Why Did the German Attack On the Soviet Union in 1914 fail in its objectives?

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WHY DID THE GERMAN ATTACK ON THE SOVIET UNION

IN 1941 FAIL IN ITS OBJECTIVES?

In the immediate view, it seems that there are a few main arguments attributed to the failure of the German attack in 1941. One suggestion is that the Russians actually forced the German attack into failure as they had deceived other powers as to the size and power of troops that they had at their disposal. Other historians believe that the German’s themselves were to blame due to their underestimation of the power of the Russian army and also that they were preoccupied with war on the Western Front with Britain and France. I aim to give a detailed analysis of these arguments, drawing on views from both the Nazi and Soviet camps.

The following discussion will suggest that the German attack failed due to a mixture of these arguments. Using sources from various known historians, I will argue these points to the conclusion that there was no one single reason for the failure of the German attack in 1941.

The most common reason given, and in most cases the first that one comes across when studying this part of the Second World War is that of Soviet military deception. When analysing the military powers at this time, it was Germany who were the most feared. This was due to the fact that the state of their armed forces was one of the best kept secrets in the pre-war period. In his book ‘The Road to Stalingrad’, John Erickson states that it was indeed German policy that dictated the reaction of the other powers and not allied military policy. Even though the German army was being heavily surveyed at this point it was still unclear as to their exact capabilities, however, it was becoming clear that soon the Germans would once again possess real military power;

                Tukhachevskii ……… pointed to Pétain’s argument,                                 that no longer could the French Army rely on time                                 to mobilize before the enemy engaged powerful forces.

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According to Tukhachevskii, the French would prove no worthy opposition to the Germans. Erickson, who continues to outline the potential of the German military forces, confirms the beliefs of the Marshall of the Soviet Union – Tukhachevskii. One can see from the projected figures that, on paper at least, there was a potential problem concerning the size of the German army,

                By summer 1935 Germany would have an army of                                 849,000 – 40 per cent greater than the French and                                 almost equal in size to the Red Army with its 940,000                                 effectives.

This potential for strength in ...

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