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Germany's Defeat in WWII - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Roosevelt warned that the USA would have to face the menace of Germany, Italy, Japan
        
        Although he did not want war, he began to prepare the USA
        
        Oct 1937: announced that warmongering nations would need to be 'quarantined'
- - - - Roosevelt pushed for USA to increase its level of aid to Britain
        
        Gave Britain 50 old destroyers in return for 8 naval bases in the Caribbean`
        
        Secret dialogs were held between Churchill and Roosevelt on how the USA could support Britain
      - Also sought to expand and re-equip the USA army and navy and to step up rearmament
- - - - Hitler also declared war on USA
  - - - It was able to convert its factories for military production faster than the Axis powers
      - USA also sent large numbers of military to help in the Allied military campaigns.
        
        Helped to solve Allied military shortages and strengthened war machine
  - - - Prevented essential resources from reaching Germany and gave Allies greater success at bombing German cities and axis military targets such as synthetic oil plants and oilfields
      - also helped Allied tactical success over Germany, such as 'operation overlord' which started with D-Day landings on the coast of Normandy, France, and ended in Germany's defeat
- - - - Hitler insisted on making decisions that should be left to the military.
        
        no one else had the power to make decisions or have access to all information
        
        Often went against the advice of experienced generals.
        
        Decisions frequently proved to be mistakes
        
        1940:
        
        In the battle of Britain, Hitler initially focused on destroying the RAF
        
        Later shifted hid focus to attacking Britain's cities
        
        Gave RAF time to recover
        
        Although gaining the upper hand in the invasion of Soviet Union, Hitler disregarded the advice of his generals
        
        Shifted some of his military divisions to Moscow to attack other places
        
        Cost Hitler the chance to end the war against the Soviet Union
  - - - During Battle of Britain, German navy invested in battleships and cruisers instead of U-boats
        
        Compromised the effectiveness of their military tactics.
        
        Factories staffed by slaved labourers
        
        German women stayed home instead of contributing to war effort
        
        Lack of adequate personnel for armament production
        
        Competition for funds among military leaders who wanted to build their own section of the Wehrmacht
        
        Focused on producing many different types of armament instead of focusing on a few types of proven weapons and equipment
        
        Hitler constantly demanded the most up-to-date weaponry. Some were mass produced before they were tested on battlefields
        
        Many spare parts needed, wasting valuable resources
  - - - To solve this problem, Germany
        
        Invented synthetic oil by liquefying coal
        
        seized the oilfields of Nazi-occupied territories
        
        By 1943 onwards, German synthetic oil plants and oilfields were heavily bombed by USA
        
        1944: Ploiesti oilfields in Romania, chief source of oil imports, was put out by the Allies
  - - - Thought that USA would concentrate on the war effort in the Pacific
        But they concentrated war effort in North Africa and Europe
        
        Fighting a two-front war made it difficult for Hitler to concentrate his resources on one theatre of war. Also drained Germany's war resources
- - - - 22 Jun 1941: Germany invaded Soviet Union
        
        12 July 1941: Soviet Union joined Britain military alliance
        
        Soviets unprepared and Germany Blitzkrieg tactics almost destroyed their air and tank forces within 3 months
        
        Soviet Union soon gained the upper hand
        
        German tactical errors, strong resistance of Soviet troops and the bitter Russian winters all helped give them time to
        
        reorganise its army
        
        rebuilt its economy
        
        rebuild its economy
        
        Further helped by American Land-lease aid from 1942
        
        Soviet Union and Red Army played a crucial role in being the decisive force for Allied victory
  - - - Hitler understood that Germany would have to achieve air and sea supremacy before its troops could invade Britain.
        
        Jul 1940: Luftwaffe attacked British coastal defences and airfields (devastating effect on RAF)
        
        Sep 1940: Hitler changed his focus and attacked British cities instead. Allowed RAF time to recover
        
        Dec 1940: Hitler made preparations to attack the Soviet Union, threat of an invasion of Britain subsided
        
        Sustained German bombings of British cities also strengthened the morale and resolve of the British rather than weakened it
        
        Britain's resilience also played a role in resisting aggression
  - - - Most prominent resistance movements
        
        Yugoslav, Polish, Soviet resistance movements, as well as the Free French Forces
      - Before 1941, resistance was limited due to Nazi sudden invasion and brutal oppression
        
        Most people too traumatised to contemplate resistance
        
        But when Germany attacked Soviet Union, communists were too used to working underground and actively resisted the Nazis when the Soviet Union was invaded
        
        From Jun 1941, many civilians joined the communist resistance.
        
        Gathered information for the Allies
        
        Spread false information and propaganda to the Nazis
        
        Helped Allied POWs escape