The Second World War was history’s most brutal conflict ever witnessed over the course of mankind. The conflict bred a whole sleuth of technological innovations, death and destruction, large scale genocides, and completely reshaped the world afterwards. It set the path for a prolonged nuclear arms race between capitalist and communist countries and had huge implications for third world countries that are still affected by the events of the war today. Of all the fronts of the war; whether it is the Pacific Theatre, which pitted the Allies against the fanatical and suicidal Japanese army or Western Europe with the Allied invasion of Normandy and Operation Overlord. However, no front of the war proved to be more costly and devastating than the …show more content…
Kennedy greatly details many of the major events and battles that took place between the Allied and Axis from the initial outbreak of war and the final days of the war in Europe. Kennedy begins his article by describing the perceived plan of Operation Barbarossa, which was the Wehrmacht's plan to grant more “Lebensraum” or living space for the ever increasing population of Germany. Kennedy then shifts to discuss the major military events that had a huge impact when regarding the potential outcome of war for either the Soviets or Germans; recounting major battles of the front. Such battles included the likes of Leningrad, a massive siege on a Soviet city with the German’s intending to wipe out the city’s population of millions of citizens, Stalingrad, one of history’s largest battles in the history of mankind that ended after the Soviets cut off German supply lines and surrounded the Germans in the city, and Berlin, the final major confrontation between the two powerhouses that ended shortly after Adolf Hitler’s suicide among other high ranking Nazi officials. As for the individual details in the article, Kenedy remains relatively terse when explaining each of the events’ significance and effects in areas such as casualties, level of brutality in terms of the tactics employed, …show more content…
The prolonged battle lasted for months and was one of the most costliest battles of the war as it saw brutal urban warfare and ceaseless artillery bombing which annihilated the city. The head of the Jewish Virtual Library, Jason Levine, accounts the huge impact and aftermath the battle had claimed that “Stalingrad was also revealing of the discipline and determination of both the German Wehrmacht and the Soviet Red Army. The Soviets first defended Stalingrad against a fierce German onslaught. So great were Soviet losses that at times, the life expectancy of a newly arrived soldier was less than a day,and the life expectancy of a Soviet officer was three days… In all, the battle resulted in an estimated total of 1.7 million to 2 million Axis and Soviet casualties”(Levine). Levine details the battle as an unprecedented event as both sides suffered astronomically high casualties and highlighted the brutality of the fighting as the rate of death for Soviet soldiers was a few days. To understand the grasp of the battle; the entire four year long campaign of the American Civil War had less casualties than the singular Battle of
The Second World War precipitated devastation across the globe with forty-four gruesome months dedicated to combat. Extending as far as three decades previously, tensions brewed between the United States and the Japanese Empire as two superpower military strategies developed in preparation for an unforeseen – yet paradoxically predictable – clash yet to occur. Expectedly, this massive conflict attracts historians in droves. An expansive quantity of literature exists to delineate cultural, political, and especially military characteristics of World War II in the Pacific and East Asian theater; from small-scale infractions in the Philippines to the calamitous firebombing of Tokyo, historical archives outline each step of the consequential war
World War 2 is easily the largest conflict in terms of, manpower, destruction, and diversity of battlefields in human history. In total nearly one hundred million people served throughout the world in World War 2, and nearly 70 million came from the Allied Powers. This is an impressive amount, and considering that the Axis Powers had only around 42% of the manpower at their disposal it’s impressive how long they managed to forced the war to last. However, the allies troop level isn’t exactly very telling of who contributed the most to defeating the Third Reich, Italy, and the Empire of Japan. Every country in the Allied Powers were integral in defeating The Axis, but from a future perspective certain countries did provide overwhelming support when compared to others in the alliance. In this paper the countries of the United States of America, British Empire, and the Soviet Union will be compared to each other in terms of manpower diverted to war, war material produced over the duration of the war, and supplies harvested to support each other throughout the war. Some countries like the British fought the longest, while others like the USA and USSR joined during 1941, and others like France we defeated early on in the war, and only fighting militarily after they were liberated, and thus won’t be included. This is a hotly debated topic among many historians who debate whether or not the US’s lend-lease act truly held the Soviet Union
The battle of Stalingrad raged from August 1942 until the German surrender on 2 February 1943. Significantly, it was the first catastrophic defeat to befall the Wermacht Army who not only lost the battle but were severely humiliated. Indeed, the German Army never fully recovered from this blow to its morale. Upwards of 270,000 troops were killed and 91,000 prisoners were taken by the Red Army; included in this latter number were 23 German Generals. Conversely, morale in the Red Army soared as a consequence of Stalingrad giving the Russians increased strength and confidence. This battle represented a turning point in the Second World War.
World War Two was a devastating and disturbing war that began in the September of 1939 and ended in the September of 1945. The Battle of Stalingrad lasted from the summer of 1942 to the January of 1943, and was between The German Army and the Soviet Army . The battle resulted in a Soviet victory, and was considered one of the biggest battles of WWII as it marked the turning point of the war. Historian Geoffrey Roberts claims, “No battle of the Second World War has gripped the western imagination as much as the Battle of Stalingrad,” showing its impact on the war. The strategies and tactics of both countries played a role in the outcome of the battle, but it was the German’s failed strategies and tactics that had heavily influenced the outcome
To understand the significance of Stalingrad to the Second World War and to Germany and Russia, one has to understand the series of events that led up to the fateful battle.
