The Great Patriotic War
The German Invasion






The Great Patriotic War
The Uneasy Alliance



With German forces invading the Soviet Union, Britain and the USSR became NATURAL ALLIES. US President Roosevelt and British prime minister Churchill signed the ATLANTIC CHARTER, an understanding about Europe's post-war oder, on August 14th 1941. The Unired States assured the USSR assistance.
The main line along US supplies were transported into Russia was across Iran. Western media portrayed Josef Stalin from this time on as UNCLE JOE, a patriotic and well-meaning leader able to lead the valiant Russian people to victory over Nazi Germany. By entering in this alliance, the US and Britain acquiesced into the Soviet annexion of the Baltic Republics, Eastern Karelia, Eastern Poland, Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina.
For the time being there were only two fronts in the European theatre, a minor one in North Africa where British and US forces faced German-Italian forces under command of Erwin Rommel, and the Russian front. Russian forces succeeded in envelopping the German 6th Army under the command of GENERAL PAULUS in Stalingrad and force it to surrender (Feb. 2nd 1943). From then on, the Russians were on the advance. In July 1943, the Germans undertook a last attempt to take the offensive again, but were defeated in the BATTLE OF KURSK. The Russians broke the siege of Leningrad and, constantly pounding at the German front, pushed it back and back.
This offensive came with terrible costs attached, both in human lives and in material. Stalin therefore, since 1942, demanded that Britain and the US open a third front in Western Europe. Churchill planned the raid on DIEPPE (Aug. 19th 1942) partly in order to appease Stalin. However, the third front was established as late as June 6th 1944, with the INVASION OF NORMANDY.


EXTERNAL
FILES 		Library of Congress, Country Studies : Russia, chapter Great Patriotic War
DOCUMENTS Time Magazine : Joseph Stalin, Man of the Year 1939, 1942
REFERENCE Richard Overy, Russia's ar. A History of the Soviet War Effort 1941-1945, London : Penguin 1997 [G]
Article : USSR, in : Americana Annual 1943 pp.722-730 (on events of 1942) [G]
Article : USSR, in : Americana Annual 1944 pp.695-701 (on events of 1943) [G]


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2000, last revised on September 24th 2006

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