Operation Barbarossa - Causes and Consequences

Operation Barbarossa – Causes and Consequences

On June 22nd 1941, German forces crossed the Russian frontier and began to fight their way into Soviet territory. Operation Barbarossa, Hitler’s codename for the attack on Russia, had begun. In this essay I am going to describe the causes, events and consequences of Operation Barbarossa. What happened when the ‘unbeatable’ Hitler and Germany met the sheer determination and patriotism of Stalin and the USSR?

There were many reasons that contributed to Hitler’s invasion of the USSR.

Hitler had always harboured a hatred for the Slavs, he thought they were inferior, impure people who were only fit to be used as slaves. This was a racist attitude that had been with Hitler for many years before he became ‘Fuhrer.’

There was always bound to be conflict between Germany and the USSR, as they were neighbours. This meant they were both easy to invade; hardly any transporting of troops would be required. Hitler resented being so close to the ‘untermensch’; he did not want to be associated with them.

Hitler was an ex-soldier of World War I. This made him very bitter about what happened, he felt defeat was unjust and was devastated by the peace treaties. All the land Germany gained from Russia from the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was lost, and Hitler felt this was a disgrace; the Germans should never have signed the armistice.

Hitler believed the German people needed ‘Lebensraum’ – living space. He felt it was needed for the natural progression of the German race. Hitler had a policy called ‘drang nach osten’ – drive to the east – so he had planned to move Germany’s borders into the USSR all along.

In the 1930s the Nazis had made the struggle against Bolshevism ‘a central theme in domestic and foreign policy,’ thus a war against Bolshevik Russia was merely the logical outcome of this belief. They had signed the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1936 with Japan, a treaty that specifically opposed communism, and therefore Stalin’s Russia. This showed Hitler was clearly opposed to Stalin and his principles, which is why entire world was shocked when news of the Nazi-Soviet Pact reached them. In 1939 Hitler and Stalin signed an agreement that meant they formed a temporary alliance. This non-aggression pact could not last; the leaders simply aimed to protect themselves from attack. Hitler and Stalin were complete political opposites; at one end of the scale was Communism, and at the other end was Fascism. Hitler and Stalin represented the two political extremes. It was obvious to the world that this treaty of ‘peace’ would not last for long.

Western Europe had been safely conquered, except for Britain, which was so weak it would not be able to attack for several years. As Germany was still at war with Britain when Operation Barbarossa was beginning, it seemed to Hitler that if the Soviet Union could be defeated it would make the British more willing to accept peace terms. The Nazi reputation would have received a huge boost – people would become even more fearful of their power.

Sure enough, on December 18th 1940, Hitler signed Directive 21, also known as Operation Barbarossa. The first sentence of this directive summarises ...

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Sure enough, on December 18th 1940, Hitler signed Directive 21, also known as Operation Barbarossa. The first sentence of this directive summarises its purpose – ‘The German armed forces must be ready before the end of the war against Great Britain to defeat the Soviet Union by means of Blitzkrieg’.

Before the invasion took place, Stalin was warned many times of Hitler’s true intentions. However, he preferred to trust his ‘political instinct’ rather than the secret reports he had been receiving for weeks. Convinced he had signed an eternal pact of friendship with Germany, he paid no attention to the evidence of Hitler’s treachery his intelligence constantly presented to him.

Hitler had great expectations, and predicted the USSR would be beaten within six months. All the Nazis were very confident they would be successful, having seen the weaknesses of Stalin’s army in Finland and Poland.

Goebbels records in his diary how he expected a quick victory -:

‘The Fuhrer thinks the action will take 4 months. I think even less. Bolshevism will collapse as a house of cards. We are facing an unprecedented victorious campaign. Cooperation with Russia was a stain on our reputation. Now it is going to be washed out.’

In the early hours of June 22nd 1941, German troops launched a huge invasion that was to begin one of the most violent and devastating wars ever. Three million men were involved. They advanced very quickly, since most Soviets troops were held back from the borders and those they did encounter were very confused, as Soviet command had refused to accept reports of an imminent invasion.

Almost the entire Red air force was destroyed on the ground.

The Germans gained territory very quickly. In less than a month he had reached Smolensk, more than halfway to Moscow, and well into the Ukraine. By August, he had taken more than 2 million Soviet prisoners, destroyed 7000 aircraft and almost all their tanks. It seemed he might beat his prediction, but then, against all advice, he halted the march on Moscow. Hitler insisted Moscow was an ‘unimportant target,’ even though it was the centre of a highly centralised command economy, and nearly all rail links passed through the city, including those carrying vital reinforcements from the East.

