OPERATION BARBAROSSA

THE GERMAN INVASION OF SOVIET RUSSIA,

JUNE, 1941

BACKGROUND

DEFINE: “BARBAROSSA” GENRALLY REFERS TO THE INITIAL INVASION OF

RUSSIA, JUNE 1941- DEC. 1941 AFTER THAT, THE NAZI-SOVIET WAR IS GENERALLY REFERRED

TO AS… THE RUSSIAN FRONT THE EASTERN FRONT

HISTORICALLY, MOST RUSSIANS REFER TO THE WAR AS “THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR”

CAUSES / ORIGINS: HITLER’S RACIAL THEORY - SEE MEIN KAMPF HITLER’S DESIRE FOR LEBENSRAUM RUSSIA’S SLAVIC POPULATION AS A SOURCE OF SLAVE LABOR UKRAINE’S FARMLAND WOULD PROVIDE FOOD FOR THE

GROWING GERMAN EMPIRE SOVIET NATURAL RESOURCES, ESPECIALLY OIL (CENTRAL

ASIA) SOVIET MILITARY WEAKNESSES – ENCOURAGE AGGRESSION

“YOU ONLY HAVE TO KICK IN THE DOOR AND THE WHOLE ROTTEN STRUCTURE WILL COME CRASHING DOWN.”

ADOLF HITLER, 1941

BACKGROUND (cont’d.) PRE-INVASION STATUS:

GERMANY IS WINNING IN ALL AREAS OF WAR RUSSIA:

STILL SUFFERING FROM STALIN’S 1930’s GREAT PURGE

RESULT? MILITARY IS UNPREPARED FOR MAJOR WAR MILITARY IS LACKING IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

LEADERSHIP QUALITY – WHY? CREATIVITY / INNOVATION – WHY?

EX. – LACK OF AIRBORNE TROOPS MILITARY TECHNOLOGY – WHY? MILITARY MORALE – WHY?

EXAMPLE? RUSSO-FINNISH WAR, 1939 MAJOR EMBARRASSMENT FOR SOVIETS HIGHLIGHTS POOR CONDITION OF RUSSIA’S MILITARY

“WHEN BARBAROSSA COMMENCES, THE WHOLE WORLD WILL HOLD ITS BREATH AND MAKE NO COMMENT.”

ADOLF HITLER, 1941

WAR DIRECTIVE NUMBER 21:

DECEMBER 5, 1940

OFFICIAL ORDERS FOR OPERATION BARBAROSSA

“THE GERMAN WERMACHTMUST BE PREPARED TO

CRUSH SOVIET RUSSIA IN A

QUICK CAMPAIGN.”

NAZI and SOVIETTERRITORY,

1939-41

OPPOSING FORCES GERMANS (& AXIS ALLIES):

TROOPS: 4.3 MILLION ARTILLERY: 43,000 TANKS: 4000 AIRCRAFT: 4,400

SOVIET UNION: TROOPS: 3.3 MILLION ARTILLERY: 60,000 TANKS: 15,000 AIRCRAFT: 11,500

MUCH OF THE SOVIET EQUIPMENT, WHILE MORE NUMEROUS THAN GERMANY’S, WAS OF INFERIOR / OUTDATED QUALITY EXAMPLES?

TANKS AIRCRAFT

PRE-WAR SITUATION 1939: MOLOTOV-RIBBENTROP PACT (Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Treaty) SIGNED

“GUARANTEES” PEACE BETWEEN TWO NATIONS ARRANGES THE DIVISION OF POLAND IN SEPT.’39

EFFECT ON STALIN & RUSSIA? THE GREAT PURGE (1937-38): DEFINE:

ORDERED BY STALIN “LIQUIDATION” OF KEY INDIVIDUALS W/IN THE FOLLOWING GROUPS:

THE COMMUNIST / BOLSHEVIK LEADERSHIP THE MILITARY SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY

SO WHAT? EXAMPLE – WHAT WAS THE EFFECT ON RUSSIA’S MILITARY? TOP LEADERSHIP WIPED OUT* MOST CREATIVE LEADERS ARE GONE** RUSSIAN ARMY STAGNATES TECHNOLOGICALLY / STRATEGICALLY***

*GREAT PURGE DEATH TOLL AMONG ARMY OFFICERS: 3 out of 5 Marshalls 13 out of 15 Army commanders 110 out of 195 Division commanders 186 out of 406 Brigadier generals

**STRATEGIC TOLL: OFFICERS WHO UNDERSTAND MODERN BATTLEFIELD TACTICS ARE HARD TO REPLACE WHAT IDEAS? EXAMPLE:

“DEEP BATTLE” & ARMOR THRUSTS “DEFENSE IN DEPTH”

***TECHNOLOGICAL / STRATEGIC TOLL: NO LARGE / EFFECTIVE AIRBORNE FORCE EVER DEVELOPED QUALITY TANK PRODUCTION SLOWS SMALL ARMS-MACHINE GUNS PRODUCTION INSUFFICIENT AIRCRAFT DESIGN IS LACKING COMPARED TO GERMAN

SOVIET “DEEP BATTLE” CONCEPT

EARLY WARNINGS LARGE-SCALE GERMAN TROOP / EQUIPMENT BUILD-UP BEGINS

FOLLOWING BALKAN CAMPAIGN WHERE?

