Who was responsible for the Great Purge?
The political purge was primarily an effort by Stalin to eliminate challenge from past and potential opposition groups, including the left and right wings led by Leon Trotsky and Nikolai Bukharin, respectively.
Could Germany have won the Eastern Front?
The Eastern Front enabled Germany to stay in the war but once they had failed to defeat the Soviet Union within 500 miles and within a couple of months from the launch of BARBAROSSA, the chances of them winning the war were now very limited despite the victories of the following spring and summer and despite other
What were 3 reasons why Operation Barbarossa failed?
Operation Barbarossa was Nazi Germany’s ambitious plan to conquer and subdue the western Soviet Union. Though the Germans began in an extremely strong position in the summer of 1941, Operation Barbarossa failed as a result of stretched supply lines, manpower problems and indomitable Soviet resistance.
Why did the blitzkrieg fail?
The shock value of the initial Blitzkrieg was dissipated by the vast distances, logistical difficulties and Soviet troop numbers, all of which caused attritional losses of German forces which could not be sustained.
What was life like in a Russian Gulag?
Gulag living conditions were cold, overcrowded and unsanitary. Violence was common among the camp inmates, who were made up of both hardened criminals and political prisoners. In desperation, some stole food and other supplies from each other.
What was the purpose of gulags?
The Gulag, therefore, was not only a death camp, but also a “second chance,” where the enemies of the regime, criminals and renegades could be reformed by the state through labor. Barnes described the Gulag as an institution of forced labor, where workers had real prospects of being released.
How close did Germany get to Moscow?
And so, the Wehrmacht kept going long past the point of diminishing returns, inching forward until advanced German formations were ridiculously close to Moscow, just 10-12 miles.
How horrible was the Eastern Front?
The fighting on the Eastern Front was terrible and incessant, brutal beyond belief. Both sides fought with demonic fury—the Germans to crush the hated Slavs, and the Soviets to defend the sacred soil of Mother Russia. Atrocities including beheadings and mass rapes occurred daily.
What if Operation Barbarossa never happened?
So after postponing Barbarossa, Hitler would be more likely to use the time to squeeze Britain further, tightening the noose and forcing them into a peace treaty. To do that, Hitler would probably turn his attention to the Mediterranean and North Africa.
Could Germany have won the first World War?
Despite the fact that Germany was a powerful country at the start of World War I in 1914 it was still unable to win the overall war. At the outbreak of the war Germany’s army was well-trained and had over 4 million soldiers, and would prove a difficult opponent on the battlefields of Europe.
Did Germany have a chance of winning?
As we celebrate the ending of the war 75 years ago, know this: victory for the Allies was never guaranteed, and historians agree there were countless ways Germany could have won the war. Defeat never came down to one battle or one campaign.
Was the East German army any good?
The East German Army [often referred to as the NVA (Nationale Volksarmee)] is perhaps the best trained and equipped member of the Warsaw Pact outside of the Soviet Union. It consists of 120,000 men (71,000 conscripts) organized into two tank divisions and four motorized rifle divisions.
Similar Posts:
- Was there a direct telephone line between Stalin and Hitler during the war?
- Can the German success on the Eastern front be largely explained by superior air power?
- Why did Operation Barbarossa fail?
- Were there US troops on the WW1 eastern front?
- Was Russia the only country in WWII that succeeded in expansionist war aims?
- How many troops did Hitler send back from the Eastern front to face the Allies’ assault?
- Why were the Germans and Russians so fixated on an unlikely “separate peace” in 1945?