Microsoft Close Combat manual Barbarossa Begins Germany Attacks Russia

Directive 21

On December 18, 1940, Hitler releases Directive 21 “The German Armed Forces must be prepared, even before the conclu- sion of the war against England, to crush Soviet Russia in a rapid campaign.” The campaign is code-named Barbarossa. The target date is May 15, 1941.

130Close Combat

From late June until early November, the British regroup and resupply. By late November, they are ready to launch a counterattack. Operation Crusader, aimed at retaking Tobruk, begins on November 28. The British outnumber the Germans in men, armor, and planes, and the Eighth Army pushes Rommel’s forces back. By the end of 1941, the British have relieved the German siege around Tobruk.

Barbarossa Begins Germany Attacks Russia

The war between Germany and the Soviet Union plays a crucial role in the Normandy Campaign the Eastern (First) Front siphons most of Germany’s forces away from Western Europe. When the Allies land in France only about 60 German divisions remain in Western Europe, while over 200 German divisions are fighting on the Eastern Front. The Americans and British also learn tactical lessons from

the fighting between Germany and Russia, namely that it is futile to engage German tanks in anything approaching an even fight. The only way to defeat Germany’s armored forces is through numerical superiority.

Comparison to the Normandy Campaign shows the immensity of the combat on the Eastern Front. In Normandy, the battle front during the drive to Saint-Lô will extend less than 50 miles; in Russia the front stretches over 1,000 miles from Leningrad to the Caucasus Mountains.

The conquest of Russia is a major goal of the

National Socialists in Germany. It is a land of vast resources iron ore, coal, and oil that will fuel German industry. It has a large population that will provide cheap labor. And there is Lebensraum room for Germany to grow, and room to exile the enemies of National Socialism. Perhaps Hitler recalls his visit to Napoleon’s tomb in Paris, now that he is attempting what the great French emperor could not do conquer Russia. The key to Operation Barbarossa is movement; the Germans must triumph before the autumn rains turn the Russian countryside into a sea of mud. Beyond the rains looms the killing cold of the Russian winter.

By mid-June 1941, nearly 140 German divisions are ready to smash eastward into the USSR. These forces are split into three army groups. One is poised to capture Leningrad; another to capture Smolensk, then Moscow; the third, Kiev. German units from Norway, along with 21 Finnish divisions, also join in the attack.

Opposing the German forces are approximately 130 Soviet divisions nearly 2,900,000 men but many are not deployed effectively. Also, the Soviet tanks are dispersed among infantry units and are thus no match for the massed armor of the