’t for Ramsay making that call to the British people to help in the rescue effort, chances are very good that they would not have rescued the numbers of men that they did. Using fishing boats and yachts for rescue, although that is not what they were built for, they answered the call anyway. The Battle of Dunkirk would likely not have been called a “miracle”, as many more men would have died. Another viable circumstance is that Hitler ordered his Panzers to stop, and leave Dunkirk to the Luftwaffe. This may have been a mistake on Hitler’s part, but it is a mistake the ended up saving thousands of lives. So, although it is slight, the hypothesis given for the Battle of Dunkirk can be proven. The Battle of France is similar to the Battle of Dunkirk, as it took place on May 10, 1940. This ended the phony war, as Fall Gelb pushed through the Ardennes in order to cut off and ultimately surround the Allied forces that had surged into Belgium. This forced the eventual evacuation at Dunkirk. On June 5, 1940, German forces pushed through the Maginot Line into France, called Fall Rot. Italy also declared war against France on June 10th, which caused the French government to flee to Bordeaux. Paris was occupied by German forces on June 14th. On June 25th, an armistice agreement was signed between France and Germany, and Hitler touted this as a fantastic victory. France was ultimately divided into three zones, one in the north and west, occupied by Germany, a small portion in the southeast occupied by Italy, and the southern part of France up to that time remained unoccupied. Vichy France administered to all three of these zones in accordance with the terms of the armistice. It wasn’t until 1942 that the Axis powers occupied southern France. Hitler had always planned on defeating the whole of Western Europe first, in his conquest of conquering the whole of Europe. According to Hitler’s Fuhrer-Directive Number 6, the plan of overtaking Europe was based on Germany’s military strength being able to withstand a multi-year war. Therefore, he limited his objectives to what was seen as easy, so that he could feasibly build his arsenal to survive a lengthy battle. He ordered the Low Countries to be occupied as quickly as possible, which would prevent France from occupying them first. This prevented Allied forces from using air power from threatening the Ruhr area. This also allowed Hitler a much needed base for successful air and sea campaigns against Britain’s forces. Hitler’s desire to overtake France was wise from a battle perspective. France’s army had a heavier, larger combat tank force, which Germany could not overtake. Hitler’s false assumption that he could overtake this area within a few weeks was paramount to the Allied forces victory, however. Hitler had been misinformed of the actual state of Germany’s forces, as after the Polish invasion, many of the German’s tanks, trucks and other vehicles were severely damaged and munitions stocks were heavily exhausted. Therefore, again the given hypothesis can be proven here. Germany’s Panzer Division and Luftwaffe were formidable resources. The problem lay in the fact that Hitler was either misinformed, or uninformed, of the actual state of his armament. This combined with the fact that the Luftwaffe had no real strategy other than to support the German mission, as it were, when called upon. The men of the infantry, the Panzer Division and the Luftwaffe, were ultimately left to decide the “right” thing to do based on their own initiatives. This gave the British forces an incredible advantage, as they had to call upon their divisional commander for instruction on when and where to fire their artilleries. On the same token, this left the British at a disadvantage, because the battles were ever changing, thus leaving them questioning what needed to be done next in order to keep up. In many circles, it also assumed that Hitler’s extensive anti-aircraft weaponry gave the germans a decided advantage. This, too, is untrue. Hitler did have an extensive anti-aircraft arsenal, but after extensive personnel losses, he was left with few men to man them. Given Hitler’s mistake in stopping the Panzer invasion during the Battle of Dunkirk, this allowed many men to retreat regroup. The French army combined its enormous tank division along with many different battalions from the British, Belgian, Dutch and Polish armies, to be able to defend against the invasion of France. This left Hitler wide open for invasions from other forces, namely the French, U. S. and the Soviet Union. He was trying to avoid a war on two fronts, but that is what ultimately happened. Hitler’s personnel and equipment losses were heavier than he thought, thus leaving him and the German forces nearly crippled. Before the Battles of Dunkirk and France, Germany and the Soviet Union entered into a trade pact agreement in February of the same year. This pact