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Aren Saini
Mrs. Funk
Inquiry Skills 12
21 April 2014
Operation Barbarossa
In the time before Operation Barbarossa, Germany and the other Axis powers had
occupied most of Europe, including France, Czechoslovakia, Austria, the Netherlands, etc.
Germany had one of the strongest militaries in the world at the time. In the many years before
World War II, Germany was in a depression because of the Treaty of Versailles ending World
War I. Then, Hitler was able to become the leader Germany, and strengthen the economy and the
military. He started invading many countries, such as Czechoslovakia and Austria. However,
when Nazi Germany invaded Poland with the help of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(USSR or Soviet Union), Britain and France declared war on Germany. But, Germany ended up
getting on the offensive and took over France. In June 1941, Nazi Germany started their invasion
of the USSR. However, they had failed in this invasion. How exactly was Germany able to take
control of most of Europe but not the USSR? Operation Barbarossa, the codename for the
German invasion of the USSR in 1941 lasting until 1943, was an important victory for the USSR
that affected the outcome of World War II, and the USSR was able to defeat the great military
power of Germany through their military tactics, harsh winters, and decisive battles.
Before Operation Barbarossa, both nations, especially Germany, went through extensive
preparations before it. Both sides were prepared for this long invasion, even the USSR a little bit.
The US Holocaust Museum believes that the destruction of the Soviet Union by military force,
the permanent elimination of the perceived Communist threat to Germany, and the seizure of
prime land within Soviet borders had been a core policy of the Nazi movement since the
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1920s(Invasion of the Soviet Union June 1941). Before the operation, both sides signed the
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. Ribbentrov and Molotov in Moscow signed it on 23 August
1939 so it is sometimes called the Ribbentrov-Molotov Pact. Since fighting a two front war in
World War I had split Germany's forces, it had weakened and undermined their offensive; thus,
played a large role in Germany losing the First World War. Hitler was determined not to repeat
the same mistake(Rosenburg). Although Germany had signed a non-aggression pact with the
USSR in 1939, both sides remained suspicious of one another, and the agreement merely gave
them more time to prepare for a probable war (World War II: Operation Barbarossa). Hitler
launched Operation Barbarossa because he wanted more land to annex, and he saw the USSR as
a threat to his Balkan oil supply when they invaded Romania (History.com, Operation
Barbarossa). Before the operation, Hitler created his own military staff, the Organization of the
Supreme Command of the German Armed Forces (OKW), but this immediately became
embroiled in conflict with the High Command of the German Army (OKH). Both organizations
agreed to use blitzkrieg in the operation, and they expected to invade up to 1200 miles into the
nation (Operation Barbarossa: Planning Barbarossa). The USSR did not really have an
extensive plan because it was a surprise invasion. At the time, the USSR was an industrialized
nation. Stalin had prepared some troops because he had some idea that this would happen (US
History, Operation Barbarossa). The Germans had a big and mighty military at the time.
Before the invasion, it was thought that the Germans could have easily invaded the USSR,
therefore giving the Germans a vast nation with all its oil supplies, weapons, etc. If the Germans
succeeded in invading the USSR, they would have probably won World War II. As you can see
now, the Germans had a strong military that went through extensive preparations before this
operation.
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In addition to the extensive preparations by the Germans in Operation Barbarossa, the
Germans used certain military tactics to help them in this invasion. The Germans had one of the
strongest militaries at the time. Blitzkrieg was used in this invasion like in all the other invasions
that Germany participated in. The US History website states that the German military was
divided into three units to invade three different areas of the Soviet Union. Army Group North
went north to invade Leningrad, Army Group Center went in a straight line to invade the capital,
Moscow, and Army Group South went south to invade the populous area of Ukraine and invade
up to the Volga River (Operation Barbarossa). The Germans were the stronger force with
weapons and troop training. There were 117 total military divisions. In total the Germans and
their allies used 3 million soldiers, 3580 tanks, 7184 artillery guns, 1830 planes, and 750,000
horses(History Learning Site, Operation Barbarossa). The Germans had some great military
tactics when invading the USSR. They had invaded different parts of the USSR with their
different military units. Through these tactics and blitzkrieg, Germany was able to conquer most
of Europe. However, the USSR had some advantages that helped the nation defeat Nazi
Germany. Therefore, the Germans had some great military tactics when they tried to invade the
USSR, but it eventually did not work.
Even though the German army was very strong and had some great military tactics, they
were not able to defeat the USSR. The USSR had some military tactics that helped it defeat
Germany. One decisive factor was that the USSR had copious amounts of troops. The US
History website mentions that estimates are that the Soviet Union had from 4.4 million to nearly
five million men in arms at the inception of Operation Barbarossa. In total, there were 132 mass
divisions. However, the Soviet troops were not as trained as the German troops. Soviet
propaganda in prewar years invariably averred that the Red Army was strong and could easily
defeat any aggressor(Operation Barbarossa). The Soviets had a much larger tank force,
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consisting of at least 22,000 tanks. However, when Operation Barbarossa began, many of these
tanks were inferior to the German tanks(World War II- Operation Crusader).
One exception was the T-34 tank, which was coming into service with the Red Army in
1941. The T-34 was a revolutionary tank design, setting new standards for
maneuverability, firepower, and armor protection. It came as a rude surprise to the
German army in 1941, and the T-34 remained arguably superior to any German tank
clear up to 1943 (US History, Operation Barbarossa).
The USSR was superior in the troop amount, but was inferior to the Germans with troop training.
The troop amount proved to be advantageous in some situations because every time the Germans
killed most of the troops, more would start appearing. Hence, the USSR had used some military
tactics that helped defeat Germany in Operation Barbarossa.
Furthermore, the USSR was able to defeat Germany in Operation Barbarossa through
