I watched a documentary about Hitler's push into the Eastern Front.
The USSR went on the offensive after Hitler pursued them into their homeland. They cut German communication lines, and the Germans took revenge by killing thousands of Soviet civilians and destroying towns. The Germans retreated, but they destroyed bridges along the way and set up defensive positions on the western bank of a major Soviet river. Eventually, the Germans continued their retreat west. Both sides stepped up production of tanks and other munitions to increase the power of their war machines. When winter hit, the Soviets managed to trap the Germans on both sides in the town of Kosun that the Germans occupied. The German general reported to Hitler and asked permission to retreat, but Hitler refused. The German army tried to escape the front, but the Soviets were ready for them, and they suffered heavy losses. The Soviets were being particularly successful in air warfare at this time, and they outnumbered the German Luftwaffne 5 to 1. The Germans began building small fortresses on the ground and were not allowed to leave them--this would eventually prove to be a big mistake on their part. The Germans attempted to hold the line on the Yzgyy Bug River, but failed. The Soviets were winning on all fronts and he began to turn his attention towards other matters. Famine caused half a million Soviet civilians to die in the '44 winter. The Soviets went on the offensive again, attacking a German outpost and they kept up the pressure until the German field marshall requested a retreat, which Hitler refused to grant as usual. Another general replaced him, but this one retreated against Hitler's will, and the siege of Leningrad was finally ended. Peace talks began with Finalnd in Moscow in March of 1944. Stalin demanded nickel-rich land and 60 million in reparations. Meanwhile, the Soviets pushed into Crimea. The Germans were beginning to retreat when the Soviets began to bombard the German lines. Three days later they surrendered. By the spring of 1944, German forces were spread thin. They began to wonder how they could manage to distribute their supplies equally. The Soviets advanced into Finland and finally won out. Stalin's terms were fulfilled, and so he turned his attention to Central Europe. The Soviet air force was virtually unopposed. Hitler was facing defeat at nearly every battle. He realized that fighting on two fronts was going to be difficult to keep up. The Red Army eventually made headway into German-occupied Lithuania and other German-controlled western territories. They once ran across evidence of a German death camp. However, due to current events, the Soviets couldn't afford to pay much mind to it at the time. Stalin wasn't eager to end the war, but instead wanted to promote the spread of communism. By the end of 1944, Stalin had much of Europe under his control, and he prepared to advance into Germany.
The fact that the Soviets controlled much of Europe by the end of the war in Europe was important to the eventual consequences of WWII, such as the Red Scare and the start of the Cold War. Germany used a lot of military force in the Russian front, and the fact that they fought on two fronts made it easier to push them back into Berlin and end the war in Europe.
Comments
Good summary but break info into shorter paragraphs!