Op. Barbarossa

• Operation Barbarossa


  The German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941
• Significance of the Russian campaign

  • The Eastern Front was the site of some of the largest and most decisive battles of the conflict
  • The Soviet victory at Stalingrad marked the first major defeat of the German army and turned the tide in favour of the Allies
  • The subsequent Soviet victories allowed them to push westward, reclaiming occupied territories and advancing towards Berlin
• Strategic implications of the Russian campaign

  • The German defeat on the Eastern Front forced Hitler to divert resources and troops from other critical areas, weakening German positions in North Africa and Western Europe
  • This diversion of resources contributed to the success of Allied operations in other theatres, including the Normandy invasion in 1944
• Strategic miscalculation by Nazi Germany

  • Operation Barbarossa was based on the assumption that the Soviet Union could be defeated within 4 months with Blitzkrieg
  • However, the size of the Soviet Union, logistical challenges, and the resilience of the Soviet military led to a brutal conflict that Germany was ill-prepared to sustain
• Operation Barbarossa

  1. 22 June, 1941: Germans amassed 3 million troops, thousands of tanks, artillery and aircraft and invaded the Soviet Union along a 3,200 km front line

  2. First 4 weeks were successful and the Soviets were overrun quickly

  3. Failure of Nazi leadership to keep strategic value in mind led to Hitler making bad tactic changes which delayed the assault on Moscow by 2 months, allowing the Soviets to strengthen their defences
• Why Barbarossa was successful

  • August 1941 - February 1942: Wehrmacht lost 750,000 men
  • Russian Rasputitza: Temperature plummeted (-5 to -12 during the day), leading to 1,000 cases of frostbite, hypothermia, trench foot, lice and pneumonia, oil and fuel froze inside of vehicles, close air support was unavailable
  • General Zhukov charged with the total defence of Moscow
  • The Soviets utilised every aspect of their society, e.g. women, whereas Hitler did not
• Stalingrad

  1. Roads thawed out in spring of '42, meaning Blitkrieg was now an option

  2. In 1942, German forces faced 2 realities: Win in Russia or be taken prisoner

  3. Operation Blau, a new Blitzkrieg offensive to advance towards Russian oil fields in the Caucasus Mountains, to compromise future Soviet war plans, and to take control of the Volga River by capturing Stalingrad
• Kursk 5-12th July '43 - Operation Citadel

  1. Greatest tank battle in history

  2. Colossal losses on both sides → Red Army could replenish but Wehrmacht couldn't

  3. No more great German Offensives on the Eastern Front

  4. Victory for the Germans was no longer an option and the Soviets held control of the course of the Eastern conflict