their harsh winters. The USSR is completely in the north and it is inland so it is very cold,
especially in the winter. The website of Sparknotes cites Hitler originally planned for the
campaign against the Soviet Union to take six weeks. Then, fall came and it was a miserable
mix of snow and rain with the roads turning into mud, halting the Germans. The German army
was deteriorating because of the winter. Temperatures interfered with the operation of the
equipment. Also, the German soldiers did not have the proper clothing for winter so the German
soldiers ended up getting frostbite and hypothermia. Meanwhile, the USSR sent in
reinforcements from the Russian Far East, Britain, and the US (World War II (1939-1945): The
Invasion of Russia). Red Army units also suffered in the cold weather, but they were trained
and equipped to deal with it. And they had the proper lubricants for their tanks and other
vehicles(Operation Barbarossa: General Winter). Clearly, the USSR had the major advantage
through this winter. However, Germany had to survive through two winters, 1941 and 1942. The
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winters were very decisive in this operation. Germany lost copious amounts of their men and
weapons from these winters. As you can see now, the harsh Russian winters greatly helped the
USSR defeat Germany.
Not only did the harsh USSR winters help them into defeating Nazi Germany, but also
some important battles assisted the USSR to become the victors in the operation. Peter Chrisp, a
researcher on World War II, asserts the Germans reached Leningrad in September, beginning a
siege that would last almost 900 days, leading to the deaths of over one million Soviet
citizens(23). During the siege, several tanks and troops went south to help out their other units
in invading the major city of Kiev in Ukraine. Hitler hoped to gain access to the regions
economic resources, which included wheat fields, citrus farms, and oil fields. Eventually, the city
of Kiev fell. Meanwhile, Hitlers central military unit was trying to invade the capital, Moscow.
Before the Germans arrived in Moscow, the Russians built man trenches that made it have a
good defense against the Germans. Because of a strong Russian defense and frigid temperatures,
the Germans had lost about 85,000 men in just three weeks (World War II (1939-1945): The
Invasion of Russia). The Battle of Stalingrad is often considered the most important battle in
World War II. The battle lasted from 3 September 1942 to 2 February 1943. It was an urban
battle, with many factories and houses in ruins. The USSR was able to win through another harsh
winter that the Germans had to survive through (Battle of Stalingrad). Through these battles,
the USSR was able to defeat Germany in this operation. The USSR lost some battles and won
some battles. Leningrad and Kiev were huge losses, but Moscow and especially Stalingrad were
decisive victories. The Russian defense and winters helped them win some of these battles.
Therefore, some important battles were able to decide who were the victors in Operation
Barbarossa.
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Finally, Operation Barbarossa had some lasting effects on the world. It affected the
outcome of World War II. The US History website claims it was to be the turning point for the
fortunes of Adolf Hitlers Third Reich, in that the failure of Operation Barbarossa arguably
resulted in the eventual overall defeat of Nazi Germany. It made Germany fight a war on two
fronts because the USSR switched to the Allies after this invasion (Operation Barbarossa). The
Battle of Stalingrad is considered a turning point in World War II. Stalin gained confidence
in his military and remained largely on the offensive for the rest of the war(Battle of
Stalingrad). In 1944 and 1945, the Soviet Union ended up invading Germany from the east
while the western allies invaded from the west (Chrisp 54). If Operation Barbarossa never
happened, the USSR might have never invaded Germany from the east. This would have made
the Germans retreat to the east from the western allies and maybe even into the USSR because
they would have still been at peace. Hence, Operation Barbarossa greatly affected the outcome of
World War II, with Germany getting a new enemy on the Eastern front.
Operation Barbarossa provided a turning point in World War II. The Allies might have
never won World War II if the operation did not happen or if the USSR had lost because the
outcome of the operation provided an Eastern front enemy for Germany. Now it is clear that the
USSR was the true victor overall in World War II against Germany because they were able to
defeat Germany in this operation, and the USSR was able to successfully invade Germany.
Operation Barbarossa clearly affected the outcome of World War II, and the Soviet Union was
able to defeat Nazi Germany in this long and difficult part of the war through their military
tactics, harsh Russian winters, and important battles. Germany was able to conquer most of
Europe, but they failed in taking over the Soviet Union, the nation that Germany was at peace
with. The nation wanted to invade the USSR for their oil fields and proximity to the Caucuses.
After this operation, Germany had to fight a war on two fronts, which is what they were hoping
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to avoid after they learned their lesson from World War I. This of course led to the defeat of Nazi
Germany on 8 May 1945.






















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Works Cited

"Battle of Stalingrad." History.com. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company,
n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Chrisp, Peter. World War II Fighting For Freedom (1939-1945): The Story of the Conflict That
Changed the World. New York: Scholastic, 2010. Print.
"Invasion of the Soviet Union, June 1941." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United
States Holocaust Memorial Council, 10 June 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Malory, Marcia. "World War II - Operation Crusader." Tanks.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Operation Barbarosa: General Winter." Historical Boys' Clothing. N.p., 12 Mar. 2010. Web. 12
Apr. 2014.
"Operation Barbarossa." History.com. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, n.d.
Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
"Operation Barbarossa." History Learning Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Operation Barbarossa: Planning Barbarossa. German War Machine- The German Army of
World War II. N.p. n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
"Operation Barbarossa." US History. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact." About.com 20th Century History.
About.com, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
"World War II: Operation Barbarossa." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 24 July 2011.
Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
"World War II (1939-1945): The Invasion of Russia." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 12
Apr. 2014.

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