: Soviet forces pushed the Axis back through Eastern Europe, culminating in the Fall of Berlin in May 1945.
: In just six months, the German Wehrmacht captured nearly 3 million Soviet prisoners and drove within sight of Moscow.
The story of the Russo-German conflict from 1941 to 1945, famously documented in Alan Clark's "Barbarossa" , is the most violent and vast land war in human history. It began with Hitler’s "Operation Barbarossa"—a massive gamble that ultimately doomed the Third Reich. The Initial Onslaught (June – December 1941)
: The vast Russian landscape and muddy seasons (Rasputitsa) crippled German supply lines that were only designed for a short campaign.
: In the summer of 1943, the largest tank battle in history took place. After failing to regain the initiative here, the Wehrmacht would never again mount a major offensive in the East. The Soviet Steamroller (1944 – 1945)
The war shifted from a swift maneuver-based "blitzkrieg" into a grueling war of attrition and ideology—what the Nazis called a "war of annihilation".
Barbarossa: The Russian German Conflict, 1941-45 Official
: Soviet forces pushed the Axis back through Eastern Europe, culminating in the Fall of Berlin in May 1945.
: In just six months, the German Wehrmacht captured nearly 3 million Soviet prisoners and drove within sight of Moscow.
The story of the Russo-German conflict from 1941 to 1945, famously documented in Alan Clark's "Barbarossa" , is the most violent and vast land war in human history. It began with Hitler’s "Operation Barbarossa"—a massive gamble that ultimately doomed the Third Reich. The Initial Onslaught (June – December 1941)
: The vast Russian landscape and muddy seasons (Rasputitsa) crippled German supply lines that were only designed for a short campaign.
: In the summer of 1943, the largest tank battle in history took place. After failing to regain the initiative here, the Wehrmacht would never again mount a major offensive in the East. The Soviet Steamroller (1944 – 1945)
The war shifted from a swift maneuver-based "blitzkrieg" into a grueling war of attrition and ideology—what the Nazis called a "war of annihilation".