Operation Barbarossa

22 June 1941

German Invasion of Russia

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Three Million German Soldiers Attack

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From June – September Russians Suffer Horrendous Casualties• Estimated Two Million Dead*• Estimated Two Million Prisoners of War*

*Exact Statistics are Nearly Impossible to Determine!

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Stalin’s Reaction

Two weeks seclusion in his country home

Russian leadership paralyzed

Weak Response

Previous Intelligence

Sorge – Japan

Other embassy staff

His Future ?

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Invasion Force Included 600,000 Horses!

Approximately 10 – 15 % of German Army is actually Mechanized!

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Russian Partisan Activities - Behind the Lines in RussiaGerman Response to Partisan Activities

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2008

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Bielski Brothers

August 1941

Spring 1942 – Partisan Jewish

Group Established

1,250 in group

(150 armed)

German Reward 100,000 Marks

Overrun by Russians 1944

Survive War – Move to West

Israel

United States

Winter Halts All German Advances

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Winter Halts All German Advances

By November 1941

• 35 – 40* Below Zero• Fires under tanks to

keep oil from freezing• Severe frostbite cases• Severe bodily hazards• Frozen food – Hot

meals frozen solid in seconds!

• Poor or non-existent winter clothing!

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Russia Dismantles Their Heavy Industry

Moves via Rail Factories to the East, Behind the Ural Mountains

German Invasion Threat is very Acute to the War Effort

Russian Survives / Expands War Effort Behind the Ural Mountains!

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Battle of Khalkin – Gol

General

Georgi Zhukov

Survived the 1938 Purges

Sent to the Far East Military

District in 1938

Japanese

expansion into

U.S.S.R. (Mongolia)

Defeats Japanese Incursions in Russia• May - August 1939• Tank Battle of Khalkin – Gol

• 500 Russian Tanks / 550 Russian Aircraft• Poor Japanese Logistics

• Lacked Sufficient Armor Forces• Russians Outnumbered

• Zhukov uses good Tactics / Strategy

Russians – 22,000 Casualties (*approx.)Japanese - 45,000 Casualties (*approx.)

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Russian Victory convinces the Japanese that Expansion into Russia is

not worth the effort.

Stalin still believes that the Japanese are a threat – leaves large

numbers of Russian Troops in the Far East.

Non-Aggression Pact with Japan. Japan turns attention to the

“weaker” western powers (USA / UK)

Did Stalin Know the Next Japanese Move??

Moscow

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Russian

Counter-

Offensive

Catch the

Germans by

surprise

Notice the

envelopment!

Russian Counterattack – 28 November / 5 December – March 1942

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Stalin finally acknowledges that the Japanese are not a threat to Russia – Learns Japanese will attack the US!!! (Does not tell the US!!)

Zhukov sent to take over the Moscow Front

• Builds up Armies east of Moscow• Waits until the last German attack ends• Unleashes attacks that catch the Germans totally by surprise … they thought that the

Russian military was nearly “dead”.

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Stalin demands that all units on the front push back against the

Germans. Zhukov wanted to push back from Moscow. Future conflicts?

• Russians suffer heavy casualties

Germans pushed back from gates of Moscow, will never be this close

again

In Summary:

The First and Largest Mistake Hitler made in World War II (among others!)

• To invade Russia – led to a continuous series of errors!• Delay Invasion by One Month (Mussolini in Greece)• Plan for Grandiose operational Goals that were Unattainable• Under Equip Army (lack of winter clothing / equipment)• Failure to Capture Moscow• Establish Extended Supply Lines over Conquered Lands• Underestimate the Weather (Hitler fought in West in WWI)• Underestimate the Size / Vastness of Russia• Underestimate the Russian Military (Size / Leadership)

• General Officer Purges 1938• Poor Performance against the Finns

• Personal Views that the Russians / Slav’s were “Sub-Humans”

• Intelligence failure to gauge the Russian forces in the East

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