helped the german forces to overcome the British line of defense. They traded materials, food, ores, and oil in exchange for ships, turrets, coal and machining tools. This agreement also had a “Confidential Protocol”, which allowed the Soviet Union to purchase goods from Germany’s opposition for Germany itself. Hitler’s ultimate goal was to take over the Soviet Union and through this trade agreement he would be able to rearm, and then take over the Soviet Union as well. Given that the trade agreement’s terms differed for each country, Germany procrastinated as long as possible and there began to be some unrest between Germany and the Soviet Union. However, later that year, when France signed the armistice agreement, both Hitler and Stalin were concerned that the war would end. Stalin, because he would not get the goods he was expecting and Hitler much for the same reasons. Stalin later became convinced of Hitler’s war continuing, so continued to supply Germany with much needed goods. Hitler’s heavily depleted supply was of grave concern, as he wanted to get as much raw material from the Soviet Union as he could before he invaded there as well. The two countries were able to come up with a suitable agreement, which took effect in January 1941. The people of germany saw this agreement as the Soviet Union becoming a German ally, whereas hitler saw it as an opportunity to attack the Soviet Union when they least expected it. Stalin’s reputation provided Germany justification and faith in what they were doing in reference to their invasions and the Jewish people. Hitler’s overconfidence in Stalin’s defeat against Finland gave him a feeling of empowerment and a vision of Soviet ineptitude. He began preparing for the war with the Soviet Union, fully expecting to come out victorious. Even before the battle in the Balkans was finished, Hitler had amassed many troops near the border of the Soviet Union. He had several million men there and created a stockpile of materials as well. Hitler was correct in his assumption that the Soviet Union would be taken by surprise. Stalin believed that Hitler was not going to attack on another front, when one still remained open. Hitler believed that Germany stood much to gain from an invasion of the east. Germany’s shortage of labor forces could be replaced by Soviet soldiers, and that the Ukraine would provide a much needed source of agriculture. He felt that by having the Soviet Union as a slave labor supply, it would improve Germany’s strategic position, it would isolate the Allied forces and he would be able to boost the german economy by an influx of much needed oil from the Baku Oilfields. Hitler’s zealousness got the better of him, but also laid claim that the Soviet Union was preparing for war against Germany, and thus launched the attack on the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, called Operation Barbarossa. Stalin knew that war with Germany was inevitable. It was only a question of when Hitler’s army would choose to invade, as Stalin had already been told by intelligence that German troops were building up on the border. Stalin had many bases allowing simple and effective access to fuel, equipment and rail cars as needed to counter the German advance. Although the German army was higher in number than the Soviets, Hitler did not plan on having the Soviet Union be as prepared as they were. At the time, the Soviet Union’s tank armaments outnumbered the German’s Panzer divisions, and were superior to the German’s tanks in production as well as number. This was offset by the Germans training superiority, as Stalin’s officer corps was effectively annihilated in the mid 1930’s by Stalin’s Great Purge. This left the Red Army with younger, less experienced commanders, who were less decisive in their decision making. This was an advantage to the german forces, but the sheer volume of aircraft fighters on the Red side allowed them an advantage against the german Luftwaffe, although their aircraft were antiquated. This led the germans to believe that they could easily overtake the Soviet Union, as their antiquated aircraft was decimated in the war with Finland. The Red Army was seen as widely spread and extremely unprepared for a battle with Germany, so this was in large part the reason for Hitler’s decision to invade when he did. The Red Army was ultimately unprepared in armaments, but was prepared in sheer numbers of men ready to fight in the event of a german attack. What Hitler did not realize was that Stalin was providing Germany materials and goods to Germany, while at the same time preparing for liberation of Europe with his Red Army. When Germany attacked the Soviet Union, they began with bombing Soviet-occupied Poland. It was an initial task for the Luftwaffe to destroy the Soviet air forces, which over the course of a few days they succeeded in extraordinary losses to the Soviet aircraft