DK - World War II Map by Map

GERMANY’S WAR WITH THE USSR 89

to take the capital within four months. By the time winter

had set in, the German army had been significantly

weakened and were ill-equipped to stand the perishingly

cold weather conditions. A spirit of determination set in

among the Soviet people. Meanwhile, in Germany, as the

army’s casualty list lengthened, civilian morale for the first

time showed signs of wavering.

Jul 12, 1941 Britain

and Soviet Union

agree to ally in fight

against Germany

Dec 18, 1940 Hitler

orders planning

for invasion of

Soviet Union

Sep 8, 1941

Siege of

Leningrad

begins

Sep 29–30, 1941

About 34,000 Jews

massacred by Germans

and their allies at Babi Yar

Oct 11, 1941

American

Lend-Lease to

USSR passed

by Congress

Oct 22–24,

1941 Some

30,000 Jews

massacred

in Odessa

Dec 5, 1941

German advance

halted 15 miles

(24 km) from

central Moscow

Dec 17, 1941

Germans

attack

Sevastopol

in Crimea

Dec 6, 1941

Beginning of Zhukov

counterattack that

pushes Axis troops

back from Moscow

OCT JAN 1941 APR JUL OCT

Apr 13, 1941 Soviet

Union and Japan sign

neutrality pact

Jul 16, 1941

Axis forces

take Smolensk

Sep 19,

1941

Fall of Kiev

Oct 10, 1941

Zhukov given

command of

defense of

Moscow

Oct 11, 1941

First British

Arctic convoy

reaches

Archangel

Early successes for Germany

In 1941, the Soviet Union was not in a very strong military

position. The world’s first Communist state had achieved

rapid industrialization under its dictator Joseph Stalin, but

in 1937–1938, during Stalin’s “Great Purge” campaign, a

substantial percentage of senior Soviet army officers had

been denounced as traitors and were shot, imprisoned, or

dismissed. The Red Army’s mediocre performance in the

Winter War against Finland in 1939–1940 had confirmed

suspicions that, despite its large size, the army might suffer

from poor morale and leadership. Stalin’s brutal rule had

certainly alienated many of the Soviet people, especially

in Ukraine, where a famine killed millions in the 1930s.

Despite ample warnings of an imminent invasion,

Stalin’s forces were not well deployed when the blow struck

in June 1941. The first few months after the launch of

Operation Barbarossa brought a series of catastrophic

defeats for the Red Army, and Leningrad was placed under

siege. The Germans were initially welcomed as liberators

in many areas, such as Lithuania and western Ukraine, but

brutal mistreatment soon alienated local populations.

The tide turns

After its initial panic, the Soviet regime held together,

shifting its heavy industry eastward out of the invaders’

reach, and using ruthless measures to compel its soldiers

to fight in desperate counterattacks. They also received

military supplies from the Allied forces. The Red Army held

out against Germany in Moscow, thwarting Hitler’s plans

◁ Russian winter

The Wehrmacht experienced great

difficulty in coping with the extreme

winter conditions encountered in the

Soviet Union. In December 1941, a

German officer recorded temperatures

of –36.5°F (–38°C) outside Moscow.

▽ Prisoners of war

During Operation Barbarossa over

two million Soviet soldiers were taken

prisoner. Few survived captivity, most

dying of starvation, maltreatment,

exposure, and disease.

“Communism is a colossal danger for our future ...

This is a war of annihilation.”

ADOLF HITLER, SPEECH TO HIS SENIOR OFFICERS, MARCH 30, 1941

DEC

May 2, 1941

German Hunger

Plan envisages

mass starvation

of Slavs to free up

food for Germans

Jun 22, 1941

Operation Barbarossa,

invasion of Soviet

Union, launched

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