The Soviet Union By June 1941

• Stalin was caught by surprise although he had increased defence spending, he miscalculated when Hitler would turn east.
• Purges from 1936-38 removed most senior officers and therefore there was inadequate training. The Red Army was dispersed across Russia which meant that initially they were outnumbered by the Germans.
• Stalin re-established dual control of military units which increased party control but hindered combat capabilities.
• There were deficiencies in the quality and quantity of equipment. Aircraft, tanks and guns were old and navy reconstruction was slow. Stalin developed traditional battleships rather than aircraft carriers.
• Insufficient investment in agriculture led to food shortages
• Anti-fascist propaganda was removed in 1939 so the morale of the army was weak
• The Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939 created an alliance and planned for the invasion of Poland
• But in 1941, Operation Barbarossa had German troops invade the Soviet Union and initially, the Soviets seemed to be facing imminent defeat.