The USSR in WWII

Cameryn Fox, Trinity Trujillo, and Thea Roland Soviet Aims

1. To ensure safety for the USSR 2. To expand Communism outside of the USSR 3. To create a Soviet empire past the USSR 4. To become prominent in world affair; define the USSR as a world power Soviet War Strategy

● Original Russian strategy clung greatly to that of Peter the Great and of V. Triandafillov ● Peter the Great’s strategy reinforces the militaristic Russia we still know today, a civilization made mostly to support an army ● V. Triandafillov had the concept that victory is won when the enemy is unable to regroup and that military action should be organized and precise The Effect of War on Leningrad

Leningrad was invaded by the Nazi and Finnish armies on 9/8/1941 for 872 days.

While the military operations claimed several hundred thousand lives, the greatest effect on Leningrad was extreme starvation as the city was encircled. Parts of the city were shelled.

In 1944, the Soviet army drove out the German army to the western outskirts of Leningrad. The Effects of War on Stalingrad

A sense of strong protection for Stalingrad came from the Russian people after the Blitzkrieg of the German “Operation Barbarossa.” The city could not fall.

The Battle of Stalingrad used all types of warfare, including a great deal of tanks and the Luftwaffe. But most of all, the city was full of hand to hand combat, and the result was 2 million military and civilian deaths. The Soviet advantage in the Battle of Stalingrad, August 1942 to February 1943:

● "Operation Uranus," created by Georgi Konstantinovich Zhukov had the Germans fighting hard in a Russian winter. The idea was, the Germans would tire out before specially designed USSR troops would attack. ● The battle marked the end of German advances east into Russia and the first major German loss in the war. ● Brought up Soviet morale, especially with Stalingrad’s name sake in mind. The Effects of War on Moscow

Hitler’s plan to invade Moscow, “Operation Typhoon,” became something of a last match between two overtired and overworked armies. At the Battle of Moscow, the Soviet army had the largest collection of tanks in the world. Starting in June 1941, Hitler started the trek to Moscow, and made great strides in the first few weeks. In December 1941, Stalin organized a counter attack that defeated the German army. In Moscow, the city suffered, but never nearly as much as Leningrad during the siege, and the culture of Moscow continued strong throughout the conflict. The destruction never met the city, but did touch the outskirts. Stalingrad Weapons of the Red Army

● Much of the production of the weapons was done during the war. ● The Soviets preferred crude and cheaper weapons to be produced in higher quantities as opposed to having much higher quality weapons n a lower quantity ● Stalingrad, which produced a high quantity of iron as well as arms, increased production fourfold even during the Battle of Stalingrad- 6 million guns were made there during 1942 ● This was planned for very early; seeing Hitler’s aggression in the late 30’s, Stalin moved production farther east and out of reach of the German army Weapons in the War

● The AK-47 was the most recognizable rifle in the post World War 2 era, killing more people than all of the nuclear weapons used. ● Spy related gear such as a lipstick gun or a poison shooting umbrella began to surface after the creation of the first bug in order to attack in secrecy Science and Technology

● Russian innovator Mikhail Koshkin created the T-34 tank, the most highly produced tank of WW2, in 1940. Later in 1942, Oleg Antonov made the winged tank and in 1945 the T-54/55, which became the world’s most popular tank. ● In 1945, Leon Theremin created the passive resonant cavity bug, which was used on the U.S. close to the end of the war and on. Civilian Involvement

● Estimated USSR losses now stand at 26.6 million. ● 80% of Soviet males born in 1923 didn’t survive World War 2 ● The Soviet Union saw the biggest casualty numbers which estimated between 9 and 14 million ● Women fought in World War II and participated in the war effort in a number of ways. Damaged or Burned Cities

● 3,000 destroyed cities and towns

● 17,000 annihilated villages

● 427 plundered museums

● 1,670 damaged or destroyed Russian Orthodox churches

● 532 damaged or destroyed synagogues

● 237 damaged or destroyed Catholic churches Damaged or Burned Cities

● Smolenski ● Sevastopol ● Kharkov ● Novgorod ● Kiev ● Vitebsk Bibliography http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/siege-of-leningrad-begins http://www.armchairgeneral.com/weapons-of-the-red-army-soviet-small- arms-of-world-war-ii.htm

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