Operation Barbarossa

Introduction

The participation of the Soviet Union to World War 2 was largely spearheaded by Germany's international rivalry with the nation. An earlier pact had reinforced their political relationship, but with the successful attack on France and Poland, Hitler's forces were redirected towards the German-Soviet border. Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Nazi Germany's critical invasion of the Soviet Union, launched on June 22, 1941. It involved a three separate German forces attacking across a vast front, aiming to capture vital territory and resources, and ultimately destroy the Soviet Union's immense industrial presence. While initially successful, the operation ultimately failed to achieve its goals and became a major turning point in World War II.A lack of consideration for the Eastern winter further exacerbated supply problems, disrupting the Nazi conquest of the USSR. This failure became the largest and costliest military offensive in history, with around 10 million combatants taking part in the opening phase and over 8 million casualties by the end of the operation on 5 December 1941. It marked a major escalation of World War II, opened the Eastern Front(the largest and deadliest land war in history),and brought the Soviet Union into the Allied powers.

The Gathering Storm

World War 1 had been a national humiliation for Germany, losing a large majority of their land to Alliead countries. The rise of Adolf Hitler and his right-wing extremist Nazi party opened new doors to revenge against old enemies. Hitler's policy of lebensraum fuelled public aggression against Slavic ethnicities, as he carefully planned his invasion of Russia. The combined force of Allied armies would have crushed the German army, so Germany opted for a peace pact with the Soviet Union. With the conquest of France and Poland, Hitler now turned his attention to his country's deep hatred of the Soviet Union.