How did the Germans turn against the Soviets?
On June 6, 1941, German troops invaded the U.S.S.R., beginning the largest military invasion in history. The Nazis, propelled by successes in Poland, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and
Greece, continued their Blitzkreig attack (USHMM). Their tactics, which took over a year of planning, were highly offensive; they used 3 million German troops and many tanks, planes and artillery weapons. The German's named their attack "Barbarossa." The plan involved three main goals: to capture the Baltic states and Leningrad in the north, to capture Moscow in the center, and to capture the economic resources of the Ukraine and Southern Russia (USHMM).
Unfortunately, Stalin didn't predict an oncoming attack, and his army was very unprepared, which immediately gave Germany the upper hand. In 1941, the Nazis were doing extremely well, pushing the Soviet front line back 600 miles, while Lutwaffe gained air control. As October began, German forces fought exclusively in the center of Russia, distancing only 90 miles from Moscow (USHMM). Soviet resistance grew with the help of heavy rain and extremely muddy roads to stall the German advance. By the end of 1941, severe Russian winters had
stopped all fighting.
Later, in 1942, the Germans send a second offensive to the East to control the Volga River and Stalingrad. By November of that same year, the U.S.S.R. had launched a counter offensive attack, trapping and destroying nearly all of the German army at Stalingrad (USHMM). Soviets suffered heavy losses of territory, men, and weaponry, but had survived Germany's attack.