Exactly when Hitler decided that he would have to fight the Soviet Union is a moot question. The idea of an inevitable clash between nazism and Soviet communism was one of the least ambiguous tenets of his political philosophy. If, during the period of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, he did not talk about it, he also [...]
German Plans and Attack 1941
german plans and attack 1941
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Jan 252012
Jan 252012
On Dec. 18, 1940, Hitler signed Fuhrer Directive No. 21, subtitled “Operation Barbarossa.” The directive, which was based on the work of several planning groups, was the strategic outline for a campaign against the Soviet Union. It laid down a plan for a two-phase operation. In the first phase the German Army was to engage [...]
Opposing Forces
german plans and attack 1941
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Jan 252012
The German Army High Command (Oberkommando des Heeres or OKH) assigned 148 divisions, including 19 panzer divisions, to the invasion of the USSR. Total personnel strength was 3,050,000 men. Initially the armies had 3,350 tanks, 7,184, artillery pieces, 600,000 motor vehicles, and 625,000 horses, and the Luftwaffe provided 2,500 aircraft of all types. The Finnish [...]
German Campaign 1941
german plans and attack 1941
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Jan 252012
Shortly before midnight on June 21, telegraphic orders were dispatched from the Soviet People’s Commissariat for Defense, instructing the frontier military districts to place themselves on a war footing. By then it was too late. Many units never received the orders, and among those that did, few were capable of responding effectively in the two [...]