In his book, which was pompously titled “My War,” as well as in numerous speeches, Hitler proclaimed that the Germans, as a superior race, needed more living space.
At the same time, he did not mean Europe, but the Soviet Union, its European part. The mild climate, fertile lands and geographical proximity to Germany - all this made Ukraine, from his point of view, an ideal place for a German colony. He took the experience of British colonization in India as a basis.
According to his plan, the Aryans should live in beautiful houses, enjoy all the benefits, while the fate of other peoples is to serve them.
Negotiations with Hitler
Although the plan was excellent, certain difficulties arose with its implementation. Hitler understood perfectly well that it would hardly be possible to conquer Russia so quickly, due to its territorial size and large population, like Europe. But he firmly hoped to carry out a military operation before the onset of the famous Russian frosts, realizing that getting bogged down in the war was fraught with defeat in it.
Joseph Stalin was not ready for the start of the war. According to some historians, he sincerely believed that Hitler would not attack the USSR until he defeated France and Great Britain. But the fall of France in 1940 made him think about the possible threat from the Germans.
Therefore, Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov was delegated to Germany with clear instructions - to drag out negotiations with Hitler for as long as possible. Stalin's calculation was aimed at the fact that Hitler would not dare to attack closer to the fall - after all, then he would have to fight in the winter, and if he did not have time to act in the summer of 1941, then he would have to postpone his military plans until next year.
Plans to attack Russia
Plans for an attack on Russia by Germany have been developed since 1940. Historians believe that Hitler canceled Operation Sea Lion, deciding that with the fall of the Soviet Union the British would surrender on their own.
The first version of the offensive plan was made by General Erich Marx in August 1940 - in the Reich he was considered the best specialist on Russia. In it, he took into account many factors - economic opportunities, human resources, vast territories of the conquered country. But even careful reconnaissance and development of the Germans did not allow them to discover the reserve of the Supreme High Command, which included armored forces, engineering troops, infantry and aviation. Subsequently, this became an unpleasant surprise for the Germans.
Marx developed an attack on Moscow as the main direction of attack. Secondary strikes were to be directed at Kyiv and two diversionary strikes through the Baltic states to Leningrad, as well as Moldova. Leningrad was not a priority for Marx.
The plan was developed in an atmosphere of strict secrecy - disinformation about Hitler’s plans to attack the Soviet Union was spread through all channels of diplomatic communication. All troop movements were explained by exercises or redeployments.
The next version of the plan was completed in December 1940 by Halder. He changed Marx's plan, highlighting three directions: the main one was against Moscow, smaller forces were to be concentrated on advancing towards Kyiv, and a major attack was to be made on Leningrad.
After the conquest of Moscow and Leningrad, Harold proposed moving towards Arkhangelsk, and after the fall of Kyiv, the Wehrmacht forces were to head to the Don and Volga region.
The third and final version was developed by Hitler himself, codenamed "Barbarossa". This plan was created in December 1940.
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler put the main focus of military activity on moving north. Therefore, Moscow and Leningrad remained among the strategically important targets. Units moving south were to be tasked with occupying Ukraine west of Kyiv.
The attack began early on the morning of Sunday 22 June 1941. In total, the Germans and their allies committed 3 million soldiers, 3,580 tanks, 7,184 artillery pieces, 1,830 aircraft and 750,000 horses. In total, Germany assembled 117 army divisions for the attack, not counting the Romanian and Hungarian ones. Three armies took part in the attack: “North”, “Center” and “South”.
“You just have to kick in the front door, and the entire rotten Russian structure will fall down,” Hitler said smugly a few days after the start of hostilities. The results of the offensive were truly impressive - 300,000 thousand Soviet soldiers and officers were killed or captured, 2,500 tanks, 1,400 artillery pieces and 250 aircraft were destroyed. And this is only based on the central advance of German troops after seventeen days. Skeptics, seeing the catastrophic results of the first two weeks of hostilities for the USSR, predicted the imminent collapse of the Bolshevik empire. But the situation was saved by Hitler’s own miscalculations.
