Please give a short description and tell the signifigance of the following events. Thanks again. 1) Soviets signn non- agression pact with Germany. 2) German invades Poland 3) Battle of Dunkirk 4) Battle of Britain 5) US congress approves the lend-lease program Anything helps thanks.
Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression pact --> http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/pact.htm German invasion of Poland --> http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/poland.htm Dunkirk --> http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/dunkirk.htm Battle of Britain --> http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Alley/5443/bofb1.htm Lead Lease --> http://www.classbrain.com/artteenst/publish/article_83.shtml Hope those help. If you want anymore information, I'd advise you search on any of the major search engines and see what you find. Gnomey
1. Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact: this truce between two bitter enemies, Nazism and Communism, enabled Hitler to invade Poland and then the West without having to worry about watching his back. In addition, the Soviets obediently provided Hitler with supplies, and were allowed to gobble up Eastern Poland, the Baltic States, and a piece of Romania. 2. German invasion of Poland, September 1939. Germans conquered the nation in less than a month. Their use of air power, armor, and mobile warfare impressed and shocked other nations, but apparently had little impact on the French. The invasion was followed by colossal butchery: millions of Poles and Jews were slaughtered in concentration camps. 3. Dunkirk, May 1940. The British successfully evacuated their two corps of troops and French forces under German attack and air bombardment. Saving the force gave Britain a manpower reserve to defend itself against invasion and the nucleus of the army that invaded France in 1944. The British nation as a whole went out to save their troops in the famous “Little Ships.” The evacuated troops left behind their arms and equipment, but the battle was a moral victory for the British, as they came together as never before, determined to fight behind Churchill. 4. Battle of Britain, August-October 1940. First major defeat for Germany. Luftwaffe fails to gain air superiority over British soil, which forces Hitler to cancel plans to invade the British Isles. Hitler’s line of easy victories comes to an end. Next stop: Russia. Lend-Lease Act: This enabled America to supply arms and equipment to the British without them paying for it. That in turn enabled Britain and other allies (Russia and France, later) to re-equip their forces, in the Soviet case, after huge losses in battle, in the French case, to modernize after Torch. Lend-Lease also led to standardization of Allied war effort and its logistics chain – all Allied powers used American jeeps, trucks, halftracks, tanks, jerricans, and so on.
Originally posted by Devil@Mar 22 2005, 08:05 PM Is it true that Hitler thrown into fire by his own men after he killed himself [post=32468]Quoted post[/post] he gave orders that both his and Eva brauns bodies were to be burnt. this was carried out
Originally posted by Devil@Mar 22 2005, 04:05 PM Is it true that Hitler thrown into fire by his own men after he killed himself [post=32468]Quoted post[/post] His body was cremated on-site. There are several books on the subject, with details varying. The witnesses present were under the highest level of stress, but the convergence is the same: the body was taken up the stairs to the bomb-blasted yard near the Fuhrerbunker, doused with gasoline, and burned. They didn't do a good job of it, as it was not incinerated thoroughly, and the Soviets found enough bones to make an indentification. There was even less fuel to eliminate the cadavers of Goebbels and his wife. Of all the descriptions I've read, Joseph O'Donnell's The Bunker has the best comment on the scene, quoting the Prophet Isaiah on the bizarre tableaux.
