27.4: The Invasion of the USSR and the Battle of Stalingrad
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler wanted to expand the Third Reich’s Lebensraum to the east – including the USSR, which was rich in resources such as oil. He also wanted to destroy communism and saw Slavic peoples as inferior. He expected to defeat the Red Army quickly and even delayed the invasion by a month to cover fi ghting elsewhere. On 22 June 1941, Operation Barbarossa began. Germany invaded the Soviet Union in a rapid three-pronged attack towards the most important cities – Moscow, Leningrad and Kiev. Blitzkrieg tactics were very successful at fi rst.
Stalin was shocked when Hitler invaded. He had dismissed warnings of a possible attack. Aided by propaganda, he called on his people to fi ght what was known as the Great Patriotic War against Germany. As it retreated, the Red Army used a scorched earth tactic, destroying anything useful to the enemy (such as crops, roads, bridges, railways and communication lines). Stalin also moved his factories further east so that the production of tanks and weapons could continue.
By the end of September, Kiev had fallen, Leningrad was under siege and the German army was approaching Moscow. However, conditions were incredibly tough. Heavy rain in October 1941 turned roads into seas of mud, making transport very diffi cult. Then as winter set in, the Germans discovered that they were not prepared for the extreme temperatures – as low as −40 °C. Petrol froze and engines would not start. Many German soldiers froze to death. The Red Army seized this advantage to launch a counterattack that stopped the German army short of Moscow.
German troops advancing eastwards under Operation Barbarossa In this
