1

Defeat of the AxisThe Race to Berlin

2

Russian OffensiveRussian Offensive� Failure of Stalingrad

� Red Army mounts a series of offensives.� Velikiye Luki� Operation Mars

� Kursk

OPERATION CITADELOPERATION CITADEL

Operation Citadel� Took place at Kursk

� Summer 1943

� German and Russian Offensives run into one another

� Largest armored battle in history.

� Last German Panzer offensive in the East.

3

Images of KurskImages of Kursk� http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/wwii/phot

os/gallery_003/page_01.htm

The Russian JuggernautThe Russian Juggernaut� November 1943

� Kiev falls

� Summer of 1944� Major Offensive on German Army Group Center

� 350,000 German casualties and P.O.W.s

� Russian Problem—can you guess it?

4

An Attempt on Hitler’s Life

� July 20, 1944� Claus von Stauffenburg� Operartion Valkyrie

1. Adolf Hitler 2. General Heusinger3. Luftwaffe General Korten (Died of wounds) 4. Colonel Brandt (Died of wounds) 5. Luftwaffe General Bodenschatz (Severely

wounded) 6.General Schnunt (Died of wounds) 7. Lt. Colonel Borgman (Severely wounded) 8.Rear Admiral Von Puttkamer9. Stenographer Berger (Killed on the spot) 10. Naval Captain Assmann11. General Scherff12. General Buhle

13. Rear Admiral Voss 14. SS Group Leader Fegelein15. Colonel Von Bellow 16. SS Hauptsturmfuhrer Gunsche17. Stenographer Hagen 18. Lt. Colonel Von John (Adjutant to Keitel) 19. Major Buchs (Adjutant to Jodl) 20. Lt. Colonel Weizenegger21. Min. Counsellor Von Sonnleithner22. General Warlimont (Concussion) 23. General Jodl (Lightly wounded) 24. Field Marshal Keitel

Courtesy of http://members.iinet.net.au/~gduncan/assassination_attempts.html

Warsaw UprisingWarsaw Uprising� Polish Home Army vs.

Polish Committee of National Liberation

� Germans crush rebellion

� Russians watch from the east of Warsaw

� Cold War

More info can be found at http://www.warsawuprising.com/

5

The Drive to BerlinThe Drive to Berlin� September 1944� Offensive Continues

� Finland, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Hungary all fall

� Hitler in “Never Never Land”� Hitler vs. Generals

The Drive Through Poland� January 1945

� Russian Army� 1.5 million troops� 3,300 tanks� 10,000 aircraft� 28,000 artillery pieces

� German Army� 600,000 men� 700 tanks� 1,300 planes

6

EisenhowerEisenhower’’ s Offensives Offensive� Three-pronged offensive to clear

the Rhineland

� Reach Rhine by February 21

� March� 5th� Cologne Falls� 7th� Allies Cross Rhine at

Remagen� 27th� All Seven Allied Armies are

across the Rhine� 27th � Race for Berlin Begins

End of the Race� April

� 1st � The Ruhr is encircled� 11th � Allies reach the Elbe

River� 13th � Allies 50 miles from

Berlin

� Eisenhower STOPS!

� Why would he do this?

Last Russian OffensiveLast Russian Offensive� April 16th, 1945� Largest military offensive of the

war� Russians slowly prod through

Berlin� April 30th� Hitler commits

suicide� Costs for Russians

� Russians lose 304,887 troops

7

VV--E DAYE DAY

May 8, 1945

BBC DocumentaryBBC Documentary� When Hitler

Fought Stalin

� Epidsode 4� Vengeance