Did Stalin really think Hitler was not going to attack?

Question

This one puzzles me. Also how did the Russians turn things around so fast? They were getting clobbered there for a while.

Answer 1

Not indefinately, Stalin knew Hitler feared war on two fronts, and thus exploited this through Molotov Ribbentrov in order to rebuild his army after the great officer purge. Stalin started to move many of his factories deeper in the USSR because he forsaw the invasion and the staggering lost ground he would have to concede. The USSR was only able to defeat the German advance in the bitter Russian winter. The Germans were not prepared to supply their armies so deep in frozen Russian Territory, and thus were cut off from supply. Without ammunition, food, and fuel It's impossible to fight.

Answer 2

Stalin distrusted Churchill and Roosevelt more than he did Hitler. Both of the allied leaders tried to contact Joe separately, to warn him of the impending German attack. Stalin used to tell his cronies "No matter how inevitable a German-Russian conflict will be, the current ruse is nothing but a ploy by the British and Americans to get us to fight the German." Stalin even slowed down the build up frontier defences so as not to provoke the Fuhrer. He was cognizant that the start of WWI was precipated by the Kaiser who saw Russian mobilization as an act of war.

Answer 3

Stalin had trust in the agreement with Hitler, so was not totally prepared for the attack, however, he did have divisions in forward positions (just in case). Hitlers downfall in World War II was his attack into Russia. Had he honored his agreement....the war would have gone differently. The extreme Russian winters, and the committed Russian soldiers, and the German inability to resupply an army spread too thin was their ultimate demise. Add superior Allied Forces attacking supply lines and leaving hardened military targets alone to the equation and you have a demotivated army with no food or bullets.

Answer 4

Im not sure to be honest I have heard conflicting things, but I can answer the second part.
When hitler attacked many peasants joined the military quickly using whatever they could find as weapons. Tehy backed up into weather conditions that the germans were not prepared for. Germany also had to fight a two front war (THE TRUE TURNING POINT OF THE WAR) and had to spread its troops thinner. This is why many American and Canadian soldiers returned and were so interested in communism, because of the patriotism of the soldiers who fought with nothing.

Answer 5

Stalin and Hitler had an agreement. And Hitler underestimated Russian Winters.

Answer 6

Soviet Union troops as an entire have been neither elite nor properly knowledgeable - 50% of them lacked rifles till a mixture of heavy losses and Lend-hire kit from u . s . a . and Britain arrived in adequate parts to even provide each and every soldier boots (that have been a concern request from Stalin whilst he grew to become into initially asked what the Soviet Union mandatory maximum whilst Lend-hire shipments began). If the Germans did not attack the Soviet Union in summer season 1941,that they had a huge military that would have been used someplace else,and if sent to North Africa in adequate stress would have gained the campaign there, taking administration of the Suez Canal and beginning off up conquest of the middle East and its oil materials.this could have been deadly to the Allies in WW2. So,on your situation,a Soviet military with out adequate rifles or perhaps adequate boots,and with out Lend-hire shipments (which blanketed 10 million a lot of strategic uncooked ingredients) is going to attack a German militia with out gasoline problems,and no distractions on different fronts. There could in basic terms be one winner in this kind of situation,and it does not be the Soviet Union.