The first advances of the fascist troops were so fast that even the Wehrmacht command was not prepared for them - and this jeopardized all supply and communication lines of the army.
Army Group Center stopped on the Desna in the summer of 1941, but everyone believed that this was only a respite before the inexorable movement. But in the meantime, Hitler decided to change the balance of power of the German army. He ordered the military units led by Guderian to head towards Kyiv, and the first tank group to go north. was against Hitler’s decision, but could not disobey the Fuhrer’s order - he repeatedly proved his rightness as a military leader with victories, and Hitler’s authority was unusually high.
Crushing defeat of the Germans
The success of the mechanized units in the north and south was as impressive as the attack on June 22 - huge numbers of dead and captured, thousands of units of equipment destroyed. But, despite the results achieved, this decision already contained defeat in the war. lost time. The delay was so significant that the onset of winter occurred before the troops achieved the goals set by Hitler.
The army was not equipped for the winter cold. And the frosts of the winter of 1941-1942 were especially severe. And this was a very important factor that played a role in the loss of the German army.
Barbarossa Fall"), the code name for Germany's war plan against the USSR (named after the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa).
1940, after the defeat of the French army, the moment came that Hitler and his associates considered convenient for the implementation of their aggressive plans in the East. On July 22, 1940, the day of the French surrender, the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, General Franz Halder, received instructions from Hitler and the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Walter von Brauchitsch, to develop a plan for the invasion of the Soviet Union. The command of the ground forces (OKH) in July-December simultaneously developed several options, each independently. One of the options was developed by the German High Command (OKW) under the leadership of Alfred Jodl and his deputy, General Walter Warlimont, and was codenamed “Lossberg Study.” It was completed by September 15 and differed from the other option - General Marx - in that the main blow in it was determined on the northern sector of the front. When making the final decision, Hitler agreed with Jodl's considerations. By the time work on the plan options was completed, General Friedrich Paulus was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff, who was tasked with bringing all the plans together and taking into account the comments made by the Fuhrer. Under the leadership of General Paulus, in mid-December 1940, staff games and meetings of the military and Nazi leadership took place, where the final version of the Barbarossa plan was worked out. Paulus wrote in his memoirs: “The preparatory game for Operation Barbarossa was carried out under my leadership in mid-December 1940 for two days at the headquarters of the ground forces command in Zossen.
The main goal was Moscow. To achieve this goal and eliminate the threat from the north, Russian troops in the Baltic republics had to be destroyed. Then it was planned to take Leningrad and Kronstadt, and deprive the Russian Baltic Fleet of its base. In the south, the first target was Ukraine with the Donbass, and later the Caucasus with its oil sources. Particular importance was attached to the capture of Moscow in the OKW plans. However, the capture of Moscow had to be preceded by the capture of Leningrad. The capture of Leningrad served several military purposes: the elimination of the main bases of the Russian Baltic Fleet, the disabling of the city's military industry and the elimination of Leningrad as a concentration point for a counteroffensive against German troops advancing on Moscow. When I say that a decision was made, I do not mean that there was complete unity in the opinions of the responsible commanders and staff officers.
On the other hand, although little was said about this, the opinion was expressed that a rapid collapse of the Soviet resistance should be expected as a consequence of internal political difficulties, organizational and material weaknesses of the so-called “colossus with feet of clay...
“The entire territory in which operations will take place is divided by the Pripyat swamps into northern and southern halves. The latter has a poor road network. The best roads and railways are on the Warsaw-Moscow line. Therefore, in the northern half there are more favorable conditions for the use of large numbers of troops , rather than in the south. In addition, a significant concentration of troops is planned in the Russian group in the direction of the Russian-German demarcation line. It should be assumed that immediately beyond the former Russian-Polish border there is a Russian supply base, covered by field fortifications of the Dnieper and Western Dvina. the easternmost line where the Russians will be forced to give battle.
