How the war was going for Germany’s army

How the war affected Germans at home in Germany

1939

·         Hitler was in control of much of western and eastern Europe.

o   High morale.

·         Many people still remembered the horrors of the First World War.

·         Food and clothing rations were introduced.

·         Luxury goods were imported into Germany from captured territories.

o   High morale.

1940

 

 

1941

·         Hitler invaded the Soviet Union – “tore the heart out of the German army”.

·         Longer working hours, cutbacks on heating, and having to recycle rubbish due to the expensive war with Russian forces.

·         Civilians donated 1.5 million fur coats to keep the German army fighting in Russia warm.

1942

·         Soldiers’ morale started to decline.

·         The “Final Solution” begins – millions of Jewish civilians are executed.

·         Women drafted into the labor force – contradicting the Nazis’ ‘traditional’ view of women.

o   Shows that desperation has started to take over.

·         The Dresden Bombing took place.  This crippled German civilians’ morale.

·         Bombing became more frequent over the next few years.

1943

·         The tides turn – War in Europe starts to favour the Allies.

·         All efforts focused on the armament industries – postal services suspended, letterboxes closed, places of entertainment closed, etc.

1944

·         Morale was significantly low on the front-line and the war was coming to its end.

·         Support for the Nazis was extremely weak as it was evident that the war was over.

1945

 

·         Food supplies were dwindling.  3.5 million German civilians had died.

·Germany was left shattered.

author avatar
William Anderson (Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team)
William completed his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in 2013. He current serves as a lecturer, tutor and freelance writer. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, walking his dog and parasailing.
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Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, and France fall to Hitler and Germany
Article last reviewed: 2022 | St. Rosemary Institution © 2010-2024 | Creative Commons 4.0

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