German invasion of the Soviet Union
The German-led Axis attack on the Soviet Union that began on 22 June 1941, opening the Eastern Front of the Second World War.
Operation Barbarossa: The German military plan and operation for invading the Soviet Union in 1941. Its objectives and timetable shaped the invasion’s opening campaign.
Nazi Germany: The German state under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party from 1933 to 1945. Its leadership made the decision to conquer Soviet territory.
Eastern Front (World War II): The theater of the Second World War in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, fought primarily between Germany and the Soviet Union. The invasion opened this vast and exceptionally destructive theater.
Soviet military strategy in World War II: The changing Soviet approach to defense, mobilization, and offensive warfare during the Second World War. Soviet strategy shifted from crisis response to sustained counteroffensives against the invaders.
Wehrmacht: The unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. Its army, air force, and logistical services carried out the attack.
Adolf Hitler: The dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and leader of the Nazi Party. His ideological goals and strategic choices drove the invasion.
Siege of Leningrad: The German-led siege of Leningrad from 1941 to 1944, which caused mass civilian starvation and death. The invasion led directly to the encirclement and prolonged siege of the city.
German military logistics in World War II: The systems used to supply German forces during the Second World War. Supply lines stretched across vast distances, undermining the invasion’s operational plans.
Red Army: The armed forces of the Soviet Union, formally called the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army until 1946. It absorbed the invasion, retreated, reorganized, and ultimately counterattacked.
Nazi racial policy: The regime’s hierarchy of racial categories, used to justify persecution, exclusion, and mass murder. The invasion was conceived as racial conquest, not merely a military campaign.