Title / 15. Reading - Operation Barbarossa
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Author / Mark Callagher
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Focus Questions

1.  Why did Hitler decide to invade the Soviet Union?
2.  Why did Hitler expect an easy victory?
3.  What explains the stunning early successes of the German attack?
4.  What saved the Russians from defeat? /

Hitler turns East

Nazi-Soviet Pact
At the start of 1941 Germany and the USSR were still allies, bound together by the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939. But the two countries had become allies only because it was convenient for them both at that time.
Communism and Lebensraum
Hitler had always hated communism and also desired to gain ‘lebensraum’ (living space) by taking land from the USSR. So, despite the Nazi-Soviet Pact, Hitler was already planning a massive attack on the USSR’s western frontier. /
<caption>Hitler with his Generals planning the attack on the Soviet Union</caption>

Other reasons

Romanian Oil supplies
Germany needed a steady supply of oil to maintain the German war machine. Russia posed a constant threat to Romanian oil supplies.
Russian Raw Materials
Russia had been selling Germany both oil and grain since 1939. Hitler was worried that Russia might cut the supply at any time. A successful invasion would prevent this.
Influence the British
Once Russia was defeated, Hitler also believed that the British would be forced to give up fighting and seek to make peace with Germany.
Wrong Assumptions about Soviet intentions
Hitler may have reasoned that the Soviet Union was preparing to invade Germany to expand its empire. This incorrect assumption may also have influenced his decision to invade. /
<caption>Oil fields in Romania</caption>

Easy Victory?

The French had been defeated in six weeks and the Russian army was much weaker than the French army

·  Hitler had seen how the Red Army had struggled to defeat the Finns

·  Russian tanks and planes were mostly out of date

·  The Russian Military leadership had been purged since 1937

Most German generals agreed that Russia could be defeated quickly.

The Russian economy was also in a mess.

Hitler had said that:

“We have only to kick in the front door and the whole rotten Russian edifice will come tumbling down”

In the USA, President Roosevelt was told:

“it will take Germany at least one month to defeat Russia, and not more than three months”.

Barbarossa

Operation Barbarossa was the German codename for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, which commenced on 22 June 1941.
Red Beard
The operation was named after the 12th century Roman Emperor Frederick I. He was German and had tried to unite the Germanic peoples. He had a long flowing red beard and so his people called him Barbarossa (Red-Beard). /
<caption>Statue of the Red bearded Emperor Frederick Barbarossa</caption>

German Preparations

In preparation for the attack, Hitler moved 3.2 million men to the Soviet border, launched many aerial surveillance missions over Soviet territory, and stockpiled vast amounts of material in the East.
Yet the Soviets were still taken by surprise. This has mostly to do with Stalin’s unshakeable belief that the Third Reich was unlikely to attack only two years after signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. /
<caption>Deployment of forces before the invasion</caption>

Invasion Plan

<caption>Final invasion plan for Operation Barbarossa</caption>

Soviet Preparedness

Military Forces
In 1941 the Soviet armed forces outnumbered their German counterparts by a great margin. Estimates are that the Soviet Union had 4.5 million men in arms at the inception of Operation Barbarossa. It could field about 24,000 tanks against the German 3,350.
However, the Soviet numerical advantage was more than offset by the superior average quality of German planes (and even tanks) along with the much superior training of German forces. /
<caption>Soviet troops in preparation</caption>

Leadership

The Soviet officer corps and high command had also been decimated by Stalin’s Great Purge (1935–1938), during which almost all experienced Red Army officers and generals were executed or shipped to Siberia, replaced with officers deemed more “politically reliable”.
As a result, although on paper the Red Army in 1941 seemed at least the equal of the German army, the reality in the field was far different; incompetent officers, as well as partial lack of equipment, poor quality of equipment, insufficient motorised logistical support, and poor training placed the Red Army at a severe disadvantage when facing the Germans. /
<caption>Soviet (Red Army) Soldiers</caption>

The Attack

On 22 June 1941, the Axis Forces attacked. Germany was also helped by her eastern European allies – Finland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. Italian divisions also took part in the invasion.
The operation encompassed total troop strength of over three million men and 3350 tanks, making it the biggest single land operation ever. The surprise was complete, stemming less from the timing of the attack than from the sheer number of Axis troops who struck into Soviet territory all at once. Arrayed against them were 4.5 million Red Army troops. /
<caption>A German Panzer Group advancing into the Soviet Union</caption>

Blitzkrieg Again

Germany used the Blitzkrieg (Lightening War) tactics which had been so successful in France. The Luftwaffe and Panzer (Tank) Divisions went ahead causing havoc and paving the way for motorised German troops to mop up.

