Voyager Lecture Series - Operation Barbarossa

June 22, 1941: The Germans amass over 3 million troops along the western border of the Soviet Union. They begin the largest land invasion in the history of warfare. Since the German Wehrmacht conquered France in just 6 weeks, the world expected another quick German victory, The Germans enjoyed immediate success. In less than 6 weeks they took over 1 million Soviet prisoners. Their army had already marched halfway to Moscow. Success seemed assured.

On December 7, 1941, the day we declared war on the Empire of Japan, the German drive to Moscow stalled, The bitter winter ended any hope of a dramatic victory. Germany became bogged down in a war of attrition they were destined to lose. Russia pulled off a miracle. They stopped the vaunted German Blitzkrieg.

How could the German Wehrmacht be so successful in conquering Europe, yet fail against the Soviet Union?

Allow Ron Smith to be your guide in analyzing many factors that produced a Soviet victory. People generally assume that the Russian winter defeated Germany. While that was a factor, numerous other reasons account for the failure of Operation Barbarossa. Enjoy a glimpse 80 years back into time and examine ten reasons why the Russians prevailed against Germany.