What was Operation Barbarossa?
1 Answer
It refers to the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941.
Explanation:
Despite the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the subsequent division of Poland war between these two ideological enemies was inevitable.
Despite accurate and very detailed warnings from his spies about the imminence of the attack, Stalin refused to believe them. On June 22nd 1941 the Germans launched the biggest offensive to date in military history.
The attack had three prongs. Army Group North had as their target Leningrad (now St Petersburg). Army Group Centre drove towards Moscow and Army Group South were directed to take Stalingrad on the Volga.
Initially as with the war in the West the German Blitzkreig had rapid success with massive areas of territory being captured and whole Soviet armies wiped out. Within days cities such as Minsk and Kiev were taken. However there were fundamental flaws from the beginning.
Firstly Hitler interfered with his generals at every juncture. Delays in launching the attack meant that victory could not be secured before the Russian winter set in.
Hitler also assumed that the racial inferiority of the Russians would ensure a quick victory. This did not happen and so the decision not to equip the German army with winter clothing proved disastrous.
Hitler's constant redeployment of armies led to situations which logistically could not be sustained. His refusal to let the 6th army retreat at Stalingrad saw German forces wiped out and the loss of one quarter of their entire armour.
A 3 year siege of Leningrad failed to take the city, and Hitler's refusal to advance to Moscow and instead diverting troops south allowed the Russians to stop them outside the Soviet capital.
With the failure of the Germans to break through at Kursk in 1943, the biggest tank battle in history, the German army retreated; a retreat which only ended in Berlin.
