Transcript Operation Barbarossa

June 22, 1941 – December 1941
• Hitler talks about invasion of USSR in 1924 in his book
Mein Kempf
• Nazi-Soviet Pact- August 1939
• German Army stockpiles weapons&troops in front of
Russia
• Communist spy warns Stalin of attack
• Blitzkreg- Lightning warfare
• Plan constructed in December 1940
• Germany sends out 3 groups: North, South, and Center
• North- Led by Wilhem Ritter von Leeb
• march through northern Baltics
into northern Russia and capture
Lenningrad.
• Center- Led by Feodor Von Bock
• take Moscow.
• South- Led by Gerd von Runstedt
• take Kiev and continue to Volga River.
• Starts with
• Starts with
• 4 million troops
• 117 army divisons
• 4.5 million troops
• 132 army divisons
• 162,314 were killed.
• About 3 million killed
• 577,767 were wounded
• Millions captured
• Operation Barbarossa was the overall plan for
invasion
• Many battles were part of the operation
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Invasion started on June 22, 1941
By day 17 many thought Russian Army would collapse
Hitler made mistakes
The winter set in and German Army was not equipped
• Stops divisons to give them orders and redirect, loses
vital time
• Poor planning
• misjudges Russian winter
• timing of war
• Advised against two-front war, did not listen
• Russia wins
• German army suffered which eventually led to
a Soviet victory