Operation Barbarossa
Background
Deception & Surprise
German Forces
Army Group North
Army Group Center
Army Group South
Soviet Forces
German/Soviet Comparison
Famous Quotes
Battles
Frontier Battles
Battle of Smolensk
Battle of Kiev
Siege of Leningrad
Operation Typhoon
Soviet Counteroffensive
Weather
Lend Lease
Why Did Barbarossa Fail?
Barbarossa Facts
Barbarossa Maps
In the Media
Books
Barbarossa
Moscow 1941
The Road to Stalingrad
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Videos
| Our Other Military Sites |
| World War II |
| Operation Barbarossa 1941 German Invasion of Russia |
| Operation Citadel 1943 The Battle of Kursk |
| Operation Dragoon 1944 Invasion of southern France |
| Operation Varsity 1945 Crossing the Rhine |
| Invasions That Never Were |
| Operation Sealion 1940 German invasion of England |
| Operation Olympic 1945 US invasion of southern Japan |
| Operation Coronet 1946 US invasion of northern Japan |
| Special Forces |
| Operation Entebbe 1976 Entebbe Airport Rescue |
| Operation Nimrod 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege |
| British Cold War Operations |
| Operation Musketeer 1956 Suez Crisis |
| Operation Corporate 1982 Falklands War |
| Operation Black Buck 1982 Vulcan raids on Port Stanley |
| Operation Granby 1990-91 Persian Gulf |
| British Post Cold War |
| Operation Herrick 2002- Afghanistan |
| Operation Barbarossa |
Operation Barbarossa
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The German's divided their forces into three Army Groups: North, Center and South. Army Group North's objective was to seize the Baltic states and then capture Leningrad (today called Saint Petersburg), Army Group Center was to advance through Smolensk and ultimately capture Moscow, and Army Group South was to seize the Ukraine, southern Russia, and ultimately the oil-fields in the Caucasus.
The Germans seriously underestimated Soviet military strength and production, the amount of resistance that the Red Army would be able to provide, and the geographical obstacles facing them. As a result, while the initial German attacks scored great successes, the objectives that they hoped to reach were very far beyond their means. Ultimately the German offensive stalled in the mud of Russia's Autumn rains, before being stopped, within site of the Kremlin, by the Russian Winter and fierce Soviet counter-attacks.
In 1942, the Germans renewed their offensive. However, lacking the strength to attack along the entire front, they attacked only in the South, hoping to capture the Caucasus oil-fields. Eventually, this offensive also failed to achieve its objectives, and the Germans suffered a disasterous defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad.
Germany's final major offensive in the East, was Operation Citadel in 1943. This attack was quickly halted by prepared Soviet forces. From then on, Germany remained on the strategic defensive in the East, unable to stop Soviet advance. The Soviet Red Army ultimately took Berlin in 1945, and Germany surrendered soon after, ending the war in Europe.
