1. The Biggest Nazi Mistake in WWII
Operation Barbarossa
The Biggest Nazi Mistake in WWII

2. Up to this point
Nazi’s had successfully invaded numerous countries with little trouble.
The US has stayed out of the war at this point
Britain’s back was up against the ropes
Germany & Russia had a Non-aggression Pact

3. June 22, 1941
Operation Barbarossa kicked off, Nazi Germany and its Axis allies began a massive invasion of the Soviet Union
Named after Frederick Barbarossa, the medieval Holy Roman Emperor
Barbarossa means “Red Beard” in Italian
4.5 million troops launched a surprise attack deployed from German-controlled Poland, Finland, and Romania
Hitler’s main goal was to capture the Soviet resources they had, i.e.-oil, Lebensraum

4. Battle Plan

5. In the Beginning
Within a single week, German forces advanced 200 miles into Soviet territory, destroyed nearly 4,000 aircraft, and killed, captured, or wounded some 600,000 Russians
Germans capture Minsk, Kiev, Rostov, Odessa, Kharkov, Sevastopol, and many other key Soviet Union cities

6. Turning Point of the Operation and WWII
By December of 1941, German troops were within sight of Moscow, and they laid siege to the city.
But when the notorious Russian winter (nicknamed "General Winter") set in, German advances came to a halt

7. In the End…
By the end of this, one of the largest, deadliest military operations in history, Germany had suffered some 775,000 casualties.
More than 800,000 Soviets had been killed, and an additional 6 million Soviet soldiers had been wounded or captured
Despite massive advances, Hitler's plan to conquer the Soviet Union before winter had failed

8. Russian POW Camp