Originally posted by Kiwiwriter+Mar 23 2005, 04:13 PM-->(Kiwiwriter @ Mar 23 2005, 04:13 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-Devil@Mar 22 2005, 04:05 PM Is it true that Hitler thrown into fire by his own men after he killed himself [post=32468]Quoted post[/post] His body was cremated on-site. There are several books on the subject, with details varying. The witnesses present were under the highest level of stress, but the convergence is the same: the body was taken up the stairs to the bomb-blasted yard near the Fuhrerbunker, doused with gasoline, and burned. They didn't do a good job of it, as it was not incinerated thoroughly, and the Soviets found enough bones to make an indentification. There was even less fuel to eliminate the cadavers of Goebbels and his wife. Of all the descriptions I've read, Joseph O'Donnell's The Bunker has the best comment on the scene, quoting the Prophet Isaiah on the bizarre tableaux. [post=32490]Quoted post[/post] [/b]I've read O'Donnells book and its a good read although I have read another book containing a rebuttal of facts in "The Berlin Bunker" which I shall dig out and make reference to tomorrow (head like a sieve). The cremations were botched up, I believe the Driver Kempka and Hitler's valet Linge were the ones to do it and in order to set the bodies on fire, they threw lighted paper from the entrance to the bunker as it was dangerous to be out in the garden where the bodies were. I assume that snipers were around. What I find ironic about Hitler's Death in Berlin is that the City had no recognised wehrmacht or German SS formations defending the leader of the 3rd Reich at the end. There was a contigent of Frenchmen under General Krukenberg and elements of SS Nordland but other than that the rest were disorganised units and patched formations of second line troops and volksturm. The Army that had taken Hitler to the shores of the Atlantic and the Volga was noticeably absent at the end.
The Berlin Bunker it is written by a german journalist. ihad a copy but left it on a bus - nevr handed in!
Originally posted by Gotthard Heinrici+Mar 23 2005, 01:36 PM-->(Gotthard Heinrici @ Mar 23 2005, 01:36 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'>Originally posted by Kiwiwriter@Mar 23 2005, 04:13 PM <!--QuoteBegin-Devil@Mar 22 2005, 04:05 PM Is it true that Hitler thrown into fire by his own men after he killed himself [post=32468]Quoted post[/post] His body was cremated on-site. There are several books on the subject, with details varying. The witnesses present were under the highest level of stress, but the convergence is the same: the body was taken up the stairs to the bomb-blasted yard near the Fuhrerbunker, doused with gasoline, and burned. They didn't do a good job of it, as it was not incinerated thoroughly, and the Soviets found enough bones to make an indentification. There was even less fuel to eliminate the cadavers of Goebbels and his wife. Of all the descriptions I've read, Joseph O'Donnell's The Bunker has the best comment on the scene, quoting the Prophet Isaiah on the bizarre tableaux. [post=32490]Quoted post[/post] I've read O'Donnells book and its a good read although I have read another book containing a rebuttal of facts in "The Berlin Bunker" which I shall dig out and make reference to tomorrow (head like a sieve). The cremations were botched up, I believe the Driver Kempka and Hitler's valet Linge were the ones to do it and in order to set the bodies on fire, they threw lighted paper from the entrance to the bunker as it was dangerous to be out in the garden where the bodies were. I assume that snipers were around. What I find ironic about Hitler's Death in Berlin is that the City had no recognised wehrmacht or German SS formations defending the leader of the 3rd Reich at the end. There was a contigent of Frenchmen under General Krukenberg and elements of SS Nordland but other than that the rest were disorganised units and patched formations of second line troops and volksturm. The Army that had taken Hitler to the shores of the Atlantic and the Volga was noticeably absent at the end. [post=32493]Quoted post[/post] [/b]O'Donnell's book is good but not definitive. Two of its values are that it covers the experiences of the Bunker crew, which often are only covered in the context of thier relationship to Hitler. The second is his acidic writing, which is a suitable tone for the subject. As I said, accuracy on the final days of Hitler is tough. Everybody was tired, exhausted, and at a high level of hysteria and tension. The SS troops holding Berlin were an odd bunch, including many of the "Foreign Legions," including an English guy, Patrick Leslie Cornford, from the "Britische Freikorps!" They fought hard, with good reason...they knew that if they were caught, they would be shot -- if not by the Soviets, by their home nations, as traitors. They had nothing left to lose but their lives. Also present was Himmler's SS-Wach Battalion, fighting for the Reichstag, and a detachment of naval midshipmen in gold braid, flown down from Wilhelmshaven and other naval schools, most of whom had never seen a rifle or a rifle range. O'Donnell found only one survivor. Doenitz sent them as a birthday present to Der Fuehrer.
