Operation Barbarossa – World War 2
Operation Barbarossa – World War 2
By Daniel M Delott
Despite that earlier on the timeline of World War 2, in 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union had signed a pact Operation Barbarossa was put into play. Operation Barbarossa was the code name for the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany on 22 June 1941. At this time, three million German troops entered the USSR ranging across an 1,800 mile front.
Operation Barbarossa, named after the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of the Holy Roman Empire, is the largest military operation in world history. Adolf Hitler’s objective during this period on the timeline of World War 2 was to conquer the European part of the Soviet Union, along the A-A line (the line connecting cities Arkhangelsk and Astrakhan).
By December of 1941, the Soviet Union’s Red Army had repelled the Nazis and had prevented them from being able to attempt a similar strike again. Operation Barbarossa was essentially a failure for the Nazis and considered to be a main turning point for the Third Reich. Because Hitler had put so many troops into the attempted invasion of the Soviet Union, it opened up the Eastern Front, which would then become one of the biggest arenas for war in human history.
However, it is not to say that the fighting during Operation Barbarossa was not a bloody period in the timeline of World War 2, because it was. It was the scene of a large loss of life on both sides, horrible conditions for the troops, and some of the deadliest atrocities the war had seen at that point.
Take a deep breath and check out Timeline For World War 2 for more on this fascinating time in our world’s history!
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Tags: timeline for world war II, world war 2, wwII