OPERATION BARBAROSSA
On June 22, 1941, Adolf Hitler launched his armies eastward in a massive invasion of the Soviet Union breaking the non-aggression pact that he had signed with Stalin in 1939. Hitler saw the Soviet Union as a source of raw materials, agricultural land and labour for the army. By this point the German forces represented the finest army to fight in the twentieth century and the Soviets were unprepared for the attack.
In Barbarossa’s opening month, German armies bit deep into Soviet territory; panzer armies encircled large Soviet forces at Minsk and the outskirts of Moscow. But the Germans were ill-equipped for the long and bitterly cold soviet winter and soon lost their advantage. In 1942, Germany launched another offensive in the Soviet Union, this time focused on the rich oil fields in the South.The Germans struggled to the gates of Stalingrad where they were once again stopped by the severe winter. In desperate conditions, they surrendered and conducted a slow retreat as Soviet attacks threatened to envelop much of their forces in a disastrous defeat.
Barbarossa had failed as the Germans had serious deficiencies such as underestimating their opponent. Barbarossa was the crucial turning point in World War II, for its failure forced Nazi Germany to fight a two-front war against a coalition possessing immensely superior resources.
In Barbarossa’s opening month, German armies bit deep into Soviet territory; panzer armies encircled large Soviet forces at Minsk and the outskirts of Moscow. But the Germans were ill-equipped for the long and bitterly cold soviet winter and soon lost their advantage. In 1942, Germany launched another offensive in the Soviet Union, this time focused on the rich oil fields in the South.The Germans struggled to the gates of Stalingrad where they were once again stopped by the severe winter. In desperate conditions, they surrendered and conducted a slow retreat as Soviet attacks threatened to envelop much of their forces in a disastrous defeat.
Barbarossa had failed as the Germans had serious deficiencies such as underestimating their opponent. Barbarossa was the crucial turning point in World War II, for its failure forced Nazi Germany to fight a two-front war against a coalition possessing immensely superior resources.
Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa
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Counterpoints: Exploring Canadian Issues Textbook
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa
Operation_Barbarossa_-_Gefangenenlager.jpg
776px-OperationBarbarossa.PNGs_w18_11102140.jpg
s_w18_11102140.jpg
Ju+87+bombardment+of+Smolensk+1941+Operation+Barbarossa.jpg
Counterpoints: Exploring Canadian Issues Textbook