Here is a breakdown of the German Order of Battle during the Battle for Berlin as compiled by Tony Le Tissier in his book "Race for the Reichstag": OKW RESERVE (later allocated to the LVI Panzer Corps, 9th Army) 18th Panzergrenadier Division (Maj Gen Josef Rauch) 30th & 51st Panzergrenadier Regts 118th Panzer Regt (part) 18th Artillery Regt ARMY GROUP ‘VISTULA’ (Col Gen Gotthard Heinrici) III SS ‘Germanic’ Panzer Corps (SS Lt Gen Felix Steiner) (divisions later allocated to the 9th Army) 11th SS ‘Nordland’ Panzergrenadier Division (SS Maj Gen Jurgen Ziegler / SS Maj Gen Dr Gustav Krukenburg) 23rd ‘Norge’ Panzergrenadier Regt 24th ‘Danmark’ Panzergrenadier Regt 11th SS ‘Hermann von Salza’ Panzer Btn 503rd SS Heavy Tank Btn 11th SS ‘Nordland’ Armoured Reconnaissance Btn 23rd SS ‘Nederland’ Panzergrenadier Division (SS Maj Gen Wagner) (divisions later allocated to the 3rd Panzer Army) 27th SS ‘Langemarck’ Grenadier Division 28th SS ‘Wallonien’ Grenadier Division 3rd Panzer Army (Gen Hasso von Manteuffel) ‘Swinemunde’ Corps (Lt Gen Ansat) 402nd & 2nd Naval Divisions XXXII Corps (Lt Gen Schack) ‘Voigt’ & 281st Infantry Divisions 549th Volksgrenadier Division Stettin Garrison ‘Oder’ Corps (SS Lt Gen von dem Bach / Gen Hörnlein) 610th & ‘Klossek’ Infantry Divisions XXXXVI Panzer Corps (Gen Martin Gareis) 547th Volksgrenadier Division 1st Naval Division 9th Army (Gen Theodor Busse) 156th Infantry Division 541st Volksgrenadier Division 404th Volks Artillery Corps 406th Volks Artillery Corps 408th Volks Artillery Corps CI Corps (Gen Wilhelm Berlin / Lt Gen Friedrich Sixt) 5th Light Infantry Division 606th Infantry Division 309th ‘Berlin’ Infantry Division 25th Panzergrenadier Division 111th SPG Training Bde ‘1001 Nights’ Combat Group LVI Panzer Corps (Gen Helmuth Weidling) 9th Fallschirmjäger Division (Gen Bruno Braüer / Col Harry Herrmann) 25th, 26th & 27th Fallschirmjäger Regts 9th Fallschirmjäger Artillery Regt 20th Panzergrenadier Division (Col / Maj Gen Georg Scholze) 76th & 90th Panzergrenadier Regts 8th Panzer Btn 20th Artillery Regt ‘Müncheberg’ Panzer Division (Maj Gen Werner Mummert) 1st & 2nd ‘Müncheberg’ Panzergrenadier Regts ‘Müncheberg’ Panzer Regt ‘Müncheburg’ Armoured Artillery Regt 920th SPG Training Bde XI SS Panzer Corps (SS Gen Mathias Kleinheisterkamp) 303rd ‘Döberitz’ Infantry Division 169th Infantry Division 712th Infantry Division ‘Kurmark’ Panzergrenadier Division 502nd SS Heavy Tank Btn Frankfurt an der Oder Garrison (Col / Maj Gen Ernst Biehler) V SS Mountain Corps (SS Gen Friedrich Jackeln) 286th Infantry Division 32nd SS ’30. Januar’ Volksgrenadier Division 391st Sy Division 561st SS Tank Hunting Btn ARMY GROUP CENTRE (Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner) 4th Panzer Army (Gen Fritz-Herbert Gräser) (later transferred to the 9th Army) V Corps (Lt Gen Wagner) 35th SS Police Grenadier Division 36th SS Grenadier Division 275th Infantry Division 342nd Infantry Division 21st Panzer Division 12th Army (Gen Walter Wenck) XX Corps (Gen Carl-Erik Koehler) ‘Theodor Körner’ RAD Division ‘Ulrich von Hutten’ Infantry Division ‘Ferdinand von Schill’ Infantry Division ‘Scharnhorst’ Infantry Division XXXIX Panzer Corps (Lt Gen Karl Arndt) (12 – 21 April 1945 under OKW