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Operation Barbarossa
Named after Frederick Barbarossa a great medieval emperor who made advances to the east. Hitler issued Directive twenty-one the code name for the destruction of Russia. Leading up to this directive neither partner of the Russo-German non-aggression pact was wholly satisfied. The Russian's where not quite as subservient as the Germans would have liked and the Germans did much better in the west than Russia anticipated or wanted. Russian pressure on Finland and Romania threatened the German war machines resources. Hitler wanted to settle things quickly with Russia, but decided the timing wasn't right. Resources were tied to the battle of Britain, coupled with wanting to avoid a winter campaign he decided to wait until spring. As the planning for the attack was underway the Russian Foreign minister visited Berlin. Hitler informed the Russian minister that England was finished and tried to persuade the Russians to turn eastward after the Russian Japanese damping of hostilities in Mongolia. The Russian ministers response was "if England is finished then whose bombers are those overhead and why are we in a bomb shelter".
At the end of 1940 it was apparent that Germany wouldn't be able to take England, nor would England be able to affect Germany in Europe, for the foreseeable future. A kind of equilibrium had developed as the Anglo-Axis war shifted to the Mediterranean. At this time the same sort of balance had been achieved between china and Japan in the Far East. China had been beaten but Japan lacked the resources to finish the job.
Looking back at this point we can see that the two future superpowers had remained uncommitted. Either of which entering the war could shift the balance. Russia was sided at least on paper with Germany and Japan. America was backing England, with their cash and carry and then, lend-lease programs. So in a sense the two great powers achieved another equilibrium in the war. Up till now it looked even for both sides, with no decisive plan of action in site that would change the balance and win the war in one direction or the other. It looked to be for any country involved, a tremendous undertaking that would cost many lives and last an extremely long time.
In June of 1941 Germany invaded Russia, and initially very nearly over ran her as they had done to the French. This Decision Was one of the most profound political decisions of the twentieth century it seems incredible that Hitler thought Germany could win a war split on so many fronts, already at war with England, and facing an increasingly hostile United States, the odds were overwhelming but amidst these odds a German victory was very nearly accomplished. The operation was setup in two stages First the Russian forces near the front would be encircled and destroyed. The second stage was a sort of clean up operation hunting down the remaining units that survived the initial phase. After this Hitler assumed no major resistance from the Russians east of the Urals. The plan was to allocate the Luftwaffe to dominate this region. To accomplish this Hitler assigned three army groups, north, center, and south. Group north was to attack Leningrad, group center was to head for Smolensk and, group south was bound for Kiev. There was some debate about the plan, but Germany anticipated knocking out the largest nation in the world in eight to twelve weeks.
On June 22nd, 1941 at 0300 the attack began. Gunfire lighted the horizon all the way from the Baltic sea to the Black sea. The Russian front was overwhelmed. The Russians tried to rally but the speed of the Germans was too much. The Russians fought fiercely and granted no mercy, as they expected none. The chain of Russian command dissolved in places and the Russian commanders appeared stunned by the offensive. Within the first few days the Germans were well ahead of there own predictions and, it appeared as thought Hitler had fabricated another success against incredible odds.
After a short time in the Campaign had passed the German high command believed it was time to begin Phase two. Army group North had little or no trouble with the advance towards Leningrad. Within five weeks they had taken native Russian soil. Army group center captured one quarter of a million prisoners west of Minsk, and yet again army group center took another quarter million prisoners in Smolensk. Army group south was slowed, by weather and Russian resistance but did make progress towards Kiev.
What happened next spelt disaster for Germany. The fault according to many historians lay in German ideology but I dare not tread on specific atrocities here. When Germany first entered Ukraine they were warmly greeted, but after a time, bitter men replaced the young girls on the roadsides, and Molotov cocktails replaced flowers. Then came the assumed initial blunder Hitler and his Generals had argued about a straight drive to Moscow. On many occasions Hitler had been right, and his generals wrong. Who is to say where in the fault lay for certain. The fact is that Hitler decided at this time to remove the armor units from army group center and bolster the northern and southern groups to help their advance. This action afforded to the Russians the time needed to bolster their defenses and the face of the front changed very quickly. Russian peasants started to fight for mother Russia and not communism. German men and machines took heavier tolls. German supply lines became strung out. Colder weather set in on ill prepared German forces.
Hitler then again ordered his tanks to run behind their lines!? The thought now was to run straight at Moscow and encircle it in a great pincer before winter arrived. All the diversions and moments behind the lines afforded the Russian's six weeks to fortify their defenses. On the first of October Germany's army group center attacked, it was a complete success and more than 650,000 men were left for the infantry to mop up around Bryansk and, Vyazma as the panzers rolled on towards Moscow. On the seventh of October it began to rain, it rained for three weeks. Men and equipment were bogged down, and moved slowly only with brute force and determination. On October 20th Mozhaisk fell to the Germans, and according to German intelligence with it went that last of the Russian reserves. By any reasonable estimate the Germans had won already. They were in possession of a majority of Russia's coal and iron ore. Thirty five million Russians were in occupied territory. Thousands of Russian tanks planes and guns had been destroyed. It had up to now been the single most successful campaign in history. But the price Germany had paid was high. Two thirds or their arm had been lost. German divisions were at little more than half strength. Supplies were rare and reserves nonexistent. In the beginning of November Germany prepared for a last daunting run at Moscow.
Army group center moved on Nov 15th making advances both north and south of Moscow. However within the direct course to Moscow the Russians repelled the attack. The Russian counter offensive there held the Germans for two weeks. It was in this counter attack that I believe the Russian T-34 first appeared. Russian eastern front reinforcements finally made it into the fray. Battle hardened troops with combat experience. The Germans were still making progress on the first of December, and it looked as if it was only a matter of time before Moscow fell, the German trap was beginning to close. As the Germans worked to close the great smothering pincer around Moscow and the Russians pushed the counter offensive towards Mozhaisk winter arrived.
Deep gripping cold penetrated everything. The earliest and hardiest winter in fifty years had just arrived. Reaching forty degrees below zero. Ill prepared German machines and men in summer gear were literally paralyzed by the cold. Once again in recent history Oil was a factor. Specifically light oil some 5W30 may have been useful. On December 5th the German drive collapsed a mere twenty-five miles from their objective. On December 6th the Russians opened a new counter offensive and within the next 200 weeks pushed Germany back all the way to Berlin and end the war in Europe. On December 7th the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor Bringing the United States into the so it seamed ever-expanding war.
December 1st thru 7th, an absolutely brutal week in World War two.
/s/
Solar