POLISH-SOVIET FRONTIER ARE RUSSIANS WARNED?

YES-REPEATEDLY EVEN W/OUT WARNINGS, COULD THEY HAVE KNOW ABOUT GERMAN PLANS?

BY WHOM? MARCH, 1941: U.S. GOV’T. WARNS MOSCOW OF POSSIBLE GERMAN ATTACK APRIL 1, 1941: SOVIET AGENT IN TOKYO WARNS MOSCOW BASED ON INTEL.

UNCOVERED APRIL 3, 1941: CHURCHILL WARNS OF SAME THING BASED ON DECODED

GERMAN MESSAGES JUNE 13: BRITISH AGAIN WARN MOSCOW BASED ON NEW INTEL. JUNE 15: COMMUNIST SPIES IN NEUTRAL SWITZERLAND WARN MOSCOW

BASED ON INTEL. STALIN’S REACTION:

BELIEVES THIS IS ALL DESIGNED BY GERMANS TO “PROVOKE” RUSSIAN AGGRESSION

STALIN BELIEVED GERMANY COULD BE CONTROLLED BY BARGAINING DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR? STALIN REFUSES TO BELIEVE GERMANS WILL INVADE

INVASION JUNE 22, 1941 GERMAN PLAN FOR CONQUEST:

WERMACHT DIVIDED INTO 3 SEPARATE “THRUSTS”, OR ARMY “GROUPS”

EACH ARMY GROUP HAS A SPECIFIC RUSSIAN CITY FOR IT’S OBJECTIVE

EACH OBJECTIVE IS TO BE TAKEN BY LATE OCTOBER (BEFORE WINTER).

ARMY GROUPS: NORTH – OBJECTIVE = LENINGRAD CENTER – OBJECTIVE = MOSCOW SOUTH – OBJECTIVE = KIEV & THE OIL FIELDS OF ASIA

TIMETABLE REQUIRES… MASSIVE LOGISTCAL MOVEMENTS QUICK ELIMINATION OF OPPOSITION BLITZKRIEG ON A MASSIVE SCALE

PROBLEM?

RUSSIA AND THE WORLD

OPERATION BARBAROSSA OBJECTIVES

CRITICAL FACTORS:What factors will Germans have to manage to successfully conquer Russia?

DISTANCE

GEOGRAPHYTIME

INITIAL GERMANADVANCE,

JUNE- SEPTEMBER, 1941

PHASES OF BATTLE INVASION HAS 3 PHASES:

PHASE 1: June 22 – July 3, 1941 PHASE 2: July 3 – October 2, 1941 PHASE 3: October 2 - December 5, 1941

ALL OBJECTIVES ARE TO BE REACHED QUICKLY WHY?

GERMAN INVASION PLAN RELIES HEAVILY ON WHAT TWO ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESS? SURPRISE SPEED

BY DEC. 2, 1941 ALL OBJECTIVES HAVE BEEN REACHED, BUT…ONLY ONE HAS BEEN CAPTURED KIEV – CAPTURED BY ARMY GROUP SOUTH MOSCOW – SUBURBS REACHED LENINGRAD – SUBURBS REACHED

PHASES OF BATTLE (cont’d.) RED ARMY LOSSES ARE EXTREMELY HIGH DURING

ALL THREE PHASES WHY?

SOVIETS HADN’T CREATED “DEFENSE IN DEPTH” (define) SOVIETS TRIED TO DEFEND ENTIRE BORDER RESULT? BORDER IS THINLY DEFENDED AND EASILY

PENETRATED SO WHAT? RED ARMY UNITS ARE EASILY

SURROUNDED AND DESTROYED EXAMPLES?

JUNE 22-25: 3900 SOVIET AIRCRAFT DESTROYED LATE JUNE: BATTLE OF MINSK = 600,000 KIA, MIA,

WIA, POW JULY: BATTLE OF SMOLENSK = 180,000 POW SEPTEMBER: BATTLE OF KIEV = 665,000 POW***

***STATISTICS ARE DISPUTED

RED ARMY P.O.W.s, 1941

RED ARMY P.O.W.s AWAITING TRANSPORT, 1941

PHASES OF BATTLE (cont’d.) BOTH SIDES EXPERIENCE MAJOR PROBLEMS:

SOVIETS: POOR EQUIPMENT LACK OF TRANSPORTATION/ MOBILITY

GERMANS: SPEED OF ARMOUR OUTDISTANCES INFANTRY SUPPLY LINES BECOME OVEREXTENDED NO WINTER GEAR / EQUIPMENT READY

RED ARMY RESISTANCE IN ISOLATED POCKETS CAUSES PROBLEMS WHY? GERMAN ADVANCE IS DELAYED WHY? TROOPS / ARMOUR USED TO WIPE OUT

POCKETS RESULT? ADVANCE ON MOSCOW IS DELAYED

OPERATION TYPHOON RUSSIAN’S HAD BEGUN USING A “SCORCHED-EARTH”

POLICY (define) SUPPLY LINES BECOME EXTENDED & THIN GERMAN DELAYS ALLOW SOVIETS TO...

