War Efforts and Aftermath
Once the Svoiet Union joined the war, they had already been prepared. Stalin knew that they would be entering the war at some point, so he stocked up his military and any other supplies he needed. The Soviets had been prepared to aid the allies in whatever battles they faced, and the nation was ready to defeat the Germans.
German Invasion of the Soviet Union; Operation Barbarossa
In June of 1941, Germany invaded the western part of the Soviet Union and took control of most of current-day Ukraine and Belarus. This invasion was named “Operation Barbarossa” by Germany and was one of the largest attacks of the war. Within a single week of the invasion, the Soviets had lost almost 4,000 aircrafts and over 600,000 troops. By December of 1941, Germany was setting their eyes on the Soviet capital.
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Battle of Moscow; December 1941
The Germans attacked Moscow, the Russian capital, in December of 1941, leading to attacks back and forth between Germany and the Soviet Union. The Germans eventually began to get worn down, especially with a lack of replacements, a fact which Hitler chose to ignore. Due to Germany’s growing inability to withstand the attacks and Russian weather conditions, as well as the Soviet Union frequently sabotaging their attacks before they could happen, the Battle ended, and Germany would never attack Moscow directly again. Moscow was awarded the title of Hero City for their defensive efforts. However, Germany actually suffered far less casualties than Russia, with Russian casualties standing at around 600, 000 and German casualties at only about 250, 000.
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Battle of Stalingrad; July-February 1942
The Battle of Stalingrad took place in current-day Volgograd, a city the Soviet Union was able to defend successfully. German forces moved towards the city through much of the fall and winter months, which ended up being very costly for them. Weather conditions were said to be at almost -20 to almost —40 degrees Celsius. The Germans dealt with treacherous weather and the Soviets attacked them from the northern front, which ended up halting the Germans and successfully protecting their city. However, the Soviets suffered huge losses in this battle, as more than two million soldiers and civilians were killed during this time. This was a very significant battle because it basically stopped Germany from advancing any further into the Soviet Union. In fact, the Battle is considered a turning point in the war.
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Battle of Berlin
The Soviets, with support from America and Britain, attacked the city of Berlin, Germany for two months in what was one of the last offensives for Europe’s attempt to overthrow the Nazis. The USSR planted troops from the east end of the city and invaded the city for dozens of hours over several days. When the Soviets got close to overthrowing the entire city, Hitler and other Nazi officials committed suicide, thus ending the war in Europe.
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Aftermath
After the war, the USSR was left with the most soldier deaths, almost 9 million, and by far the most civilian deaths at 18 million, which totalled to 27 million total losses. The Soviets also had most of their cities destroyed from the German troops. Cities like Leningrad, Stalingrad and Moscow all suffered heavy damage and civilian deaths. After the war, the Soviets got help from allied countries to repair the country. They got a lot of funding for the re-construction of their cities and supplies for the people of the USSR. The Soviet Union also became one of the most powerful countries in the world post World War Two. There was so much land to cover for the Germans, and they could only get to about 30 million people out of 170 million. There was also a lot of resources for the Soviets to sell and use for their country, as Germany couldn’t control all of the USSR and claim land or resources.