Soviet–Japanese War (1945) At the Tehran Conference (November 1943), Stalin agreed that the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan once Nazi Germany was defeated. At the Yalta Conference (February 1945), Stalin agreed to Allied pleas to enter World War II's Pacific Theater within three months of the end of the war in Europe.
The invasion began on August 8, 1945, precisely three months after the German surrender on May 8 (May 9, 0:43 Moscow time). The commencement of the invasion fell between the atomic bombings of Hiroshima, on August 6, and Nagasaki, on August 9. Although Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had not been told much detail of the Western Allies' atomic bomb program by Allied governments, he was nonetheless well aware of its existence and purpose by means of Soviet intelligence sources. Khingan-Mukden Offensive Operation (August 9, 1945 - September 2, 1945)Harbin-Kirin Offensive Operation (August 9, 1945 - September 2, 1945)Sungari Offensive Operation (August 9, 1945 - September 2, 1945)
Operation Barbarossa. Operation Barbarossa (German: Fall Barbarossa, literally "Case Barbarossa"), beginning 22 June 1941, was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II.[17][18] Over the course of the operation, about four million soldiers of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a 2,900 km (1,800 mi) front,[1][4][19] the largest invasion in the history of warfare. In addition to troops, Barbarossa used 600,000 motor vehicles and 750,000 horses.[20] The ambitious operation was driven by Adolf Hitler's persistent desire to conquer the Soviet territories as embodied in Generalplan Ost.
It marked the beginning of the pivotal phase in deciding the victors of the war. The German invasion of the Soviet Union caused a high rate of fatalities: 95% of all German Army casualties that occurred from 1941 to 1944, and 65% of all Allied military casualties from the entire war. German intentions[edit] Nazi Germany policy towards the Soviet Union[edit] Germany plans the invasion[edit] Operation Barbarossa (European history) :: Initial offensive. World War II (1939–1945): The Invasion of Russia. Events June 22, 1941 Germany begins invasion of USSR July 1 Germany has Riga, Dvinsk, Minsk, and Lvov under control July 3 Stalin orders scorched-earth policy September Hitler shifts priority of attack to southern Russia September 8 Germans begin siege of Leningrad September 19 Kiev falls to German forces October Thousands of russian civilians dig trenches around Moscow November 27 German advance on Moscow is halted December 8 Hitler orders all forces in USSR to shift from offensive to defensive operations July 27, 1942 German troops cross Don River August 23 German troops reach Volga River; Luftwaffe bombs Stalingrad November 19–20 USSR launches two offensives against Germans December 12 Germany launches Operation Winter Storm February 2, 1943 German Sixth Army surrenders Key People Joseph Stalin - Soviet premier; ordered scorched-earth policy to halt German advances in USSR Friedrich Paulus - German field marshal; defied Hitler’s orders and surrendered to Soviets at Stalingrad Operation Barbarossa.
Siege of Leningrad. Background[edit] Preparations[edit] German plans[edit] Army Group North under Feldmarschall Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb advanced to Leningrad, its primary objective. Von Leeb's plan called for capturing the city on the move, but due to Hitler's recall of 4th Panzer Group (persuaded by his Chief of General Staff, Franz Halder, to transfer this south to participate in Fedor von Bock's push for Moscow),[15] von Leeb had to lay the city under siege indefinitely after reaching the shores of Lake Ladoga, while trying to complete the encirclement and reaching the Finnish Army under Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim waiting at the Svir River, east of Leningrad.[16] Finnish military forces were located north of Leningrad, while German forces occupied territories to the south.[17] Both German and Finnish forces had the goal of encircling Leningrad and maintaining the blockade perimeter, thus cutting off all communication with the city and preventing the defenders from receiving any food or supplies.
Battle of Berlin. The first defensive preparations at the outskirts of Berlin were made on 20 March, when the newly appointed commander of Army Group Vistula, General Gotthard Heinrici, correctly anticipated that the main Soviet thrust would be made over the Oder River. Before the main battle in Berlin commenced, the Soviets managed to encircle the city as a result of their success in the battles of the Seelow Heights and Halbe. During 20 April 1945, the 1st Belorussian Front led by Marshal Georgy Zhukov started shelling Berlin's city centre, while Marshal Ivan Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front had pushed from the south through the last formations of Army Group Centre. The German defences were mainly led by Helmuth Weidling and consisted of several depleted, badly equipped, and disorganised Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS divisions, the latter of which included many SS foreign volunteers, as well as poorly trained Volkssturm and Hitler Youth members.
Background[edit] Berlin operation Preparations[edit] East Germany. The German Democratic Republic (GDR; German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik [ˈdɔʏtʃə demoˈkʀaːtɪʃə ʀepuˈbliːk] or DDR), colloquially known in English as East Germany, was a state within the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War period. From 1949 to 1990, it administered the region of Germany which was occupied by Soviet forces at the end of the Second World War—the Soviet Occupation Zone of the Potsdam Agreement, bounded on the east by the Oder-Neisse line. The Soviet zone surrounded West Berlin, but did not include it; as a result, West Berlin remained outside the control of the GDR.
The German Democratic Republic was established in the Soviet Zone, while the Federal Republic was established in the three western zones. The East was often described as a satellite state of the Soviet Union.[3] Soviet occupation authorities began transferring administrative responsibility to German communist leaders in 1948, and the GDR began to function as a state on 7 October 1949.
Naming conventions[edit] Victory Day (9 May) Not to be confused with Victory in Europe Day In the former Soviet Union this festival was celebrated to commemorate the Red Army's victory over the Nazi forces. In communist East Germany, a Soviet-style "Victory Day" on 9 May was an official holiday from 1975 until the end of the republic in 1990. Prior to that, "Liberation Day" was celebrated on 8 May, between 1950 and 1966, and again on the 40th anniversary in 1985. Since 2002, the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has observed a commemoration day known as the "Day of Liberation from National Socialism, and the End of the Second World War".[2] In 1988,[citation needed] before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Victory Day ceased to be observed in Uzbekistan, but was partially restored in 1999 as Memorial/Remembrance Day.[3] After their separation from the Soviet Union, the Baltic countries now commemorate the end of World War II on 8 May, the Victory in Europe Day.[4] Two separate capitulation events took place at the time.
Victory_Day_Parade_2005-38. Victory Sparks: Video of festive fireworks in heart of Moscow. Potsdam Conference. Clement Attlee, Harry Truman and Joseph Stalin at the Potsdam Conference, circa 28 July -- 1 August 1945 The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 17 July to 2 August 1945. (In some older documents it is also referred to as the Berlin Conference of the Three Heads of Government of the USSR, USA and UK[2][3]) Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. The three powers were represented by Communist Party General Secretary Joseph Stalin, Prime Ministers Winston Churchill,[4] and, later, Clement Attlee,[5] and President Harry S. Truman. Relationships amongst the leaders[edit] In the five months since the Yalta Conference, a number of changes had taken place which would greatly affect the relationships between the leaders. 1. 3.
While inexperienced in foreign affairs, Truman had closely followed the allied progress of the war. Potsdam Agreements[edit] Indochina[edit]