What was Operation Barbarossa?

What was Operation Barbarossa?

Operation Barbarossa ( German: Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the code name for the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and some of its Axis allies, which started on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II.

Who wrote Operation Barbarossa derailed?

Barbarossa Derailed: The Battle for Smolensk, Volume 2. Helion & Company. ISBN 978-1906033903. Glantz, David (2012). Operation Barbarossa: Hitler’s invasion of Russia 1941. The History Press. ISBN 978-0752460703. Glantz, David; House, Jonathan (2015).

Why did Hitler call the invasion of the Soviet Union Barbarossa?

The invasion of the Soviet Union was originally given the code name Operation Fritz, but, as preparations began, Hitler renamed it Operation Barbarossa, after the Holy Roman emperor Frederick Barbarossa (reigned 1152–90), who sought to establish German predominance in Europe.

How many divisions did the USSR have in Operation Barbarossa?

Examining the deployment zones, however, we can say that the USSR had 228 divisions in Barbarossa’s path. The adds up to 408 divisions. Again, it isn’t easy to find any campaign in World War II that even comes close to this size.

What is the Barbarossa Order of battle?

This is the order of battle for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II. It was fought between the German-led Axis Forces and the Soviet Forces.

How many horses were used in Operation Barbarossa?

The infantry divisions were dependent on horses to pull their artillery and supplies, and some 700,000 were used in Operation ‘Barbarossa’. On 18 December 1940 Hitler issued Führer Directive 21, an order for the invasion of the Soviet Union.

How many German soldiers died in Operation Barbarossa?

The graves of German dead are marked with a simple cross and their steel helmets. The Germans suffered over 750,000 casualties during Operation ‘Barbarossa’, with some 200,000 men killed. By comparison, 30,000 died during the campaign in the west in 1940.

Why was the invasion of Barbarossa postponed?

The reasons for the postponement of Barbarossa from the initially planned date of 15 May to the actual invasion date of 22 June 1941 (a 38-day delay) are debated. The reason most commonly cited is the unforeseen contingency of invading Yugoslavia in April 1941.

What problems did the Red Army have during Operation Barbarossa?

Their units were often separated and lacked adequate transportation. While transportation remained insufficient for Red Army forces, when Operation Barbarossa kicked off, they possessed some 33,000 pieces of artillery, a number far greater than the Germans had at their disposal.

What is the best book on Operation Barbarossa?

Operation Barbarossa: The Complete Organisational and Statistical Analysis, and Military Simulation. (II B). U.S.: Lulu Publishing. ISBN 978-1-31241-326-9.

Why did’Barbarossa’fail?

Morale was still generally high and German forces maintained the capacity to inflict further massive losses on badly handled Soviet formations. In fact 1942 would be an even worse year than 1941 for the Russians. But the factors that caused ‘Barbarossa’ to fail now conspired to doom this new enterprise as well.