The year was 1941 and Adolf Hitler was advancing without stopping in the Second World War he started. The countries on the European continent were either occupied by the Germans or found themselves in the ranks of the Axis powers. The German Air Force Luftwaffe, which turned into a growing monster with its superior military operational capacity and unstoppable ambition, also attacked the British Isles, devastated British cities. HOW DID STALIN DEFEAT HITLER?
Despite the great destruction as a result of the attacks, the British did not give up and resisted with everything. As time progressed, Britain's resistance paid off. The initiative of the attacks, which started with the qualified superiority of the German airmen, gradually changed hands and the Royal Air Force did not allow the Germans to establish the upper hand. Despite this, Adolf Hitler, who believed that he had largely pushed the British out of the war - or at least put them out for a while - In order to break the last hand that the United Kingdom would ask for help in Europe and to provide funds for the continuation of the war, it turned east towards the Soviet Union.
Although there was a German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact between the two countries, the tense environment of the Second World War brought these two states face to face in a short time. The person most desired in this confrontation could be none other than British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. With his country so badly cornered, the veteran prime minister sought to somehow lighten his burden and divert the Germans' focus. That's why the leader of the Soviet Union, Jospeh Stalin, was constantly warning him against Hitler, emphasizing the need for the Russian army to be on the alert.
The attempt of the Russian army to build up on the border naturally increased the possibility of the Germans to attack Soviet territory with a preemptive move. Fully counting on this possibility, Churchill wished above all else for Hitler to attack Stalin. Stalin, on the other hand, has apparently been making moves in favor of the Germans since 1939, trying to close his situation with diplomatic maneuvers, with the war in hand. in short, it had a kind of "ignore-appeasement" policy.
Stalin's indecisive and ineffective policies at the beginning of the war led to mistakes one after the other, and each act served as an excuse for Hitler to attack the "East". Towards the middle of 1941, the rumors that the Germans would attack were not falling. Yes, the Germans knew all over the world that they would attack, but no one knew yet how and when it would happen. Although Nazi Germany was delayed a bit because of the "Balkan Campaign", it sent its troops to the Soviet border for the attack. Germans, who act for ideological reasons as well as strategic reasons;
They were eager to exterminate the Jews and Slavs, to root out Bolshevism, and to prepare a "lebensraum" for the Germans in Ukraine. As the Germans massed more and more on the border, Stalin and the Red Army immediately launched a secret mobilization. They even put forward the idea of attacking before the Germans on May 15, 1941, in order not to give up the advantage of shaping the events to the other side. It took months for the Russians to be able to attack before the opponent.
But the German army was much more ready, experienced, willing and capable, although it corresponded to lower numbers in numbers and equipment. The Germans and their allies, who were ahead of their Soviet rivals in war preparations, They were counting the days for their campaign, which they called Baarbarossa and planned to seize the European lands of Russia until the winter of 1941. Out of arrogance and self-confidence, they focused their forces on the east, ignoring the question of clothing for the winter, the danger of tank fuel and oil freezing in the Russian winter.
Finns 470 thousand, Romanians 325 thousand, Slovaks and Hungarians 100 thousand in total, Italians 62 thousand, Spaniards and volunteers 18 thousand men, the main pillar of the Axis supported the Germans. The total of the occupying forces was 3 million in 152 divisions. Around 3,300 tanks, 2,250 aircraft and more than 7,000 heavy guns were the main equipment of the army.
While the German attack was at the door, the Russians were confused. As a result of the mobilization, although they were numerically superior to their opponents, they were not ordered to attack the Germans nor to defend them against the Germans. They were anxiously just preparing for the impending indefinite thing… At around 3 o'clock on the night of June 22, 1941, the Axis forces began firing artillery on the 1600 km line from the Black Sea to the Baltic. These gunshots were Barbarossa's loud steps… The Luftwaffe was able to conquer Russian airspace within minutes, as German paratroopers and commandos sneaked behind the border and targeted communication lines.
Before it took off, hundreds of Russian fighters and bombers destroyed their range and began supporting ground forces. The three-pronged Wermacht won tremendous victories with mind-blowing speed. The Soviets were mentally disintegrated and had to admit defeat before they could defend properly. Only the heavily armed South Russian army put up a half-hearted resistance, but it didn't take long for this resistance to crumble.
Stalin confused about what to do He had given himself to drink in order to tidy up the situation with the wish "I guess the Germans didn't reach all the airports". While the Red Army fell into this situation due to wrong policies and tactics, the Soviet top management was making plans to leave the European lands and withdraw to the Ural Mountains.
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