Importance of USSR

• • Reorganisation and Resistance
• How did Stalin and military leaders make use of Russian winter and significance?

  • used the time to reform Red Army completely (copied many tactics and ideas used by G and added some of their own)
  • significance: stalin emerged during war as leader inspiring confidence and loyalty in people
• What are some key features of reforming Red Army?

  1. created specialist tank armies and air force
  2. developed effective new weapons (e.g. T-34 tank) and produced them in large numbers
  3. used harsh discipline (e.g Stalin's order "Not a step back") - soviet army ordered to fight in and die for every bit of Russian soil
  4. created specialist units - listen in on german radio signals and disrupt them (by 1943: disrupting almost 2/3 of their radio messages) - massive collapse of german army
• Two more key features of reforming red army:

  1. adopted radio communications and placed radios in all tanks and aircrafts
  2. red army officers had greater freedom and independence to act + communist party officials banned from interfering with military decisions
• What was the turning point in early 1943?

  • Germans advanced again towards Stalingrad
  • But this time, Soviets held them in fierce battle - despite heavy casualties: managed to encircle them - force them to surrender - victory raised morale in soviets
• • Resources and production: The Soviet War Economy
• What are some harsh measures to ensure production keeps up with high demand?

  1. adults in USSR (regardless of gender) received no food unless they worked for the war effort
  2. used forced labour + secret police kept close control of the population
  3. shifted major industrial complexes to Urals, Siberia and Kazakhstan - forced 25 mil. workers to migrate east
• USSR managed to produce small range of reliable weapons BUT in vast quantities:

  • equalled and surpassed German war production in 1942
  • by 1943: produced 1.5x as many aircraft + 2x tanks as G
  • shifting industrial complexes - enabled USSR to muster strong response despite losing much agricultural and industrial capacity to Germans
  • increased war production
  • significance: ensured soldiers always supported with necessary equipment and resources
• • Entry to Asian-Pacific Theatre of War
• As agreed on Tehran and Yalta:

  • USSR entered war against Japan 3 months after G's defeat - 8/8/1945: soviets declared war against Japan + launched simultaneous invasions on Manchuria's 3 fronts
• Soviets able to defeat Kwantung Army in Manchuria + occupy North Korea - helped overwhelm and destroy japanese army (due to overstretch)