<caption>The Luftwaffe on a bombing mission ahead of German troops</caption>

Early Successes

German troops routed all before them. The attack was progressing according to plan.
The advance had a three pronged attack
Army group North advanced on Leningrad.
Army group Centre, with the largest force, advanced on the capital Moscow.
Army group South advanced into the Ukraine and also covered the flank of the Centre army. /

Scorched Earth

As German forces advanced Stalin ordered a “scorched earth” policy for the Ukraine. This meant that when retreating everything was to be destroyed and that nothing was to be left behind for the advancing enemy.
“… all rolling stock must be evacuated, the enemy must not be left a single engine, a single railway car, not a single pound of grain or gallon of fuel. The collective farmers must drive off all their cattle and turn over their grain to the safe keeping of the state authorities for transportation to the rear. All valuable property, including non-ferrous metals, grain and fuel that cannot be withdrawn must be destroyed without fail. In areas occupied by the enemy, guerrilla units....must set fire to forests, stores and transports.” /
<caption>Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin</caption>

Switching Sides

Many former Soviet Nationalities welcomed the Germans and joined in the fight against their former Soviet oppressors.
Ukrainians had suffered a severe man-made famine in the early 1930’s caused by Stalin’s inhumane policies. Over five million had died of famine caused by forced Collectivisation policies. /
<caption>Victims of the 1932-33 famine in the Ukraine</caption>

Advance on Moscow

As the main Army Group Centre advanced on Moscow, German confidence in an impending victory was high.
This German cartoon by Bogner appeared when it seemed that Moscow would be captured. Stalin is seen setting fire to the city; while he retreats /
<caption>Title: It is all in order. Caption: “The citizens of Moscow are ready to go through fire for Stalin”</caption>

Change of Fortune

The German advance stalled within sight of Moscow. The Red Army along with citizens of Moscow rallied to defend the city against the advancing Panzer divisions. /
<caption>Moscow citizens digging tank traps to protect the capital</caption>

Battle of Moscow

The battle for Moscow was intense. The Germans never got closer than 20 miles from the city centre, but the battle resulted in some 700,000 Red Army casualties and 250,000 Axis ones. /
<caption>Soviet troops at the Moscow front</caption>

Russian Winter

The Russian winter struck in November. It was one of the fiercest winters in years.
Hitler had expected victory in a few months and did not prepare for a war lasting into the winter. It froze the petrol which stalled the German panzers (tanks). German troops froze having been issued with only summer uniforms. /
<caption>German troops struggling in the Russian Winter</caption>

Soviet Counter Offensive

Stalin, relying on intelligence that Japan would not strike at the USSR in the east, brought his elite Siberian troops to the Moscow front to lead a counterattack.
The German Army was unprepared to face the much better winter equipped and mobile Russian troops. They were forced into a costly retreat. /
<caption>Soviet troops dressed for the Russian winter</caption>

Digging in

The Russian counterattack eventually stalled with both sides digging in to wait out the winter. /
<caption>Land retaken by Soviet forces</caption>

Heading to disaster

It was to be the turning point for the fortunes of Hitler's Third Reich in that the failure of Operation Barbarossa arguably resulted in the eventual overall defeat of Nazi Germany. The failure to capture Moscow and defeat Russia before winter set in was costly. Now instead of the quick blitzkrieg tactics the German Army would have to dig in for a long war of attrition.
The Eastern Front which was opened by Operation Barbarossa would become the biggest theatre of war in World War II, with some of the largest and most brutal battles, terrible loss of life, and miserable conditions for Russians and Germans alike. /
<caption>“To Russia” by Saul Steinberg (USA)</caption>

German atrocities revealed

With the retaking of German held territory by Soviet troops the truth about what life under the Nazi regime would mean was revealed. /
<caption>The bodies of Soviet civilians killed by the Germans</caption>

Nazi Racism

The Nazis considered the Slavic population of the Soviet Union to be subhuman and wanted to enslave them. /
<caption>A Soviet civilian about to be executed</caption>

Russian Prisoners of War

Russian prisoners were poorly treated by the Germans. As winter arrived many were left to freeze or starve.


<caption>Starved Russian Prisoners of War</caption> /
<caption>Dead Russian Prisoners of War</caption>

Russian Partisans

Russians civilians were often hung publicly to discourage other civilians from continuing to fight against the German occupying army /
<caption>A Russian Youth about to be hanged alongside a young woman</caption>

Summary

·  Hitler planned an attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941 because of his hatred of communism and to secure Lebensraum and valuable resources such as oil.

·  Hitler and his generals expected a quick and decisive victory given the poor state of the Soviet defences

·  Operation Barbarossa was launched on 22nd June with a three pronged attack by three Axis Army groups (North, Centre, South). Nearly 8 million troops fought on both sides.

·  Germany made rapid advances into Soviet territory and were on the outskirts of Leningrad and Moscow by November.

·  The fierce Soviet defence of Moscow helped stall the German advance until the early and bitter Russian winter arrived.

·  Germany had been expecting a quick victory with its troops totally unprepared to fight through the harsh winter conditions.

·  Russia launched a successful counter offensive regaining a lot of territory.

·  A stalemate resulted in which both sides waited out the Russian winter to do battle again in the spring.