Battle of Stalingrad was a failed German attack by Adolf Hitler's Nazi troops against the USSR. Stalingrad named after Joseph Stalin, leader of the USSR, was an important city with high moral ties to the Soviets, Hitler knowing this is determined on taking over the city named after his rival dictator. Stalin and the Soviets knowing this plus with the city being industrial to the war were determined on defending it.Battle of Stalingrad began on July 17, 1942. The battle lasted about 7 months with both sides going back and forth until it ended on February 2, 1943.Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin were at first allies during the war until Hitler betrayed Stalin by surprise attacking the USSR. Now, enemies, Hitler wants control of This battle was
No one anticipated the international chaos that would emerge during the twentieth century, especially the devastation caused by World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. World War II was the most destructive war in human history and changed the history of the world forever, engaging the world’s most influential superpowers in the largest international event of the era. World War II was fought not only by the armed forces, but also by the home fronts of every belligerent nation, exhausting the economy, the industry, and the morale of those living at home, escalating the conflict into a total war that was larger and fought more expansively than any other conflict in history. The use of American propaganda in the World War II war effort
World War II consisted of many bloody battles, many of which have shaped the world today. The Battle of Stalingrad is known as one of the greatest and most valuable battles fought in the Second World War. It is also considered to be one of Hitler’s greatest mistakes in World War II. The battle that started on July 17, 1942 and ended on February 2, 1943 marked a major turning point in the war. It changed the war in favour of the Allies as opposed to the Axis Pact. The battle of Stalingrad was a significant defeat for the Russians in WWII because it was a symbolic loss for Germany, a great loss of resources for
World War ll was a devastating time where millions were killed gruesomely. The Russian government saved tons of people from world domination from the Nazis by fighting back on the battle of the “ Eastern Front”in June 22, 1941 – May 9, 1945, with millions of Russians dead. The cold war was a different matter. In 1947, the Soviet Union and America had a war that ended up killing tons of
The Battle of Berlin, which lasted from April 16, 1945 to May 2,1945, marked the final major battle of World War II in Europe. There was virtually no hope for the city of Berlin defenders against the superior and dominant Red Army, but nevertheless, the city defenders put up a fierce and substantial battle, turning it into the second most ferocious battle following the Battle of Stalingrad. The heavy resistance was fueled with the Nazi propaganda regarding the Soviets. After the unsuccessful Ardennes Offensive in late 1944 and early 1945, which was a last-ditch effort, the Nazis were left with insufficient forces to defend its border against the Western Allies and the Soviet forces. Hoping that a decisive victory would impel the Western Allies into peace negotiations and enable him to deal with the Red Army, Hitler made a few changes and put all his reserves onto the Western front. However, the Western Allies repulsed the German
The Battle of Kursk was one of the most important clashes in the Second World War partly because of the impressive amount of armored units taking part in the conflict and partly because it represented a turning point for the Soviets, as their victory played an essential role in the war. M. K. Barbier's book "KURSK: THE GREATEST TANK BATTLE, 1943" provides a complex account of the conflict and emphasizes its strategic significance for the Germans, as this was their last great offensive. The fact that the book supports information with rare photographs further contributes to the general feeling it puts across and makes it possible for readers to acknowledge the intensity of this particular battle.
The Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942-Feb. 2, 1943) , was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in the U.S.S.R. during World War II. Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War, and most historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire conflict. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor of the Allies.
The Second World War was history’s most brutal conflict ever witnessed over the course of mankind. The conflict bred a whole sleuth of technological innovations, death and destruction, large scale genocides, and completely reshaped the world afterwards. It set the path for a prolonged nuclear arms race between capitalist and communist countries and had huge implications for third world countries that are still affected by the events of the war today. Of all the fronts of the war; whether it be the Pacific Theatre which pitted the Allies against the fanatical and suicidal Japanese army or Western Europe with the Allied invasion of Normandy and Operation Overlord. No front of the war proved to be more costly and devastating than the Eastern Front
The second world war had finally ended in 1945 after Nazi Germany had surrendered in Europe, along with Japan in Asia, forfeiting once the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima were hit directly with two atomic bombs. However, while the war for the allies was won; the world was left devastated, most particularly: Europe who had suffered the most casualties and was now virtually bankrupt. These years are a very crucial part of history as they build up a foundation of understanding to why the United States remains a world power today, why the U.S. and Russia poses so many nuclear weapons, and why Britain isn’t as internationally dominant as it was years before. Britain used to be a very powerful and important international
The world War II was one of the defining events of the 20th century. The war was played out all across Europe, the Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The war even briefly reached North America and mainland Australia.The main Allied powers were Great Britain, The United States, China, and the Soviet Union. However The main Axis powers were Germany, Japan and Italy. Although World War I had been called the ‘war to end all wars’, only 20 years after its conclusion the world was once again plunged into war. world war II was not an extension of world war I, but world war I was a big cause of world war II. Most of the causes of world war II came out of the Versailles treaty. This research paper will cover the following topics: the causes of World War ll, the significant battles of World War ll, the aftermath of the World War ll,