1. The Invasion of Russia-Operation Barbarossa

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Russian Winter

8. 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

10. 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