THE Operation Barbarossa, which began on June 22, 1941, marked the beginning of the conflict between Germany and the Soviet Union in Second World War. The greatest combats and violence took place in this scenario of war between these two nations. At the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, around 3.6 million of soldiers who found the Soviet borders poorly protected.
Background
Since the 1920s, hitler, in speeches and writings, placed Soviet Bolshevism as the great adversary of Nazi Germany. As soon as the Nazi leader took power in 1933, the younger generations of Germans were strongly indoctrinated into the war and destruction of the Union. Soviet and “Jewish Bolshevism” (Hitler claimed that Bolshevism was part of a Jewish conspiracy of world domination) were the aims of Germany.
From then on, in 1939, a direct confrontation between Germany and the Soviet Union was expected because of the evident tension installed in Europe. Thus, the signature of the German-Soviet Pact it was a big surprise for the whole world. In this agreement, Germany and the Soviet Union stipulated a non-aggression pact that was to last ten years between these nations. In addition, this pact signed economic agreements between the two countries and secret clauses stipulated the invasion of certain territories in Europe, such as Poland.
The deal that surprised the world, for Hitler, allowed Germany to focus primarily on the front western war. For Stalin, this pact could allow the Soviet Union to better prepare for war. The Soviet leader even expected the German attack to take place only in mid-1942.
A few days after the signing of the agreement, war broke out in Europe, and within a few months, Germany had conquered numerous territories from its blitzkrieg, a lightning war tactic. This tactic, which made possible the German conquests of the Poland, Norway, Belgium, Holland, France, etc., consisted of concentrated and localized attacks with the use of armor, aviation and artillery, combined with rapid territorial movements of the infantry.
Objectives of Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was one of the greatest in human history and put the German army in pursuit of the main war objectives intended by Adolf Hitler. In addition to the destruction of Soviet Bolshevism, this operation was extremely important in ensuring the continuation of the German war.
The Soviet Union had gigantic sources of material wealth that were vital for Germany to be able to finance its war machine. Thus, it was of paramount importance to Hitler that the German armies conquer the precious sources of iron and oil of the Soviet Union, in addition to the grain production of Ukraine that could guarantee food for the German people.
Furthermore, Hitler's project in the Soviet Union stipulated the enslavement of the Slav people so that the German people could survive. This project constituted the Lebensraum, O "living space” defended by Hitler as a foundation for the formation of the Third Reich, the Nazi empire. During the conquest of the Soviet Union, the Nazis tried to implement a plan stating that thirty million Slavs must starve to death so that the Germans could be fed. This plan was outlined by Herbert Backe, head of Nazi agriculture.
Operation Barbarossa
Months before the German invasion of the Soviet Union took place, evidence of the Nazis' goals was evident. First, Stalin he had been alerted by the British, on the basis of information from British intelligence, about the German preparations. However, the Soviet government had neglected the warning, branding it a "British provocation".
Later, Stalin also received and neglected warnings from Soviet agents undercover in Berlin and Tokyo. Even an anti-Nazi German diplomat had secretly informed the Soviet Union of German plans. In all, according to historian Antony Beevor, the Soviet leader received more than 80 notices about Germany's plans. All these warnings were branded as disinformation by Stalin, who was convinced that a German attack would only take place after 1942 |1|.
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
Stalin's intransigence caused the Soviet Union to be caught completely off guard in June 1941. The only measures he took to bolster Soviet defenses were the summoning of 800,000 reservists to join the ranks of the Red Army and the anti-aircraft defense facility in Moscow. All other forms of precaution, then suggested by Soviet generals, were rejected by Stalin.
Germany's four military objectives with the invasion of Soviet territory were:
• Achievement of the industrial network of Leningrad;
• Conquest of the Soviet capital, Moscow;
• Achievement of Kiev and the guarantee of fertile land in Ukraine. After this conquest, the troops would head towards Stalingrad, in the vicinity of the Caucasus.
When the German attack began at 3:15 am on June 22, 1941, the Soviet borders were conquered with virtually no loss. The border armies were virtually demobilized, and within a few weeks the Germans had advanced many kilometers into Soviet territory.
The attack on the Soviet Union did not have the support of all German officers, as many argued that a victory was impossible because of the country's territorial dimensions. However, while many soldiers had blind confidence in the German victory, there were those who defended the idea. that a victory over the Soviet Union would only be possible if it were achieved in a very short space of time. time.
The idea, in fact, was to conquer the Soviet Union in a short space of time to avoid organization and growth of Soviet resistance and, above all, to prevent Germany's material resources from being drained. So it was vital that German advances happen quickly. Some believed that Germany's victory over the Soviet Union would come in less time than its victory over France.
The Soviets' poor preparation for war in 1941 allowed the Germans to rapidly conquer numerous territories, such as the baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), Minsk (Belarus) and Kiev (Ukraine). Wherever the Germans went, they left a trail of death and destruction. However, according to Max Hastings, “Russia was saved from absolute defeat mainly by the size of the territory and its armies”|2|.
The withering German attack besieged Leningrad, conquered Kiev, and reached within a few kilometers of Moscow. However, as predicted, the momentum of the German armies faded in late November. The city of Moscow had been efficiently defended by the general Zhukov, and the arrival of winter determined the stagnation of the Germans on the eastern front. At that time, according to Max Hastings, debates at the German summit were already pessimistic:
In Berlin, on November 28, a conference among industrialists presided over by the supreme head of material fighter, Fritz Todt, reached a devastating conclusion: it was no longer possible to win the war against the Russia. Not having won a quick victory, Germany lacked the resources to prevail in a protracted conflict. The next day, Todt and the head of tank production, Walter Rohland, met with Hitler. Rohland stated that once the United States entered the war, it would be impossible to compete with the industrial strength of the Allies |3|.
Thus, it was suggested to Hitler that he end the war through political agreements as soon as possible. This suggestion was immediately rejected by the German leader who chose to go ahead with the war. During the year 1942, decisive battles took place in the war against the Soviet Union. Despite some German victories, this year marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.
|1| BEEVOR, Antony. The Second World War. Rio de Janeiro: Record, 2015, p. 216.
|2| HASTINGS, Max. Hell: the world at war 1939-1945. Rio de Janeiro: Intrinsic, 2012, p. 172.
|3| Idem, p. 177.
By Daniel Neves
Graduated in History