What this lesson teaches
I can explain the reasons the Allies won and World War II ended in Europe and the Pacific.
Syllabus K227, War in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, Learning Outcomes. Explain the reasons for the end of World War II.
Make a guess
In 1941 German armies swept deep into the Soviet Union. What do you think the USSR did with its factories in the west?
- Took them apart and rebuilt them far to the east.
- Blew them up so the Germans could not use them, and bought arms from Britain.
- Left them working, so that captured workers kept making goods for Germany.
Show the answer
Took them apart and rebuilt them far to the east.
Up to one eighth of Soviet industry moved beyond the Urals, out of reach, so the USSR kept making weapons.
The USSR kept fighting after huge losses and struck back, while Hitler's rigid orders made German defeats worse.
Germany invaded the Soviet Union (USSR) in June 1941, expecting a quick win. The USSR lost huge numbers of men early on but kept fighting. Its vast land gave room to retreat. It also saved its factories. Between July and November 1941, workers took apart whole plants in the west. Trains carried them east to the Urals and beyond, out of reach of German bombers and tanks. Up to one eighth of all Soviet industry moved, including most of the arms factories. Rebuilt in the east, they kept making weapons, while the USSR raised new armies. Soviet forces stopped the Germans near Moscow and then counterattacked.
At Stalingrad, Soviet forces surrounded a large German army and cut off its supplies. This is encirclement. Hitler ordered the troops to stay and not break out. Planes could not fly in enough food, fuel and ammunition. The trapped army surrendered in early 1943. After this, the Soviets were on the attack.
Hitler's orders often stopped commanders from pulling back to save troops, and his plans sometimes demanded more than his troops and supplies could deliver. But bad orders alone do not explain defeat. Soviet attacks exposed those weaknesses. The cold made things harder, but it was not the main reason.
- June 1941
- Germany invades the USSR.
- Stalingrad, early 1943
- Encircled German army surrenders.
- Encirclement
- Surrounding an army and cutting its supply lines.
Real examples to use
Factories moved east, 1941
From July to November 1941, up to one eighth of Soviet industry, including most arms factories, was moved to the Urals and further east.
Stalingrad, 1942 to 1943
A whole German army was encircled; its survivors surrendered in early February 1943, and the Soviets stayed on the attack.
Lend-Lease trucks
About 400,000 American vehicles helped Soviet armies keep moving as they pushed west after Stalingrad.
Worked example: Link the attack to the weakness
At Stalingrad, Soviet forces surround a German army.
- Encirclement cuts the army off from supplies.
- Hitler orders it to hold on, and air supply fails.
- Soviet action plus Hitler's decision caused the loss, not just the weather.
Watch out for this
Germany lost in the East only because of the cold.
Soviet resistance and counterattacks, plus German supply problems and rigid orders, mattered more.
Check your understanding
Why did the German army at Stalingrad surrender?
- Hitler ordered it to surrender so the troops could be swapped for prisoners.
- The winter cold forced it to stop fighting before Soviet troops arrived.
- It was surrounded, cut off from supplies and forbidden to break out.
Show the answer
It was surrounded, cut off from supplies and forbidden to break out.
Yes. Soviet action and Hitler's orders combined.