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Barbarossa, Operation: |
| Operation Barbarossa was the code name for the German plan to invade the Soviet Union. It was named after an ancient German emperor who had won great military victories. The plan was announced to German officials in the summer of 1940, and was to be carried out in the spring of 1941. The original date was set for May, but due to Italian losses, Hitler was slightly slowed down, and could not launch his attack until June 22. However, when he did deploy his divisions to attack Russia, it was the largest offensive force ever assembled for a single operation in military history. It consisted of over two hundred and fifty divisions, as it was meant to fight a front of over two thousand miles. The plan was to rapidly take out the Soviet army, and destroy the cities of Leningrad and Moscow, and the Ukraine. Despite initial successes in Brest-Litovsk and Minsk, as time passed the Russian defenses became more and more steadfast. Due to the postponement from May to June for the attack, the Russians were able to keep the Nazi armies at bay long enough so that they would have to face the Russian winter. This led to the ultimate defeat of the German army, and the failure of Operation Barbarossa. |
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