Total War

Evolution from mass war to total war:
There used to be smaller armies of countries that would fight battles here and there between each other until one surrendered or proved stronger.  No country would be invaded or destroyed, governments would remain intact and citizens were more or less removed from the action of the war.  The increasing destructive technology of war forced overpowered the governments control of the situation, making wars a larger and more costly scale.   The machines, such as tanks, enabled the armies to advance more distance in a smaller amount of time, increasing the pace of war destruction. The mass production of tanks and new machines required a large workforce to continually produce and replace the growing need for machines that were destroyed quicker than ever before.  The qualities of mass war changed to encompass every aspect of a society until all of its resources were being utilized for the single purpose of war.


Key Qualities of Total War:
-Total war had to end with total victory and "unconditional surrender"
-Massive propaganda pushes where everyone started to believe the lies
-unable to look for compromises
-Countries only look for total military victory
-Mass Production of Machines
-High number of civilian casualties
-Weapons of mass destruction
-Quicker and more effective

German Weaknesses/Allied Strengths Response

1. Richard Overy argues that "The war was won in 1945 not from German weaknesses but from Allied strengths." How far do you agree with this statement.

         I disagree with this statement by perceiving the Allied victory as majorly a result of German strategic mistakes and weaknesses.  Germany proved this by starting out strong in their initial invasion of France, crumbling from that point in a mixture of problematic military strategy and mistaken war declarations.  The Allied powers did overcome Germany 
by their many strengths, but without the key mistakes by Germany, those wouldn't have been enough.

         One example of German defeat caused by their own weaknesses was in Operation Barbarossa, where they failed in invading the Soviet Union.  Starting a war on another front, not to mention a nation 80 times their size with an outnumbered army was their first lapse in judgement.  The German army was not prepared for such a long invasion, especially not for the harsh Russian winters, which killed many German soldiers.  Their supply line was too far stretched, and the German army committed violent, horrible acts upon civilians, letting the country unite together stronger than ever.  This led to a severe loss in armored divisions, trying to concentrate units in only a few divisions, making them clearly outnumbered by the Russians.  Because of these flaws, Germany was forced to retreat from Russia.

           Overall the weaknesses of the Axis powers, (namely Germany) led to defeat.  In the Battle of Britain, Germany did not fully commit its armed forced to the battle, allowing Britain to survive and resist in many other fronts, dividing the concentration of German forces and resources.  A major problem Hitler suffered from was declaring war on the U.S., assuming Japan would deal with them, when in fact their number one priority was Hitler.  His strategies failed by producing the wrong weapons, producing V-rockets instead of jet rockets, which could have helped fend off the bombing attacks by the Allies. They faced resource shortages throughout the war which weakened the German force.   In a combination of all of these mistakes, it was Germany that allowed the Allies to gain strength despite their initial successes.

WWII in Europe

Why did Hitler assume that his air force could defeat Britain alone?

Hitler believed in his Luftwaffe's ability to defeat the Royal Air Force, planning a naval invasion on the side.  After his quick defeat of France, Hitler gained confidence in his air force capabilities, especially since France was out of the picture and Britain had no nearby allies.

What factor, in your opinion, was the most important in Britain's victory in the Battle of Britain?
The most important reason for the British Victory was the use of the new technology of radars.  These significant inventions allowed Britain to detect enemy aircraft locations and distance from the radar.  The warning system was able to help Britain close the gap between the large amount of German fighters and bombers and the Britain fighters.  This helped them not waste planes on air patrol, increase anticipation, and played a significant role in their victory as a whole.

Why did Hitler invade into the Balkans and why was this significant?
Hitler was forced to invade the Balkans because his ally, Italy, failed to capture both Greece and North Africa, being defeated by Britain and Greece.  Because Mussolini failed, Hitler came into North Africa and the Balkans where his troops drove Britain out of Libya and invaded Greece and Yugoslavia.  This was significant because it was a low point for the allies in terms of setbacks.  It was also important because Britain was forced to divide its troops between Africa and Greece, which weakened their ability to defend Africa as well as they could have.  The invasion of the Balkans also caused a setback for Germany by delaying their invasion of the USSR by six weeks.

What were Hitler's motives for attacking the USSR?
"Operation Barbarossa"
Hitler intended to attack the USSR to fill his desires for Lebensraum by expanding his German Nation into an area wealthy in oil and other natural resources.  Hitler wanted to give his nation room to grow and become more prosperous.

What factors slowed the initial blitzkrieg of Russia?
One factor that slowed the invasion into the USSR was Hitler's invasion into the Balkans to make up for Italian failure to capture parts of Greece and Africa.  Another factor was their retreat from the Battle of Britain, where Britain refused to make peace, frustrating Hitler.  He eventually retreated because he knew he wouldn't be strong enough to have a two-front war, and he decided that the USSR would be easier to defeat.

1939-1941 WWII Events

September 1, 1939: Germany Invades Poland

September 3, 1939:  Britain and France declare war on Germany.  WWII begins.

In October - Nazis begin euthanasia on sick and disabled in Germany.

May 10, 1940 - Nazis invade France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands

June 10, 1940 - Norway surrenders to the Nazis; Italy declares war on Britain and France

June 22, 1940 - France signs an armistice with Nazi Germany

July 1, 1940 - German U-boats attack merchant ships in the Atlantic

August 25/26 - First British air raid on Berlin

September 27, 1940 - Tripartite (Axis) Pact signed by Germany, Italy and Japan

March 11, 1941 - President Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act

December 7, 1941 - Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor; Hitler issues the Night and Fog decree.

December 8, 1941 - United States and Britain declare war on Japan

December 11, 1941 - Hitler declares war on the United States

Sources:
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/
http://thompsonplace.weebly.com/8/post/2013/09/wwii-timeline-1939-1941.html#comments