Like people were doing nothing, like they weren't fighting hard and just were sitting on their butts waiting the cold to cope with the war!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
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Position:Home>History> Why the Westerns like to say that the Sovient Union won over the Nazi Germany juQuestion: Why the Westerns like to say that the Sovient Union won over the Nazi Germany just because of the winter!? Like people were doing nothing, like they weren't fighting hard and just were sitting on their butts waiting the cold to cope with the war!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Traditional Russian strategy when invaded is to trade space for time!. When Charles XII of Sweden invaded in 1708 this is precisely what Peter the Great did!. Once the Swedish lines of communication and supply were over stretched, and waiting out the winter the Russians then went on the offensive, and defeated the Swedes at Pultava in 1709!. Similarly when Napoleon invaded in 1812, the Russians traded space for time!. They refused to comit themselves to an all out battle, and harrassed the French supply lines!. Resulting in a French retreat due to lack of supplies, and ultimately disaster!. Its funny, but in every invasion of Russia, someone is always saying how it was the worst winter in Russia in living history etc!. The fact remains, even if it was the worst winter in History, no invasion mentioned here had any chance what so ever of operating successfully in the Russian winter!. What ever form it came in!. Once again, when the Germans invaded in 1941, again the Russians traded space for time, but far less successfully!. Huge armies were encircled and captured, with huge material losses in the process!. Stalin may well have been informed of German build up on the border, but he did not actually think the Germans would attack as early as 1941, and this is why the Russians were some what unprepared!. Many people dont give the Russians their due credit for defeating Nazi Germany, quite simply because, if too much credit goes to the Soviets, then less credit can go to the US or Britain!. Being that the US and Britain were arguably far more "the good guys" in that they were defending aggressive and militaristic Germany!. Giving too much credit to a Communist power that had colluded with the Nazi's in ending Polish independence, swalling up the baltic states in the process and then attacked Finland, was not seen as a great idea!. You have to remember, that for much of the 20th Century, the Soviets were the enemy to the Western World!. In the US, even though, you supposedly had freedom of speech, if you expressed the opinion that Communism had some good points, you could be rounded up and arrested!. Then when you look at the facts, the Soviets did lose a great deal of territory in the initial German advance up to the end of 1941!. To many people, it seemed more likely that if anything it was the Russian winter that saved Russia!. Esepcially when the Russian army performed so badly in the Winter war with Finland, and Stalin had previously executed many Generals in the purges of the 1930s!. But it is these people who suggest this, that lack a fundamental understanding of the Second World War!. The Russian winter was so severe to German forces, principally because they planned to defeat Russia, before winter!. Hitler, forbid any troops from invading Russia with winter clothing!. He thought it would be bad for moral, and unneccessary since the war would be won before the winter period!. It was this lack of planning, not only for winter, but for a prolonged campaign in the East that was Germany's undoing!. Her economy, was never fully mobilised to the needs of war, precisely because it was felt this was not necessary!. Cuts were made in the Luftwaffe's training following the Battle of Britain, because it was felt, the Soviets would be defeated swifty!. Once the Germans had failed to defeat the Soviets by the end of 1941, the Russians were able to recover and regroup!. The Germans who although realised their errors, were not capable of rectifying them!. In 1942, they had the productive capability to outproduce the US, but it was the US who had just entered the war that outproduced Germany 4:1!. The Soviets had no hesitation on mobilising their entire ecomomy to the defence of the father land!. Russian numerical superiority was important, in it allowed them to suffer huge set backs, but in actual fact, front line army strength for the duration of the war was fairly similar!. From 1943 onwards when the Russians held the intiative they held a numerical superiority of 1!.6:1!. But becuase they held the intiative they were able to attack along chosen axis of advance and so mass forces to their pleasing!. Furthermore, by 1945, the Soviet Army was equal to the effectiveness of the German army of 1940!. Something that cannot be said of the British or US forces!. The Soviet Army was exceptionally good by the end of 1944!. Basically people use the winter, or Russian numerical superiority as an excuse as to why the Germans were defeated!. In reality, they helped the Russians, but what was far more critical was inept German economic planning and the decision to invade Russia in 1941 along the chosen axis of advance!. As my lecturer noted!. The Germans knew how to fight, but did not understand war!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I always read, not because of winter, but with the help of winter!. The Russians themselves have always said their best ally during WW2 was " General Winter!." The winter of 1941 came early and was the worst in Russia in 50 years!. The spearhead of the German Army attacking Moscow was a mechanized army and the rains and deep mud of Sept!./Oct!. slowed the German offensive towards Moscow and the deep snow and bitter cold of Nov!./Dec!. brought them to a stand-still!. This gave the Russians time to bring in Siberian troops for their own offensive!. Troops that were adapted to the Russian winter!. If the Germans had invaded two months earlier, they may have easily taken Moscow, before winter!. It might not have won the war, but it would of effectively cut Russia in half , and made it very difficult to dislodge the Germans!.Www@QuestionHome@Com The problem is that Stalin know about the troop build up at the border!. He ignored it and did nothing to prepare for an invasion!. The Russians were beat after the invasion!. The plan was clear they could not stop the Germans so they tried to slow them down with small units!. The Russians believed that Moscow would fall, they build many buildings to the east of Moscow to maintain government, and stay in the war in case Moscow fell!. It is not that the Russians sat on their hands, its the fact that the winter did more damage and turned the war!. Then the Russian troops pushed them back to Berlin!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Not all westerners say that!. The following comes from the Combat Studies Institute of the U!.S!. Army: "The Russian winter defeated Napoleon, as every Frenchman knows!. It also defeated Hitler, as most Germans know!. Many Americans share that "knowledge"-which is false in both cases! Those popular myths illustrate the uncritical acceptance and perpetuation of rationalizations designed to obscure the fact that those "invincible" Western military paragons were humbled by the "inferior" Russians!." Unfortunately, in the U!.S!., there tends to be an extremely large gap between what professional Historians know and what is accepted as "historical fact!." Hollywood is far more successful in shaping what people believe about history than Historians, which is why most people have such an oversimplified view of the Red Army's victory!. Personally, I am quite grateful to the Russians for their contributions to defeating the forces of evil; the French in 1812, the Germans in 1941-45, and the huns last week in Manchester!.Www@QuestionHome@Com You're right that history as learned here gives the impression that it was just the winter that defeated Hitler on the Eastern Front!. Same goes for Napoleon!. "General Winter", they call it!. The harsh weather was indeed one of the things the Soviets had on their side!. But it was more like an ally than a general!. They never would have defeated the Germans if they hadn't been fighting knife-in-teeth with the determination of a threatened mother bear!. The Russians have never been very good at fighting outside Russia, but invade something they think is theirs and you're asking for trouble!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Having and using all your information brings more victory than defeat!. Its not a criticism of Russia that they used the winter as part of their defense!. It was a smart plan!. Coupled with the German arrogance that it would be a short campaign it certainly got the job done!.Www@QuestionHome@Com no I do not think so, it gave Russian industry further east to build military supplies, They were truly like a Bear, it took them awhile to get going but once they got on track they were unstoppable, In Fact Russia's vast size saved it because Germany Supply lines were too stretchedWww@QuestionHome@Com Because of cold war!. Allies knew that Soviets did all the hard fighting and were responsible for Germany,s defeat!. But when cold war started, they tried to portray everything asscoiated with USSR in bad light!.Www@QuestionHome@Com The valor of the Russian Army and the losses suffered by Russians are portrayed very favorably in America's history of the war!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Do they say that!? None of the books I've read has said that - and I've read plenty!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |