June 22, 1941, this was the largest military operation in human history and probably one of the most brutal conflicts we're likely to ever see.
It's kind of startling to think about it being 80 years ago. It's weird to think that we're not talking about ancient history here. This is a very recent event in terms of human history.
There are a lot of good books on this...
Barbarossa Unleashed
Alan Clark's Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa Germany’s Defeat in the East
Are some that come to mind.
Right. When I was born it was more recent than 9/11 is today. But when you look at how many people were killed, both military and civilian, and how they were killed, and why they were killed - it seems like mass insanity. Mainly on the Germans' part - Russia didn't have much choice but to fight back given Hitler's objectives (including basically killing or enslaving the Russian population as untermenschen, i.e. sub-humans).
Second, is that had they went south and gone for the Caucasus and the oil they may have been able to starve the Soviets out.
Third, there were some in the UK and US government who actually agreed with Hitler's opinion that the Soviets would completely collapse under pressure and were already starting to panic about what to do if he conquered Russia.
Many non-historians view the German Army through their view of the Panzers and thus a highly mechanized/motorized force. It was many horse draw carts for the infantry. The logistics that did them in was the need to adjust the RR gauge to the European from the Russian. If it was just doing repairs, they may have succeeded.
Had he NOT done it, Germany had enough men and other resources for a VERY long standoff in the West at least, even if it still couldn't quite conquer Britain. I think it would have forced Britain and the U.S. to just accept a conquered Europe, w/o saying so of course. A fait accompli like the South Korea / North Korea situation, now @70 years old. That is, if Hitler could have satisfied himself with that, and with not seeing the world conquered by himself and in his lifetime, but I think he was too egotistical and nutty for that.
The Great War laid the seeds for the Second WW and the average US citizen knows so little about both....
There is no doubt Japan could have never defeated us and their goose was cooked as soon as the 1st bomb dropped on Pearl Harbor. If Germany never declared war on us, the entire US Military would have been on Japan - all the resources.
In Europe, the question was where an invasion could have taken place had the Eastern Front never happened. But I do think eventually Germany and USSR would have come to blows and in the meantime Germany may have well developed the atom bomb. Kind of a frightening thought.
Stalin would have traded as much land for as much time as he could, let the Germans stretch their not-great logistical capabilities to the breaking point, the hammered them as he did at Stalingrad.
And I say this as no admirer of Stalin, his regime, or the leadership of the Soviet army.
The Brits were right behind them on the jets, maybe a couple years, but they had functional jet by 1945. We did develop the bomb and they were not that close.
Hitler stupidity to which we can be happy, hated the jet as a fighter - wanted it as a bomber and hated the Sturmgewehr.
+ 1
I never read a lot about the Eastern front growing up, that series was great. Listened to it all last summer, def will again one day
Of course, if Germany waited a few years Russia very well may have invaded them first.
To me, the real key factor was the way that the brutality of German ethnic policies squandered the initial goodwill they received from Belarussians and Ukrainians who welcomed Germany as a liberator from the tyrant Stalin.
Great minds... :)
Yep, a little extra living space for Hitler's Germany. And as many warnings that the Soviets received that Germany was going to invade they still weren't as ready as they should have been.
But Stalin could always win in a war of attrition...
Logistically and economically it was beyond strategically stupid.
And they missed the few key secret sauces of how the British Empire of the prior 3 centuries was able to have economically useful colonies and trading. They didnt even copy very well.
Ditto the Japanese who as a resource poor and oil poor nation tried to hold together a huge chunk of land and sea that would have required enormous oil supplies even in peace. Once again, tried to punch above their weight class. Fought hard tactically and but strategically they were a zero (word play intended). In between, their tendency to complex plans that required timing, communication and fire control systems that were not yet invented were evident from 1936 onwards
Both countries confused the best they could do (1000 Tiger Tanks and the Kido Butai fleet) with the size of the machine it took to defeat the class of power a level higher.
Surprise attack on Pearl Harbor battle ships (but not the carriers or oil tank fields) based on the analysis that we would sue for peace and leave them with the Pacific and Asia? Seriously? Thats a strategy when you produce 1000 planes a year?
The South had more resources when it took on the North. Notice that they all had strategies based on mind reading the enemy intent they way they wished...and prepared for no other scenario than the one they wished. Sort of like the Giants up to 2019
Should have just held on to Manchuria