invasion of the soviet union: June, 1941
In the mid-1930’s, Adolf Hitler was quickly rising to power. The Soviet Union did not feel as if Hitler was a threat to them, but still their leader, Stalin, felt like he had to reorient Russia’s foreign policy in an attempt to find allies.
In August 1939, a nonaggression pact made by Stalin and Hitler surprised many countries across the world. Stalin thought he would benefit from this pact because it allowed Russia to gain back lands that she had lost at the end of the First World War.
From the very beginning, Hitler had already planned to disregard the pact he made with Stalin. Less than two years leader, on June 22, 1941, the Germans moved forward to invade the Soviet Union. The code-name for this attack was “Operation Barbarossa”. Russia did not have anyone to defend them from the German’s attack, and had to face the
3 million German soldiers and 650 000 extra troops made of
Germany’s allies alone.
The Russians were surprised by the attack and it was not long before they were losing the battle against Hitler and the Germans. Most of the Soviet air force was destroyed, and German units were able to force Soviet soldiers to surrender by cutting off their supplies and reinforcements.
By late September, German forces were able to reach the gates of Leningrad. In early December they arrived in the outskirts of Moscow. This is when the tables turned. The Germans were advancing much faster than their food and medicine supplies, which made them tired and vulnerable. They were also ill-prepared for the harsh winters they had to face in Russia.
One of the most significant battles occurred at the gates of Moscow. Stalin and the Japanese had recently signed a nonaggression pact and he decided to take advantage of this pact by bringing in fresh troops to help with the war. On December 6, 1941, the Soviet Union launched a major counterattack. They were able to drive Germans away from Moscow. The Soviet Union had great success in moving its industry from the war zone into the Ural Mountains or into Siberia. There they produced tanks, airplanes, guns, and other war toys.
Germany was finally able to shoot back a few weeks later. Germany and Russia battled at Stalingrad. The battle of Stalingrad was a huge Russian milestone of World War II. The extent of Russia’s win was so great that it was a clear turning point for the whole war. It showed the rest of the world that Germany could be defeated and that the Allies had a good chance of coming out on top. This battle greatly heightened Russia’s status, but at the same time, it made Russia weaker. The human loss was just as horrifying as the material loss. Jews, Ukrainians, Byelorussians, citizens of Baltic States, and other citizens of the Soviet Union suffered great human casualties. In 1946 the Russians suffered yet another famine. Scarce resources were invested into rebuilding industries, concentration camps were introduced, and harsh discipline was imposed on collective farms.
In August 1939, a nonaggression pact made by Stalin and Hitler surprised many countries across the world. Stalin thought he would benefit from this pact because it allowed Russia to gain back lands that she had lost at the end of the First World War.
From the very beginning, Hitler had already planned to disregard the pact he made with Stalin. Less than two years leader, on June 22, 1941, the Germans moved forward to invade the Soviet Union. The code-name for this attack was “Operation Barbarossa”. Russia did not have anyone to defend them from the German’s attack, and had to face the
3 million German soldiers and 650 000 extra troops made of
Germany’s allies alone.
The Russians were surprised by the attack and it was not long before they were losing the battle against Hitler and the Germans. Most of the Soviet air force was destroyed, and German units were able to force Soviet soldiers to surrender by cutting off their supplies and reinforcements.
By late September, German forces were able to reach the gates of Leningrad. In early December they arrived in the outskirts of Moscow. This is when the tables turned. The Germans were advancing much faster than their food and medicine supplies, which made them tired and vulnerable. They were also ill-prepared for the harsh winters they had to face in Russia.
One of the most significant battles occurred at the gates of Moscow. Stalin and the Japanese had recently signed a nonaggression pact and he decided to take advantage of this pact by bringing in fresh troops to help with the war. On December 6, 1941, the Soviet Union launched a major counterattack. They were able to drive Germans away from Moscow. The Soviet Union had great success in moving its industry from the war zone into the Ural Mountains or into Siberia. There they produced tanks, airplanes, guns, and other war toys.
Germany was finally able to shoot back a few weeks later. Germany and Russia battled at Stalingrad. The battle of Stalingrad was a huge Russian milestone of World War II. The extent of Russia’s win was so great that it was a clear turning point for the whole war. It showed the rest of the world that Germany could be defeated and that the Allies had a good chance of coming out on top. This battle greatly heightened Russia’s status, but at the same time, it made Russia weaker. The human loss was just as horrifying as the material loss. Jews, Ukrainians, Byelorussians, citizens of Baltic States, and other citizens of the Soviet Union suffered great human casualties. In 1946 the Russians suffered yet another famine. Scarce resources were invested into rebuilding industries, concentration camps were introduced, and harsh discipline was imposed on collective farms.