If they retreat further, they will no longer be able to protect their industrial areas. As a result, our plan should be to prevent the Russians from creating a continuous defensive front west of these two rivers with the help of tank wedges. A particularly large strike force should advance from the Warsaw area towards Moscow. Of the envisaged three army groups, the northern one will need to be sent to Leningrad, and the southern forces will need to deliver the main blow in the direction of Kyiv. The final goal of the operation is the Volga and the Arkhangelsk region. A total of 105 infantry, 32 tank and motorized divisions should be used, of which large forces (two armies) will initially follow in the second echelon."
“We moved through frozen swamps, often the ice cracked and icy water got into my boots. My gloves were soaked through, I had to take them off and wrap my numb hands with a towel. I wanted to howl in pain.” From a letter from a German soldier, a participant in the Russian campaign of 1941-42.
“The most important goal is to prevent the Russians from retreating while maintaining the integrity of the front. The offensive should be carried out so far to the east that Russian aircraft cannot carry out raids on the territory of the German Reich and so that, on the other hand, German aircraft can launch air strikes against the Russians military-industrial areas. To do this, it is necessary to achieve the defeat of the Russian armed forces and prevent their reconstruction. Already the first strikes must be delivered by such units that it is possible to destroy large enemy forces. Therefore, mobile troops should be used on the adjacent flanks of both northern army groups. deliver the main blow.
In the north, it is necessary to achieve encirclement of enemy forces located in the Baltic countries. To do this, the army group that will attack Moscow must have enough troops to be able to turn a significant part of its forces to the north. The army group advancing south of the Pripyat marshes must move out later and achieve encirclement of large enemy forces in Ukraine by performing an enveloping maneuver from the north... The number of troops of 130-140 divisions provided for the entire operation is sufficient."
The final version of the plan is set out in the directive of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces (OKW) ´21 of December 18, 1940 (see.
Directive 21) and the “Directive for the Strategic Concentration and Deployment of Troops” of the OKH of January 31, 1941. The Barbarossa plan provided for “defeating Soviet Russia in a short-lived campaign even before the war against England is over.” The idea was “to split the front of the main forces of the Russian army, concentrated in the western part of Russia, with quick and deep strikes by powerful mobile groups north and south of the Pripyat swamps and, using this breakthrough, to destroy disunited groups of enemy troops.” At the same time, the main forces of the Soviet army were supposed to be destroyed west of the Dnieper, Western Dvina line, preventing them from retreating into the interior of the country. In the future, it was planned to capture Moscow, Leningrad, Donbass and reach the line Astrakhan, Volga, Arkhangelsk (see "A-A"). The Barbarossa plan outlined in detail the tasks of army groups and armies, the order of interaction between them, the tasks of the Air Force and Navy, issues of cooperation with allied states, etc.
It was planned to begin its implementation in May 1941, but due to operations against Yugoslavia and Greece, this date was postponed. In April 1941, the final order was given for the day of the attack - June 22.
A number of additional documents were developed to the OKW and OKH directives, incl.
part of the disinformation directive, which required that “the strategic deployment of forces for Operation Barbarossa be presented as the greatest disinformation maneuver in the history of war, aimed at diverting attention from the final preparations for the invasion of England.”
In accordance with the Barbarossa plan, by June 22, 1941, 190 divisions (including 19 tank and 14 motorized) of Germany and its allies were concentrated near the borders of the USSR. They were supported by 4 air fleets, as well as Finnish and Romanian aviation. The troops concentrated for the offensive numbered 5.5 million.
people, about 4,300 tanks, over 47 thousand field guns and mortars, about 5,000 combat aircraft. Army groups were deployed: "North" consisting of 29 divisions (all German) - in the zone from Memel (Klaipeda) to Gołdap; "Center" consisting of 50 divisions and 2 brigades (all German) - in the zone from Goldap to the Pripyat marshes; "South" consisting of 57 divisions and 13 brigades (including 13 Romanian divisions, 9 Romanian and 4 Hungarian brigades) - in the strip from the Pripyat swamps to the Black Sea. The army groups had the task of advancing respectively in general directions towards Leningrad, Moscow and Kyiv. The German Army Norway and 2 Finnish armies were concentrated in Finland and Norway - a total of 21 divisions and 3 brigades, supported by the 5th Air Fleet and Finnish aviation.
