The Reasons Germany Lost WW2 to Russia - Term Paper Example

 Reasons Germany lost WW2 to Russia The Second World War (WW2) which occurred between 1939 and 1945 was a military conflict that involved almost all the world’s nations. It is generally accepted that the Second World War started on September 1, 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. This, almost immediately, led most Commonwealth countries, the British Empire and France to declare war on Germany. Many nations that were initially uninvolved in the war later joined taking different sides more as a result of Germany invading the Soviet Union. The war, therefore, involved all the world’s great powers which were organized into two opposing military camps; the Axis and the Allies. The global war which historically has been known to be the world’ most widespread war involved the mobilization of more than one hundred military personnel. When “total war” was finally declared, the major participants invested their entire industrial, economic and scientific capabilities at the war’s service. This effectively erased the distinction between military and civilian resources. As a direct result of the Second World War, more than 70 million people, most of whom were civilians, were killed. This has made the war become the world’s deadliest conflict in humankind’s history. In May1945, German military forces surrendered to Russia on the Eastern Front. The Second World War eventually ended in 1945 with the Allies which comprised the United States, Russia, Netherlands, France, Britain and other countries taking victory over the Axis which comprised mainly Italy, Germany and Japan. In spite of Germany’s strength, the nation lost massively during World war Two. There are sevaral reasons attributed to this state of events. This paper is dedicated to discussing the war on the Eastern Front and will be biased towards identifying the reasons that led to Germany’s loss during its battles against Russia. War on the Eastern Front Quite unique and devastating was the scale of destruction on the Eastern Front during WW2. The war is historically notorious for its previously un-witnessed destruction, loss and ferocity. The war also witnessed the extermination of millions of Jews, Germans and Russians through various means1. German forces had calculated to capture Moscow by October of the 1941 although popular opinion labeled Hitler to be virtually insane for invading its former ally - Russia. From the Crimea to Leningrad and from Stalingrad to Kiev, Russia was initially devastated by Germany beginning in the summer of 1941. Using its Blitzkrieg technique, the Nazi solders had wounded and killed close to 150,000 Soviet soldiers only one week into the invasion2. The war continued to rage with the Soviet Union under the leadership of Stalin losing massively until in 1944 the tide changed course with Soviet Union forces gaining stable ground according to Heiferman3. In fact, there was a possibility of Russia actually invading Germany. As German soldiers retreated, Soviet troops hotly pursued them. However, Hitler demanded that specific divisions of his army keep fighting to the last man – a tactic that had seen him lose disastrously in earlier days. Reasons Why Germany Lost Although Germany had great economic power, and a powerful authoritative and dictatorial leader they lost to Russians during the Second World War. There are several reasons that can be attributed to Germany’s loss during World War Two: The powerful nation had acquired quite a number of powerful enemies which it was fighting simultaneously. This meant that its huge and powerful military had to be divided to fight at different fronts. The enemies in combination had many times the resources and men that Germany had. Also, Common wealth and British forces contributed helped the Russian forces by providing intelligence support, adequate and timely supplies and training Red Air Force pilots. Later, supplies and logistic support provided by Canada and the United Sates of America contributed significantly to the winning of the war by Russian forces. Interference from higher levels and lack of air power contributed much to the defeat of Germans. During the 1944-1945 Ardennes counteroffensives, for example, higher authorities greatly interfered to detail with commanders’ initial plans. This meant that the commanders no longer could make decisions while facing the enemy. During the battle with Russia, similar problems were experienced by armored divisions which Hitler sought to control remotely4. For example, in spite of German Generals arguing in favor of an immediate and timely offensive against Moscow, they were overruled by Hitler. According to the latter, Ukrain was important to Germany for its mineral, industrial and agricultural resources. In other words, Hitler ignored his Generals’ advices and often made irrational decisions often caring not for the welfare of his troops. By Hitler’s order, the German soldiers were commanded to remain standing to the last man; no room was left for “cowardice” within the forces. Yet another reason that led to the defeat of German forces during the war against Soviet Union’s Red Army was depletion of supplies. For example, in July 1943 during the Battle of Kursk, German’s arsenal ran out of armored vehicles which they should have highly relied on to win the battle5. This meant that the arsenal could not carry out other serious offensive attacks against Russia in the east. During the D-Day invasion a few days later, German forces across three fronts were only thinly stretched. Due to lack of important supplies, therefore, Soviet forces had an advantage over the German forces which led the Ardennes offensive to rapidly halt even as bitter allied forces grew in opposition. German forces which were well trained in combat found it quite tolerable to fight during autumn and summer. However, they were ill trained and unprepared to fight during the cold winter season which was indeed a friend to the Russian forces. During this period, German forces lacked adequate rations and clothing, and their vehicles froze or ran out of fuel and lubricants. Further, vital supply and communication lines were overextended. In January 1942, Russian ski battalions took advantage of the freezing conditions ad drove the exhausted German forces away from Moscow. German intelligence in some cases played a role in the defeat of their army; unwillingly though. This they did whenever they misread their opponents’ capabilities. Although Germany had good technology, some of the weapons they used during the war were quite complicated in design6. Hitler was unable to decide on one design which would then be produced en mass. This low level of production also meant that the troops had fewer weapons and supplies that could sustain them at war. In terms of tactics, German troops relied on few tanks which also developed mechanical problems while at the battlefield. In cold weather for example, they often froze and became useless. At the same time, the troops relied mostly on light firearms. Such a war required heavy firearms such as machine guns. On its side, Russia had the advantage of having a large population and therefore more soldiers and relied on tanks which were superior in quality and many in number7. Also, Russian forces had an adequate supply of heavy artillery and sub machine guns. Conclusion While the Allied forces had numerical superiority in soldiers and weapons, and had economic and technical superiority, it may not be due to these reasons solely that the Germans lost to Russia during the Second World War. It must also be noted that several serious flaws existed in organization of Germany’ forces; both strategic and economic. In spite of achieving several successes in the early stages of the war, Germany was not able to sustain a war that was prolonged. This means that the victories initially won easily turned to defeats when the “surprise” element was eliminated. References 1. Allsopp J. H. & Cowie H.R. (1970) Challenge and Response: A history of the Modern World Vol. 2, Thomas Nelson. Australia Melbourne: Victoria. 2. Calvocoressi, P. & Guy W. (2001) Total War. New York Penguin Press: New York. 3. Heiferman R. (1973) World War II. Octopus Books Ltd: London. Keegan, J. (1990) The Second World War. New York Penguin Press: New York. 4. Marshall C. (1995) Great Battles of WWII, A Visual History of Victory, Defeat and Glory, Marshall Cavendish Books: London. Read More