OPERATION BARARBOSA

THE START AND END

WHY OPERATION BARBAROSSA HAPPENED

• Hitler and Stalin had a nonaggression pact.
• Hitler didn't trust Stalin and feared he would invade Romania, which would cut off Germany from the petroleum wells there.
• As well, the Russian army was in shambles, so the timing made sense.
• Furthermore, Hitler wanted Russian resources, and was able to justify the invasion by stating in mein kampf that the Germans needed more space.

MAJOR EVENTS

• Stalin refused to believe that hitler was going to invade
• Battle for Stalingrad, Leningrad and moscow

BATTLE FOR MOSCOW

• Germany-1,929,406 men
• Soviets- 1,300,000 men
• Germany casualties 250,000
• Soviet casualties
• 1,000,000
• Oct. 2, 1942- jan. 7, 1943
• Result: soviet victory

BATTLE FOR LENINGRAD

• Sept. 1941-1944
• More than 1 million civilian casualties
• Germany: 579,985 deaths
• Soviet: 3,436,066 deaths
• Result: Soviet victory

BATTLE FOR STALINGRAD

• Aug. 23, 1942- feb. 2, 1943
• Germany: 270,000 men
• Soviet: 187,000 men
• Germany: 850,000 dead
• Soviet: 1,129,619 dead
• Result: Soviet victory

WHAT HAPPENED

• At first, the operation was largely successful. The Germans made it deep into Ukraine and Belorusse, took many prisoners, and caused heavy Russian losses. A Russian loss began to look like a real possibility. Soon, Moscow, Leningrad, and Stalingrad were under attack. However, The Germans were forced to retreat after losing the battle of Stalingrad, ultimately being forced out of Russia by the cold

OUTCOME

• As stated before, after a long while the Germans were forced to retreat resulting in a russian victory.

EFFECTS OF THE EVENT

• It is arguable that the failure of operation Barbarossa resulted in the eventual defeat of the third reich.
• As well, the operation opened the eastern front which would become one of the biggest areas of war throughout all of wwIi. The eastern front held some of the largest and most brutal battles of the war, along with miserable conditions and some of the largest death counts.

SOURCES

• "Operation Barbarossa." U-s-history.com. Web. 9. June 2015. .
• "What Was the Result of Operation Barbarossa ?" Answers.com. Web. 9 June 2015. .