REINFORCE MOSCOW w/ RESERVE TROOPS BUILD DEFENSES AROUND MOSCOW

OPERATION TYPHOON BEGINS WHEN? OCT. – DEC., 1941 GEN. GEORGI ZHUKOV = COMMANDS RED ARMY IN

MOSCOW SOVIETS BRING SIBERIAN TROOPS TO REINFORCE

MOSCOW WEATHER DETERIORATES…

LUFTWAFFE IS GROUNDED FROSTBITE, EXPOSURE INCREASE GERMAN CASUALTIES EQUIPMENT PROBLEMS INCREASE IN COLD WEATHER

DEC. 5, 1941: RED ARMY COUNTERATTACK PUSHES GERMANS BACK 200 mi.

OPERATION BARBAROSSA IS OVER

GENERAL GEORGI ZHUKOV,

C/O MOSCOW DEFENSE FORCES

GERMAN MARK-IV TANKS AND APCs, RUSSIA, 1941

SOVIET T-26

TANK

SOVIET I-16 “ISHAK” FIGHTER

GERMAN “PIONEER” SHOCK TROOPS, RUSSIA, 1941

GERMAN PIONEER TROOPER, RUSSIA,

1941

RED ARMY TROOPS UNDER SHELLFIRE, KIEV, 1941

RED ARMY KIA, JUNE 1941

MOSCOW WOMEN DIGGING ANTI-TANK DITCHES, 1941

SOVIET DEFENSE- IN –

DEPTH LAYERS, MOSCOW, 1941

MOSCOW DEFENSE OBSTACLES, 1941

SOVIET GOV’T. PROPAGANDA POSTERS

JOSEF STALIN ON TIME MAGAZINE COVER,

OCTOBER, 1941

RED ARMY PARADE, MOSCOW, NOVEMBER 1941

RED ARMY TROOPS ON PARADE, MOSCOW, NOVEMBER 1941

SOVIET MOSIN-NAGANT RIFLE

SOVIET PPsh MACHINE GUN, 1941

SIBERIAN TROOPS ON T-34 TOWED SLEDS PREPARE FOR ASSAULT, DEC. 1941

SOVIET T-34 MAIN BATTLE TANK

SIBERIAN TROOPS OUTSIDE MOSCOW, 1941

SIBERIAN TROOPS OUTSIDE MOSCOW, 1941

SIBERIAN TROOPS WITH ANTI-TANK GUN, 1941

RED ARMY TROOPS

DUCK INTO TRENCH UNDER

ADVANCING T-43 TANK

“THE WAR AGAINST RUSSIA WILL BE SUCH THAT IT CANNOT BE CONDUCTED IN A KNIGHTLY FASHION; THE STRUGGLE IS ONE OF IDEOLOGIES AND WILL HAVE TO BE CONDUCTED WITH UNPRECEDENTED, UNMERCIFUL AND UNRELENTING HARSHNESS.”

ADOLF HITLER, MARCH 30, 1941

“A CAPITULATION OF MOSCOW OR LENINGRAD IS NOT TO BE ACCEPTED, EVEN IF OFFERED.”

ADOLF HITLER, SEPTEMBER 18, 1941

“THE FUHRER HAS DECIDED TO HAVE ST. PETERSBURG (LENINGRAD) WIPED OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH…REQUESTS THAT THE CITY BE TAKEN OVER WILL BE TURNED DOWN…IN THIS WAR FOR EXISTENCE, WE HAVE NO INTEREST IN KEEPING EVEN PART OF THIS GREAT CITY’S POPULATION.”

ADOLF HITLER, SEPTEMBER 29, 1941

FINAL RESULTS MOSCOW IS SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDED LENINGRAD IS “SEIGED” (define) BY GERMANS

***SEIGE OF LENINGRAD LASTS FOR 900 DAYS (approximately)

UKRAINE IS CONQUERED – ARMY GROUP SOUTH HEADS TOWARDS CASPIAN / ASIAN OIL FIELDS

SOVIETS DISMANTLE / MOVE MAJOR INDUSTRIES EAST OF THE URAL MTS.

CASUALTIES (approximate #s) GERMANS: SOVIETS:

250,000 KIA 802,191 KIA 500,000 WIA3,000,000 WIA 25,000 MIA 3,300,000 POW

GERMANS ARE NOW IN A MAJOR 2-FRONT WAR

NEVSKY PROSPECT(STREET), LENINGRAD, UNDER ARTILLERY FIRE, 1941

LENINGRAD DEFENSE PROPAGANDA POSTER, 1941

LENINGRAD CITIZENS DURING

SEIGE

LENINGRAD CITIZENS FORAGING FOR WATER, WINTER 1941-42

LAKE LADOGA ICE ROAD