with the following structure) ‘Clausewitz’ Panzer Division ‘Schlageter’ RAD Division 84th Infantry Division (21 – 26 April 1945 under 12th Army with the following structure) ‘Clausewitz’ Panzer Division 84th Infantry Division ‘Hamburg’ Reserve Infantry Division ‘Meyer’ Infantry Division XXXXI Panzer Corps (Lt Gen Holste) ‘von Hake’ Infantry Division 199th Infantry Division ‘V-Weapons’ Infantry Division 1st HJ Tank Destroyer Bde ‘Hermann Göring’ Jagdpanzer Bde XXXXVIII Panzer Corps (Gen Maximillian Reichsherr von Edelscheim) 14th Flak Division ‘Leipzig’ Battle Group ‘Halle’ Battle Group Ungrouped Formations ‘Friedrich Ludwig Jahn’ RAD Division (Col Gerhard Klein / Col Franz Weller) ‘Potsdam’ Infantry Division (Col Erich Lorenz) Busse's 9th Army and Wenck's 12th Army were prinicipally caught up in the Battle for the Halbe Pocket
That OB is fascinating...talk about a "dog's breakfast" of units. The "1001 Nights" brigade? A panzer corps made of Naval Divisions? (Those were sailors released from ships) The 9th Parachute Division held Seelow Heights and crumbled under Soviet pressure. Most of the 9th Parachute Division were Luftwaffe ground crewmen, who had very little infantry training. Thanks for sharing that.
Originally posted by Kiwiwriter@Mar 24 2005, 02:25 PM That OB is fascinating...talk about a "dog's breakfast" of units. The "1001 Nights" brigade? A panzer corps made of Naval Divisions? (Those were sailors released from ships) The 9th Parachute Division held Seelow Heights and crumbled under Soviet pressure. Most of the 9th Parachute Division were Luftwaffe ground crewmen, who had very little infantry training. Thanks for sharing that. [post=32517]Quoted post[/post] That Fallschirmjager Unit the 9th, was commaded by Bruno Bauer, who I believe was executed after the war for war crimes committed in Crete. did he execute New Zealand prisoners???? another interesting figure at the time was the commander of the 56th Panzer Corps General Weidling. In the space of 24 hours he went from being arrested to being made commandant of the Berlin Garrison!!!! Yeah there were some pretty weird units in that order of battle but even take the amount of SS Divisions. Of 38 recognised Units, 11 were formed in 1945!!!: Name Strength 26th SS Ungarische 13000 30th Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS ( Weissruthenische Division ) Strength 4500 31st SS Freiwilligen Grenadier Division Strength 11000 32nd SS Freiwilligen Grenadier Division Strength 2000 33rd Waffen Kavallerie SS Division Destroyed 1945 number given to next 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS( Charlemagne Division ) 34th Waffen grenadier SS Division ( Landstorm Nederland Division ) Strength 7000 35th SS Polizei Grenadier Division Strength 5000 36th Waffen Grenadier Division Der SS Strength 6000 37th SS Freiwilligen Kavallerie Division (Lutzow Division ) Strength 1000 38th SS Grenadier Division ( Nibelungen ) Strength 1000 As can be seen very few, if any, of these units came anywhere near what could be classed as divisional strength.
Really interesting informaton Gotthard. Thanks for sharing that, there really was a hodge podge of units defending Berlin, many nowhere near what could be classed as divisional strength.