They were given the task of reaching Murmansk and Leningrad. There were 24 divisions left in the OKH reserve.
Despite the initial significant successes of the German troops, the Barbarossa plan turned out to be untenable, since it was based on the false premise of the weakness of the Soviet Union and its armed forces.
Excellent definition
Incomplete definition ↓
The famous German plan “Barbarossa” can be briefly described as follows: it is Hitler’s almost unrealistic strategic plan to capture Russia as the main enemy on the path to world domination.
It is worth remembering that by the time of the attack on the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, had almost unopposedly captured half of the European states. Only Britain and the USA resisted the aggressor.
The essence and goals of Operation Barbarossa
The Soviet-German non-aggression pact, signed shortly before the start of the Great Patriotic War, was nothing more than a head start for Hitler. Why? Because the Soviet Union, without assuming a possible betrayal, fulfilled the said agreement.
And the German leader thus gained time to carefully develop a strategy for capturing his main enemy.
Why did Hitler recognize Russia as the biggest obstacle to the implementation of the blitzkrieg? Because the resilience of the USSR did not allow England and the USA to lose heart and, perhaps, surrender, like many European countries.
In addition, the fall of the Soviet Union would serve as a powerful impetus to strengthen Japan's position on the world stage. And Japan and the United States had extremely tense relations. Also, the non-aggression pact allowed Germany not to launch an offensive in the unfavorable conditions of winter cold.
The preliminary strategy of the Barbarossa plan looked something like this:
- A powerful and well-trained Reich army invades Western Ukraine, instantly defeating the main forces of the disoriented enemy. After several decisive battles, German forces finish off the scattered detachments of surviving Soviet soldiers.
- From the territory of the captured Balkans, march victoriously to Moscow and Leningrad. Capture both cities that are extremely important to achieve the intended result. The task of capturing Moscow as the political and tactical center of the country stood out especially. Interesting: the Germans were sure that every single remnant of the USSR army would flock to Moscow to defend it - and it would be as easy as shelling pears to completely defeat them.
Why was Germany's attack plan on the USSR called Plan Barbarossa?
The strategic plan for the lightning capture and conquest of the Soviet Union was named after Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who ruled the Holy Roman Empire in the 12th century.
The said leader went down in history thanks to his numerous and successful campaigns of conquest.
The name of the Barbarossa plan undoubtedly reflected the symbolism inherent in almost all actions and decisions of the leadership of the Third Reich. The name of the plan was approved on January 31, 1941.
Hitler's goals in World War II
Like any totalitarian dictator, Hitler did not pursue any special goals (at least those that could be explained using the elementary logic of common sense).
The Third Reich unleashed the Second World War with the sole purpose: to take over the world, establish dominance, subjugate all countries and peoples to its perverted ideologies, and impose its picture of the world on the entire population of the planet.
How long did it take for Hitler to take over the USSR?
In general, Nazi strategists allocated only five months—one single summer—to capture the vast territory of the Soviet Union.
Today such arrogance may seem unfounded, unless we remember that at the time the plan was developed, the German army had captured almost all of Europe in just a few months without much effort or loss.
What does blitzkrieg mean and what are its tactics?
Blitzkrieg, or the tactic of lightning the capture of the enemy, is the brainchild of German military strategists of the early 20th century. The word Blitzkrieg comes from two German words: Blitz (lightning) and Krieg (war).
The blitzkrieg strategy was based on the possibility of capturing vast territories in record time (months or even weeks) before the opposing army came to its senses and mobilized its main forces.
The tactics of a lightning attack were based on the close cooperation of infantry, aviation and tank formations of the German army. Tank crews, supported by infantry, must break through behind enemy lines and surround the main fortified positions important for establishing permanent control over the territory.
The enemy army, being cut off from all communication systems and all supplies, quickly begins to experience difficulties in solving the simplest issues (water, food, ammunition, clothing, etc.). The forces of the attacked country, thus weakened, are soon captured or destroyed.
When did Nazi Germany attack the USSR?
