Operation Barbarossa The Siege of Leningrad Battle of Stalingrad Nate Swanson Campbell Wallace Vic Lima

Operation Barbarossa June 22nd 1941 - December 5th 1941 Operation Barbarossa was the codename for Germany’s invasion of the soviet union. On July 22, 1941, Hitler launched his armies eastward in a massive invasion of the Soviet Union, three great armies groups with over 3 million Germans soldiers, 150 divisions and 3 thousand tanks smashed across the Soviet territory. 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 forces. Germany fails to defeat the Soviet Union, Soviet victory despite huge losses in men and resources.

Battle of Stalingrad August 23rd 1942 - February 2nd 1943 In July 1942, the Nazi army bombed the Soviet city of Stalingrad, this started one of the bloodiest battles of history. Germany captured Stalingrad in the late summer of 1942. The attack was supported by bombing raids which reduced the city to rubble. Fighting in the city was reduced to house-to-house hand-to-hand combat and both sides continued to send in reinforcements into the city. In November 1942 the Germans pushed the Soviets back to the west bank of the volga river. On November 19th 1942 the Soviets launched Operation Uranus in order to flank the German 6th army and attack its weaker Romanian and Hungarian forces. The German 6th army was surrounded, 2 more months of fighting passed and the Germans surrendered. After losing Stalingrad The Germans never regained initiative in the East. Major Soviet victory, destruction of the German 6th Army, Axis losing strategic power in the East.

Siege of Leningrad September 8th 1941 - January 27th 1944 Known today as Saint Petersburg, it was one of the longest and most destructive sieges in history and costliest in terms of casualties. It was a prolonged military blockade enforced by the German Army North Group. The siege started on September 8th 1941 when the German army cut off the last road into the city. In the following months the soviets repeatedly tried to establish supply lines and evacuate its civilians, often using a dangerous ice and water road across Lake Ladoga. A successful road was created in January 1943 and the Soviets drove the Germans off a year later. The Siege nearly lasted 900 days and resulted in almost 3.5 million Soviet casualties including civilians. A Soviet victory despite the huge loses.

Review Questions What was Operation Barbarossa codenamed for? Why was Operation Barbarossa's defeat so crucial? What Started the Battle of Stalingrad? How long did the Siege of Stalingrad last?

Works Cited History.com Staff. "Operation Barbarossa." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 Jan. 2009. Web. 20 Apr. 2016. History.com Staff. "Battle of Stalingrad." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 Jan. 2009. Web. 20 Apr. 2016. History.com Staff. "Siege of Leningrad." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 Jan. 2009. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.