Operation
Barbarossa
By Spencer Williams
Artillery
The artillery used in Operation Barbarossa were extremely heavy. 1000's of tanks were used. While Germany had more advanced tanks Russia had many more total tanks. The Soviets had an estimated 22,000 total tanks used in the battle alone. However German tanks could move faster, and had more heavy armor. In addition 7,180 artillery guns, and 1,830 planes were all in full effect during the battle.
Tanks
In WWII the tanks were very strong and very mobile. Both Russia and Germany had many tanks.
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was named after Fredrick Barbarossa. Apparently he was a mid evil german ruler who would rescue germany in any time of need.
Casualties
The Operation had an extremely high casualty rate. Over 700,000 killed, on the German side and over 802,000 were killed on the soviet side.
Demobilization
Hitler felt that if the soviets were defeated, the shortage of labor in germany could be relieved with the demobilization of Soviet soldiers.
Enslave
Hitler wanted to enslave the people of Russia to provide more living space for the Germans whom he said were the "superior race."
Oil Fields
F
One reason hitler initiated operation barbarossa is to seize the oil feilds in the south of Russia around Ukraine. It was so important to him that he tried to capture it before the capital.
Geostragetic
G
Hitler felt that conquering the Soviets would largely benifit his geostragetic position. In other words capturing russia could be useful for trade and extra land.
Hitler
H
Hitler was Germany's leader. While he was very aggressive and at times arrogant, he had a go - get it attitude that proved to be beneficial as he brought the Germans out of a depression and into power. His won't -take - no for an answer attitude caused him to attack Russia although he wasn't as prepared as he should have been.
Ignore
I
Hitler ignored the critics. He ignore Germans economic misgivings against a threating war with the Soviets. He said himself "everyone on all sides was always raising economic misgivings"
January
J
The month of January was tough for the Germans. In January and Feburary, the Germans lost over 200,000 people.
Leningrad
L
Although the Germans would eventually lose. At one point they had a marginal lead. In 1941 the Germans had pushed through a large chunk of the soviets western front including Leningrad.
Maps
The black represents Germany's initial push towards Russia. They breezed through Poland, Hungary, and Romania and then went straight towards Leningrad and Moscow.
The Non Aggression Pact
N
Before Operation Barbarossa, Hitler formed the Non Aggression Pact with the Soviets. This benifited both Russia Germany greatly. Germany did not want to fight a two sided war and Russia wanted time to mobilize. Both sides pretty much knew the pact would eventually be broken.
Pact image
Soviets and the germans agree to the Non aggression pact. Although it did not last, it proved to be vital.
Operation Barbarossa
O
The exact definition of operation Barbarossa is Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in WWII.
Propaganda
P
Before operation Barbarossa the Nazis targeted the Slavs with propoganda that said the Red Army was prepared to attack Germany. This angered the Soviets very much.
The Red Army
R
The Red army is the soviet union's revolutionary communist combat group during the Russian civil War. It eventually grew into the Soviets national army. It became one of largest Army's in history. They were were able to repel Germany's strongest blow in operation Barbarossa.
Random Red Army Image
The Red Army in warm clothing! It was a key part in the victory.
Success
S
The most successful part of operation Barbarossa was when Germany captured Russia's capital Moscow. Everything was down hill from their.
Turning Point
T
Operation Barbarossa was a turning point because Hitler was so confident in his victories that he thought he could take on Russia. It turned out to be the largest land battle in all of history. 100,000's on both sides died. With the loss Hitlers confidence took a blow and the troops were exhausted for the first time.�
Winter/Win
W
In the end, the biggest difference in the war was the winter that played on Russia's side. Hitlers troops lacked warm clothing and other materials neccesary for the winter. On top of that German tanks typically got stuck in the snow and mud. The harsh winter lead to the deaths of 100,000's of deaths and The Soviet Win.
Sources
Citation added:
Williams, Kenny. "Talk:Operation Barbarossa." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia Enclyclepediae, 3 Mar. 2006. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Operation_Barbarossa>.
1941, December. "Military History Online - Operation Barbarossa." Military History Online. Military History Comp, 3 Feb. 2004. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. <http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/articles/barbarossa.aspx>.
Citation added"World War II Map, Second World War Map, World War 2 Map." World Map, Map of the World. World Maps/ Corp, 4 Feb. 08. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. <http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-maps/world-war-ii-map.html>.