German defeat in the Great Patriotic war

• The final defeat of Germany took a surprisingly long time. By late 1944 it had seemed imminent, with German armies resisting on all fronts.
• Race for Berlin: Stalin showed great urgency in his desire for the Red Army to push Westward at maximum speed. The allied Supreme Commander General Eisenhower cooperated. He wanted to minimise casualties and avoid clashes with Soviet forces. 27th March- Eisenhower gave order for the allied advance in the West to be slowed down to lead the Red army to Berlin first.
• Soviet strengths: The vast geographical size made it almost impossible for Germany to strike a defence. It also enabled whole new armies and whole new industrial base.
• The population of the USSR was nearly 3 times greater than Germany's so the USSR could replace losses in a way that was impossible for Germans.
• USSR had vast natural resources that were unleashed by the way. The longer the war went on, the stronger Soviet military became.
• In 1945, the USSR out produced German war industries.
• After a bad start, the military leadership of the USSR became ruthlessly effective. Stalin himself proved himself as a capable war leader.
• All countries fighting in world war 2 would enlist women in the war effort; but the USSR did to a greater extent.
• German weaknesses: The German's allieneted people in occupied countires. Provoking resistant movements and positions.
• Hitler made crucial strategic mistakes and fired many of his best generals, replacing them with Yes men.
• Germany lacked self sufficiency in raw materials. By 1943-1944 war productions in Germany depended on an all out exploitation of dwindling economic and human resources.
• Hitler was not able to achieve the rapid initial victory he had hoped for. From December 1941, Germany had to fight a two front war.
• Contributions by the Allies: Stalin's allies presented a dangerous threat to Hitler on other fronts, preventing him from focussing on the war in the East.
• Mass bombing campaigns by British and Americans from 1943 inflicted huge damage and Germany's war effort, weakening the resources available to fight on the Eastern front.
• Allied secret intelligence, gained by code-breaking undermined Germany's war effort at crucial times.
• Enormous amounts of vital military and economic and poured into the USSR.