Initial Soviet retreat European theatre of World War II

the big 3 allied leaders @ 1945 yalta conference. left right: winston churchill (uk), franklin d. roosevelt (us), , joseph stalin (ussr).

on 22 june 1941, germany launched invasion of soviet union, code-named operation barbarossa. invasion, biggest in recorded history, started bloodiest conflict in world history; axis–soviet war, known eastern front. accepted being lethal conflict in human history, on 30 million dead result. involved more land combat other world war ii theatres combined.

the leader of ussr, joseph stalin, had been warned repeatedly outside sources , own intelligence network of impending invasion, ignored warnings due conflicting information presented him soviet intelligence. moreover, on night of invasion soviet troops received directive undersigned marshal timoshenko , general of army georgi zhukov commanded: not answer provocations , not undertake actions without specific orders . weeks of invasion devastating soviet army. enormous numbers of soviet troops encircled in pockets , fell nazi german hands. in addition german troops, italian, hungarian , romanian , finnish troops involved in campaign. finland declared neutrality; however, both german , soviet troops on soil, finland prepared join forces germany when soviet union attacked on june 25. following conflict 1941 1944 referred continuation war, in continuation of winter war. spain offered military assistants axis sending volunteers eastern front, known blue division.

operation barbarossa suffered several fundamental flaws. serious of these logistical situation of attack. sheer vastness of distances in soviet union meant germany advance far before outrunning supply chains. time german attack froze halt before moscow on december 5, 1941, literally not go further. there not enough supplies reaching front conduct proper defensive operations, let alone proper offense. timetable barbarossa planned assume soviets collapse before onset of winter.

during long retreat, soviets employed scorched earth policy. burnt crops , destroyed utilities withdrew before germany. helped contribute logistical problems germany experienced. more importantly them, soviets succeeded in massive , unprecedented removal of industry threatened war zone protected areas in east.

the extension of campaign beyond length germany expected meant german army suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties in winter conditions, , counterattacks of soviet units.

even advance having ground halt due lack of supplies , onset of winter, germany had conquered vast amount of territory, including two-fifths of soviet economy. dislodging them proved difficult , cost soviet union dearly.

a few months after invasion began, german troops came southern approaches leningrad , laid siege city (known siege of leningrad), blocked north finnish forces. finland s c-in-c mannerheim had halted @ river svir , refrained attacking city. hitler had ordered city of leningrad must vanish surface of earth , entire population exterminated. rather storming city, wehrmacht ordered blockade leningrad starve city death, while attacking bombers , artillery. 1 million civilians died in leningrad siege – 800,000 starvation. siege lasted 872 days. overland way city possibly during winter, across frozen lake ladoga, between german , finnish lines.