Based on the results of the development of the Barbarossa plan, the Reich's attack on the USSR was scheduled for May 15, 1941. The date of the invasion was shifted due to the Nazis carrying out the Greek and Yugoslav operations in the Balkans.
In fact, Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union without declaring war on June 22, 1941 at 4-00 in the morning. This mournful date is considered the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
Where did the Germans go during the war - map
Blitzkrieg tactics helped German troops in the first days and weeks of the Second World War to cover enormous distances across the territory of the USSR without any particular problems. In 1942, the Nazis captured a fairly impressive part of the country.
German forces reached almost Moscow. They advanced through the Caucasus to the Volga, but after the Battle of Stalingrad they were driven back to Kursk. At this stage, the retreat of the German army began. The invaders passed through the northern lands to Arkhangelsk.
Reasons for the failure of Plan Barbarossa
If we consider the situation globally, the plan failed due to the inaccuracy of German intelligence data. William Canaris, who led it, may well have been a British double agent, as some historians claim today.
If we take these unconfirmed data on faith, it becomes clear why he “fed” Hitler the disinformation that the USSR had practically no secondary lines of defense, but had huge supply problems, and, moreover, almost all its troops were stationed on the border.
Conclusion
Many historians, poets, writers, as well as eyewitnesses of the events described, recognize that a huge, almost decisive role in the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany was played by the fighting spirit of the Soviet people, the love of freedom of the Slavic and other peoples who did not want to drag out a miserable existence under oppression world tyranny.
Back in 1940, the Barbarossa plan was briefly developed and approved, according to which it was planned to establish complete total control over the Soviet Union, the only country that, according to Hitler, could resist Germany.
It was planned to do this in a very short time, striking in three directions with the joint efforts of Germany and its allies - Romania, Finland and Hungary. It was planned to attack in three directions:
in the southern direction - Ukraine was under attack;
in the northern direction - Leningrad and the Baltic states;
in the central direction - Moscow, Minsk.
Full coordination of the actions of the military leadership to seize the Union and establish complete control over it, and the end of preparations for military operations was supposed to be completed in April 1941. The German leadership mistakenly assumed that it would be able to complete the fleeting seizure of the Soviet Union, according to the Barbarossa plan, much earlier than the war with Great Britain was over.
The whole essence of Barbarossa's plan boiled down to the following.
The main forces of the ground forces of the Soviet Union, which were located in the western part of Russia, had to be completely destroyed with the help of tank wedges. The main goal of this destruction was to prevent the withdrawal of even part of the combat-ready troops. Next, it was necessary to occupy a line from which air raids could be carried out on the territory of the Reich. The final goal of the Barbarossa plan is a shield that could separate the European and Asian parts of Russia (Volga-Arkhangelsk). In this state of affairs, the Russians would only have industrial facilities left in the Urals, which could be destroyed, in case of urgent need, with the help of the Luftwaffe. When developing the Barbarossa plan, special attention was given to coordinating actions in such a way as to deprive the Baltic Fleet of any opportunity to participate in hostilities against Germany. And possible active attacks from the air forces of the Union were supposed to be prevented by preparing and implementing operations to attack them. That is, reducing in advance the ability of the air force to effectively defend itself.
In coordinating the Barbarossa plan, Hitler considered it important that commanders bring to the attention of their subordinates that all measures taken in connection with the implementation of such a plan are considered exclusively preventive - so that the Russians would not be able to take a position other than the one assigned to them by the German leadership. Information about the development of this type of attack was kept secret. Only a small number of officers were allowed to plan military operations that were supposed to be carried out against the Soviet Union. This is due solely to the fact that an unwanted outflow of information will lead to dire political and military consequences.
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The operation was supposed to ensure a quick and unconditional victory of Nazi Germany over the USSR thanks to the surprise factor. However, despite preparations in secrecy, the Barbarossa plan failed, and the war between the Germans and domestic troops dragged on and lasted from 1941 to 1945, after which it ended in the defeat of Germany.
The Barbarossa plan got its name in honor of the medieval King of Germany, Frederick 1, who was a glorious commander and, as was previously believed, planned raids on Rus' in the 12th century. Later, this myth was debunked.