force. This allowed the Luftwaffe to assist the ground forces that were invading the U.S.S.R. in the north on the Neman and Daugava rivers. Within four days the german army destroyed the Soviet shield, but Hitler ordered them to stop and wait for the infantry to catch up with them. This allowed the Soviets time to regroup, prepare a better defense against Germany and protect Leningrad. On another field, german troops were attacking the Soviet center at Bialystok, where there was an important rail junction. This prevented the Soviet forces from escaping, and the german forces were able to encircle the Soviets at Bialystok. At this point, it seemed that the German’s were going to defeat the Soviets in a resounding victory, but in the south the Soviets were more prepared than the other battalions. Although the German’s ultimately defeated the Soviets in the battle at Bialystok, the Red Army inflicted heavy casualties of both men and machine. These battles were perceived by Hitler to be strategic victories, but they drew the german forces away from Moscow, as well as from Leningrad delaying their progress into the Soviet Union. On July 3rd, 1941, Hitler ordered his men to resume the fight towards Moscow. In the Battle for Smolensk, as it was called, the Soviets were soundly defeated, and Germany closed in on Moscow. The problem for the germans now was that they did not properly estimate the strength and vigor of the Red Army. Germany had used an unexpected amount of supplies because they did not attain their initial goals in the estimated amount of time. Hitler wanted to slow down and allow for resupply, which turned out to be a tactical error. He halted the drive to Moscow, and focused on Kharkov, the Donets Basin and the Caucasus to capture Leningrad. The germans had come close to Kiev, and at this point Hitler ordered Leningrad be taken. The german advance turned out to be very slow and impeded by heavy casualties. Hitler then decided that Leningrad should be starved out, but this left the germans vulnerable to numerable Soviet counter=attacks, namely the Yelnya Offensive. This is the first defeat the germans suffered since the Soviet invasion began. This caused Hitler to refocus on Moscow, but before the german troops could turn to Moscow, they needed to complete the operations near Kiev. They successfully defeated the Soviets, and turned their attentions back to Moscow. At this time, the weather began to turn, catching the german forces unprepared. Cooler temperatures and continued rainfall slowed their advance as well as their spirits. This allowed the Soviets to regroup calling on their reserves of supplies and men. Although the german army did attack Moscow again on November 15th, there were no supplies available to them. Operation Typhoon was a grim defeat for the german forces. Lack of supplies, cold weather and exhaustion combined with the Soviet insurgence of power from Siberia, the germans received a resounding defeat. Without shelter, no supplies, no food, inappropriate winter clothing and no escape, the Soviets were able to attack the german forces unmercifully, as the germans were unable to defend against them. Also, the areas that Germany occupied in the Soviet Union were not well kept, and the underground military began to emerge in great numbers. These ant-german partisans helped the Red Army defeat Germany in the end. The battles between the Soviet Union and Germany are the most supportive of the given hypothesis. Germany chose to be the aggressor against the Soviet Union, thinking that the Soviet Union was weak, under powered, and under manned. Germany felt that the war had become a war of attrition, by having the Luftwaffe and panzer forces demolish the Soviet’s air force and ground forces. This allowed the germans to advance as far as they did into the Soviet Union, and nearly overtake them. If it weren’t for their lack of preparedness, the germans may have succeeded. This is where the old technology of the Soviet Union outdoes the Germans. The Soviets were prepared for winter, had the opportunity to resupply and reman, whereas Hitler did not allow the german forces the same advantages. Also, through the underground partisan movement, Hitler did not see or anticipate that happening either, which was a help in the Soviet defeat of the germans. The Soviets may have had antiquated machinery and fewer men, but they were more prepared than the germans for the one thing neither side had control of, which was the weather. Works cited Creveld, Martin van. Supplying War: Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton. Cambridge: The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1977. Print. Keegan, John. The Second World War. New York: The Penguin Group, 1989. Print. Ziemke, Earl F. & Bauer, Magna E. Moscow to Stalingrad: Decision in the East. Defense Department, Army: Center of Military History, 1987. Print. Read More