Most of the 9th Parachute Division were Luftwaffe ground crewmen, who had very little infantry training. Thanks for sharing that. You must remember that 2500 luftwaffe personnel were transfered to the 1SS Divison and fought with great skill with the SS. Also, remember that britain had the Royal Naval Division in WWI which was made up of serving RN people. in addition after D-day there was a run down of units in RAF and many personnel were transfered to the army. men who had volunteered from Aircrew duties found themselves humping rifles around Northern europe.
Originally posted by morse1001@Mar 25 2005, 12:20 PM Most of the 9th Parachute Division were Luftwaffe ground crewmen, who had very little infantry training. Thanks for sharing that. You must remember that 2500 luftwaffe personnel were transfered to the 1SS Divison and fought with great skill with the SS. Also, remember that britain had the Royal Naval Division in WWI which was made up of serving RN people. in addition after D-day there was a run down of units in RAF and many personnel were transfered to the army. men who had volunteered from Aircrew duties found themselves humping rifles around Northern europe. [post=32541]Quoted post[/post] All very true, but the 9th Parachute Division crumpled on Seelow Heights, nonetheless. Many of the Luftwaffe personnel who had been transferred earlier to 1 SS and other divisions had served in Goering's Luftwaffe field army, so they had more battle-training and combat action. Also the Royal Naval Division was based on serving RN people, but at that time, European navies had vast experience with shore landing parties from colonial battles, and bluejackets often fought land battles against assorted enemies, ranging across the globe. These included the Chinese Boxers in 1900. The first attempt to relieve the siege of Beijing was made by Admiral Seymour and 2,000 Royal Navy sailors and Marines. They were stopped by sheer numbers, and the famous expeditionary force backed them up in the final drive on Beijing. They had a lot of sailors, too. The defense of Bejing was initially led by the skipper of the Austrian cruiser Zenta, by virtue of seniority and a bad temper, and his first order to fall back was greeted with gasps by diplomats and other military attaches alike. Realizing that the seniority rules of the Austrian Navy did not apply, the diplomats fired the captain. Many of Beijing's defending troops were Austrian, Italian, and Spanish sailors themselves.
Originally posted by Kiwiwriter+Mar 28 2005, 02:59 PM-->(Kiwiwriter @ Mar 28 2005, 02:59 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-morse1001@Mar 25 2005, 12:20 PM Most of the 9th Parachute Division were Luftwaffe ground crewmen, who had very little infantry training. Thanks for sharing that. You must remember that 2500 luftwaffe personnel were transfered to the 1SS Divison and fought with great skill with the SS. Also, remember that britain had the Royal Naval Division in WWI which was made up of serving RN people. in addition after D-day there was a run down of units in RAF and many personnel were transfered to the army. men who had volunteered from Aircrew duties found themselves humping rifles around Northern europe. [post=32541]Quoted post[/post] All very true, but the 9th Parachute Division crumpled on Seelow Heights, nonetheless. Many of the Luftwaffe personnel who had been transferred earlier to 1 SS and other divisions had served in Goering's Luftwaffe field army, so they had more battle-training and combat action. Also the Royal Naval Division was based on serving RN people, but at that time, European navies had vast experience with shore landing parties from colonial battles, and bluejackets often fought land battles against assorted enemies, ranging across the globe. These included the Chinese Boxers in 1900. The first attempt to relieve the siege of Beijing was made by Admiral Seymour and 2,000 Royal Navy sailors and Marines. They were stopped by sheer numbers, and the famous expeditionary force backed them up in the final drive on Beijing. They had a lot of sailors, too. The defense of Bejing was initially led by the skipper of the Austrian cruiser Zenta, by virtue of seniority and a bad temper, and his first order to fall back was greeted with gasps by diplomats and other military attaches alike. Realizing that the seniority rules of the Austrian Navy did not apply, the diplomats fired the captain. Many of Beijing's defending troops were Austrian, Italian, and Spanish sailors themselves. [post=32629]Quoted post[/post] [/b]Good point well made Kiwiwriter. When Goering heard that the 9th Parachute Division had run away, he went into a fury saying "Not my paratroops" until, having it verified, he then went into a sulk!!!!