Contents of the Barbarossa plan and its significance
The attack on the USSR was supposed to be Germany's next step towards world domination. The victory over Russia and the conquest of its territories should have opened up the opportunity for Hitler to enter into an open conflict with the United States for the right to redistribute the world. Having managed to conquer almost all of Europe, Hitler was confident of his unconditional victory over the USSR.
In order for the attack to go smoothly, it was necessary to develop a plan for a military attack. This plan became Barbarossa. Before planning the attack, Hitler ordered his intelligence officers to collect detailed information about the Soviet army and its weapons. After analyzing the information received, Hitler decided that the German army was significantly superior to the Red Army of the USSR - based on this, they began to plan the attack.
The essence of the Barbarossa plan was to strike the Red Army suddenly, on its own territory and, taking advantage of the unpreparedness of the troops and the technical superiority of the German army, to conquer the USSR within two and a half months.
At first it was planned to conquer the front line located on the territory of Belarus by wedging German troops from different sides of the Soviet army. The disunited and unprepared Red Army had to quickly surrender. Then Hitler was going to move towards Kyiv in order to conquer the territory of Ukraine and, most importantly, its sea routes and cut off the paths of Soviet troops. Thus, he could give his troops the opportunity to further attack the USSR from the south and north. In parallel, Hitler's army was supposed to launch an offensive from Norway. Having surrounded the USSR on all sides, Hitler planned to move towards Moscow.
However, already at the very beginning of the war, the German command realized that the plans began to collapse.
Conducting Operation Barbarossa and its results
Hitler's first and main mistake was that he underestimated the strength and weapons of the Soviet army, which, according to historians, was superior to the German in some areas. In addition, the war took place on the territory of the Russian army, so the fighters easily navigated the terrain and could fight in different natural conditions, which was not so easy for the Germans. Another distinctive feature of the Russian army, which greatly influenced the failure of Operation Barbarossa, was the ability of Russian soldiers to mobilize in the shortest possible time to fight back, which did not allow the army to be divided into disparate units.
Hitler set the task for his troops to quickly penetrate deep into the Soviet army and divide it, not allowing Russian soldiers to carry out large operations, as this could be dangerous. The plan was to split the Soviet army and force it to flee. However, everything turned out the other way around. Hitler's troops quickly penetrated deep into the Russian troops, but they were unable to conquer the flanks and defeat the army either. The Germans tried to follow the plan and encircled the Russian detachments, but this did not lead to any results - the Russians quickly emerged from the encirclement thanks to the surprisingly clear and competent leadership of their military leaders. As a result, despite the fact that Hitler’s army still won, it happened very slowly, which ruined the entire plan of rapid conquest.
On the approaches to Moscow, Hitler's army was no longer so strong. Exhausted by endless battles that dragged on for a long time, the army could not go on to conquer the capital, in addition, the bombing of Moscow never began, although according to Hitler’s plans, by this time the city should no longer be on the map. The same thing happened with Leningrad, which was besieged, but never surrendered and was not destroyed from the air.
The operation, which was planned as a swift, victorious attack, turned into a protracted war and stretched from two months to several years.
Reasons for the failure of Plan Barbarossa
The main reasons for the failure of the operation can be considered:
- Lack of accurate data on the combat power of the Russian army. Hitler and his command underestimated the capabilities of Soviet soldiers, which led to the creation of an incorrect offensive and battle plan. The Russians gave a strong resistance, which the Germans did not count on;
- Excellent counterintelligence. Unlike the Germans, the Russians were able to establish good reconnaissance, thanks to which the command was almost always aware of the enemy’s next move and could respond adequately to it. The Germans failed to exploit the effect of surprise;
- Difficult territories. It was difficult for Hitler's troops to get maps of the Soviet terrain, in addition, they were not used to fighting in such conditions (unlike the Russians), so very often impenetrable forests and swamps helped the Soviet army escape and deceive the enemy;
- Lack of control over the course of the war. The German command already in the first few months lost control over the course of military operations, the Barbarossa plan turned out to be unfeasible, and the Red Army led a skillful counter-offensive.