The Invasion of Russia-Operation Barbarossa

Goals Destroy communism Use Russians as slave labour Use Russia itself for lebensraum Gain control of wheat fields of the Ukraine and oil of the Caucasus

Strategies Hitler believed he could defeat Russia in 6 months (blitzkrieg) Russian army still reeling from Stalin’s purges June 22, 1941 Hitler sent 153 divisions, 3,000,000 men, 3,500 tanks & 3,000 aircraft By June 1944 force had grown to 228 divisions and over 4,000,000 men as opposed to only 61 divisions in the west.

The Attack Three German armies advanced In the north the Germans set to capture Leningrad Centrally they aimed for Moscow In the south the goal was the Ukraine Many Russians greeted the Germans as liberators, but German treatment of the Slavs turned them against the Germans

Russians adopted a scorched earth policy-retreat and destroy everything by Dec., 1941, the Germans had reached the Sea of Azov in the south, Moscow in the center, and Leningrad in the north.

Hitler’s Errors underestimated Russian forces-thought they had 140 divisions, but they actually had 320 Too overconfident that the German troops would win before winter, but when winter came early, his army was completely unprepared unable to control Russian industry Didn’t listen to his generals and split his forces between the north and south.

Russian Winter

Stalingrad (Turning Point in the Russian campaign) Hitler felt that the main German objective should be the oil fields in the Caucuses AND Stalingrad-split his forces in half. The siege of Stalingrad lasted almost 18 months Sept., 1942-Germans under von Paulus in Stalingrad’s suburbs, but they were encircled by General Zhukov (pincer movement). Von Paulus’ troops(250,000) trapped-by the time he was allowed to surrender in Jan., 1943, there were only 91,000 left

Tide Turned After the Battle of Stalingrad, the Germans were on the defensive At the tank battle of Kursk (July 1943), the Germans were beaten and her remaining armies continued to retreat By Jan., 1944, the only Germans left in Russia were prisoners