Operation Barbarossa Research Paper

After numerous Allied operations against Hitler that helped contribute to the end of the Third Reich, it ended up being his own greed and ambition that brought about his downfall which started 3 years earlier. Operation Barbarossa was launched in June, 22 1941. Germany was to invade Russia on a extraordinary 2,000 miles long front and take the massive landmass the Soviets had and give it to the German people. This was in total violation of the non-aggression treaty that the Soviets and Germans had agreed to two years prior, according to William L. Shirer who wrote The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich A History of Nazi Germany “The basic idea went back much further, at least fifteen years-to Mein Kampf.” Even with the idea of invading Russia

But the sheer size in numbers of the Russian people allowed them to overcome the Germans with help from the winter and the industrial might of the country, the Russians put the Germans on the defensive. The successful defense of the Russians at Stalingrad stopped the advance of the Nazi’s into Russia The Russians surrounded the Nazi’s and annihilated a complete German army, cutting off any route for supplies and reinforcements. Stalingrad was the turning point for the war on the eastern front and from there on the Germans were on the retreat, the Russians slowly recaptured Kursk in February of 1943 and in the following year Orel and Kiev were under Russian control. By January, 1945 the Red Army had fought their way from Moscow and over into Germany and took the the capital city of Berlin along with the surrender of the German people and the suicide of Adolf Hitler. Even though Operation Barbarossa was Hitler’s master plan to conquer Russia, it ended up being his biggest failure and led to the deaths of millions of innocent people while bringing a quick end to his thousand year