End of the Battle of Britain
After the defeat of France, Britain was alone to face the giant German army that had control of most of Europe. Some people in the British government wanted to negotiate for peace, but knew it wouldn't be realistic, as Germany had violated agreements before. Britain chose to defend its island and colonies at all costs. Operation Sea Lion was the German plan to invade Britain, but any invasion needed air and sea superiority over Britain; both of which weren't achieved. As a result, Operation Sea Lion was cancelled, and Germany turned its focus toward the USSR instead (while dividing its air force to continue bombing Britain).
A Required Invasion
Germany wanted to invade the USSR, as it needed to secure more materials to provide for the people in its territory, and its large armies. The United States had signed the Lend-Lease act earlier, which provided war materials from America's huge industrial base to the countries fighting the Axis powers, and Germany needed to be able to compete.
One of the Greatest Strategic Blunders
The Germans calculated they could defeat the Soviet Union in just a few months, before winter arrived, so they didn't equip their troops for cold weather. Furthermore, German military officials estimated the size of the Red Army to be about 3 million men. But in the first months of their invasion, they captured 3 million, and the Soviet army still had millions. The map below shows the goal of Operation Barbarossa (A-A Line), but the Germans don't manage to get nearly that far.
Initial Invasion
After invading the last Allied nations in Eastern Europe, Operation Barbarossa was ready for mobilization. A few weeks before the invasion, Germany started mobilizing 3,500,000 troops near the Soviet border. Despite the Allies warning the Soviets of the suspected invasion, the Soviets disregarded the evidence and didn't prepare, only keeping about 2,800,000 troops.
On June 22, 1941, Germany began the largest military invasion in history, with its fully mobilized 3,500,000 troops against the Soviet Union. The Red Army was caught completely by surprise, and only had around 2,800,000 troops. Germany makes quick progress and pushes deep into Russian territory. Britain and the USSR sign an assistance pact, to ensure mutual support for each other in the war against Germany.
Battle of Moscow
Germany launches Operation Typhoon for a rapid encirclement of Moscow, but the closer they get to the capital, the more harsh the winter conditions and defenses.
Soviet Counterattack
On December 6, 1941, the Germans fail to encircle the city, and the entire front is pushed back by backup Soviet forces from Siberia, trained and equipped to fight in the harsh winter conditions. All along the eastern front, the Germans are pushed back, and forced to dig in for the winter and wait until spring.
Much like Napoleon's historic blunder of his invasion of Russia, Germany's invasion failed because of the harsh winter conditions that killed hundreds of thousands of ill-equipped Axis troops, while the Russians took their resources with them in retreat, leaving little behind for the invaders.
Operation Barbarossa (1941 Map Timelapse)
In the summer of 1942, Germany recovered from the winter and launched Case Blue to capture the Russian oil fields. However, they eventually needed to retreat, as the Red army was much more prepared, and Germany was weakened by Operation Barbarossa, stretched supply lines over a 1,800+ mile front, and poor military decisions.
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