By late September, Hitler decided it was time to assault Moscow. By now, the defence had had time to build major defences around the city. However, this wasn’t enough and by mid October the Germans were well into the city of Moscow. Then came the USSR’s saviour: Winter. The German soldiers were not equipped to deal with the extreme conditions they now encountered. The soldiers began dying in large numbers, and Hitler was forced to suspend activity for the remainder of 1941. The Germans now had to defend. They had come within sight of the Kremlin, but had been stopped by nature and therefore lost their early advantage of preparedness.

One of Hitler’s biggest errors was turning the people of Russia against him. At first the people welcomed the Germans as liberators. They gave them supplies such as food and clothing, and provided shelter. When the Germans moved on Stalingrad it is estimated that accompanying them were about half a million Soviet volunteers. However, Hitler did not want their help because they were the Untermensch. Stalin may have had little to offer the population, but the Germans had nothing except death and enslavement. This resulted in the Russian peasantry doing everything they possibly could to sabotage the German war effort. They would kill, burn and destroy anything they could to get an advantage against the invaders that were systematically destroying them.

In 1942 the German army opened another year of campaigning in the USSR. At first the attacks went well again, although at a slower pace than the previous year. However, they were beginning to have problems. They were being driven slowly back from Moscow and Leningrad would not give up under a horrific siege.

In the South, the armies moved into the Caucasus and eventually came to Stalingrad, Stalin’s city. The city had not been a major target, but Hitler decided the city must be taken. Stalin, on the other side, decided it must at all costs be kept. The result was a titanic battle that finished of any hope of Germany winning in the East. The German army fought hard and got into the city, but again the winter confounded them. They were amazed by the Russians’ strength and courage:

‘The Russian soldier has an almost incredible ability to stand up to the heaviest artillery fire and air bombardment. He is immune to the most terrible hardships’ –General Mellethin

As November closed, the German army was completed surrounded by Soviets. The Generals saw the army must retreat before the circle was completely closed and strengthened. Hitler would not hear of it -:

‘Surrender is forbidden. The army will hold their position to the last man and the last round.’

So the soldiers stayed there to die.

After Stalingrad the Germans did not have the supplies or troops to continue a campaign on their own initiative. They now had to try to hold the Soviets, who pushed and pushed for another brutal 3 years until they finally met with the western allies at Berlin in 1945.

The Battle of Stalingrad had terrible consequences for Germany. For Germany, it was not just a defeat, it was a catastrophe. Operation Barbarossa was a turning point in the war: if Germany had won, the entire course of world war two would be different.

Hitler was never the same again. The confidence winning battle after battle gave him was suddenly gone. He was so used to being on the offensive for new land, now he just had to attempt to defend his own. After the battle, the Nazi leadership appeared to accept that winning the war would be difficult, if not impossible.

The military losses were huge:

1 Field Marshall

24 generals

2000 officers

More than 160,00 German soldiers and up to 50,000 soldiers from other countries allied with Germany (Rumanians, Hungarians etc.)

The loss of 25% of Germany’s military strength of 1942 in terms of guns, tanks & aircraft.

Although this was a huge loss, men and machines could be replaced. The Allies had not yet invaded Europe and Germany could go on the defensive while these losses were rebuilt. However, the army would never be the same. The experienced soldiers who died or taken prisoners were irreplaceable.

For the Soviet Union, the battle was of the utmost importance. If they had lost, the country would fall to Hitler and history would be rewritten. The Slavs did not become slaves, Communism/Bolshevism remained intact, and Stalin stayed in power. The battle united the people of the USSR. They had a common enemy, and worked together to destroy it.

Stalin became increasingly popular after the campaign, seen as the great leader whom they had followed to victory. The confidence of the masses increased, the pattern of defeats interrupted. It was hailed as a victory of the people, of Communist supremacy.

Britain and the USA were very impressed with the USSR's ability. The British public were glad to see Germany suffering after the hardships of the Battle of Britain. This lead to the USSR gaining ‘great power status,’ and an unlikely alliance between Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt. Russia now had to be taken seriously.

Operation Barbarossa’s consequences were not all good for Russia. They also suffered massive losses. The land was destroyed, partly due to Stalin’s ‘scorched-earth’ policy. It was impossible to calculate the number of dead, but it is estimated at several million.

However, Churchill was very suspicious of Stalin, and believed a powerful Russia could be just as big a threat as a powerful Germany. Churchill wanted to ‘shake hands with the Russians as far to the east as possible,’ to stop them gaining more land. This was exactly the opposite of Stalin’s plans. He aimed to create a ‘buffer zone,’ so Russia would be safe from attack.

The Battle of Stalingrad made all of these things possible. Up to this point, the future of the Soviet Union and of Stalin was in doubt. After the battle took place, it was only a matter of time before the Germans were driven out of Russia and pushed and pushed for another 3 brutal years until they finally met with the Western Allies at Berlin in 1945.

By Hayley