Operation Barbarossa June 1941

Jun 14, 2010 Michael Streich

Numerous factors led to the German invasion of Soviet Russia in 1941 but the "lighting war" lasted well beyond the winter and ended in disaster for Hitler.

Operation Barbarossa began on June 22, 1941. Three million German soldiers were poised to invade Soviet Russia, breaking the August 1939 Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. The “lightning war” was to achieve its goals swiftly, before the onset of winter. Initially a stunning success, the German advance was broken as Josef Stalin rallied the Russian people in what he called the “Great Fatherland War.” German forces were finally put on the defensive in early 1942 at Stalingrad on the Volga River. Operation Barbarossa was a tremendous blunder for Hitler and helped alienate many top officers.

Why Hitler Ordered the Invasion of Russia

After defeating France, Hitler ordered detailed plans for the invasion of England. The German navy, however, was not up to the task and the plans were postponed. But Hitler never gave up the idea and it was one factor in his decision to attack Russia.

German control of European Russia served several goals. The conquered territory would provide lebensraum, lands on which to resettle Germans. Additionally, Hitler wanted Russian oil, wheat, and other natural resources to extend the overall war effort. This included the postponed invasion of England as well as securing North Africa and Cyprus.

Benito Mussolini’s invasion of Greece was another factor. By drawing Germany into the conflict, German forces had to advance through the Balkans. This created tension with Stalin who viewed the Balkans as a Russian sphere of influence. At the same time, Russia’s poor performance against the Finns gave a false impression of Russian military abilities.

Operation Barbarossa as a Racial War

Once German armies advanced into Russia, they were followed by the Gestapo and the liquidation units of the S.S. Jews and political leaders were exterminated in great numbers, as at Babi Yar outside of Kiev. Long term plans called for using the Slavs as forced laborers. Each republic would be turned into a Reich protectorate. Although the German General Staff, led by General Franz Halder, vigorously objected, they were overruled and in some cases replaced.

Historian Klaus P. Fischer writes that, “Few people realized that Hitler’s war against the Soviet Union was more than a conventional war: it was also a racial-biological war whose ultimate goal was the extermination of the ‘Jewish-Bolshevik intelligentsia.’” In an interview with the German news magazine Spiegel (January 28, 2010), Annette Schucking-Homeyer, who served as a Red Cross volunteer in the Ukraine at the time, says, “we saw German soldiers herding together women and children…There was no doubt that they were about to be shot.”

Failures of Operation Barbarossa

Army Group North, under Field Marshal von Leeb, failed to take Leningrad and link with Finnish forces. Field Marshal von Bock could have taken Moscow, but many of his troops were diverted south into the Ukraine by Hitler. When the Moscow offensive resumed, winter conditions prohibited the Germans from taking the Russian capital. Hitler’s stubborn refusal to evacuate General Paulus at Stalingrad signaled the turning point of the war.

Hitler relied on faulty information before ordering the operation, despite credible evidence that Russia was not as weak as perceived. This was most clear in the number of tanks the Russians actually possessed as well as their quality. On the German side, General Guderian, the father of the German panzer division, warned that Germany did not have enough tanks for the operation.

Historian David MacKenzie wrote that, “Overconfidence and fanaticism caused Hitler and his associates to overlook or fumble golden military and political opportunities.” Russia had many anti-Stalinist groups, notably in the Ukraine. In several cases, they offered their services to fight with the Germans against Stalin. Hitler, however, treated them as POWs and brushed aside their offers. Any goodwill extended to Germans was rapidly eliminated by the actions of the S.S. and the Gestapo.

Effects of the Russian Invasion

After the Stalingrad debacle, the Red Army relentlessly pushed back the Germans. Millions died in the process. Operation Barbarossa also made Russia an ally of Britain. Both nations sent troops into Iran, which had supported Germany. After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. found itself a partner with Soviet Russia. By 1945, the Red Army was on the borders of Germany, occupying conquered lands that would come to be called “Eastern Europe.” Berlin itself was taken by the Red Army per agreements made at the Yalta Conference. Operation Barbarossa had many long term consequences that ultimately included the on-set of the Cold War.

References:

• Klaus P. Fischer, Nazi Germany: A New History (NY: Continuum Publishing Co., 1995)
• Walter Goerlitz, History of the German General Staff (Westview Press, 1985)
• David MacKenzie and Michael W. Curran, A History of Russia, the Soviet Union, and Beyond (Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1993)

Copyright Michael Streich. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.