1941 – 2021 OPERATION BARBAROSSA

In the summer of 1940, most of western Europe was under the boot of a rampant Wehrmacht. Though Hitler’s pact with the Soviet Union seemingly remained strong, on 31 July 1940 he described his plans for war with Stalin. “The sooner Russia is crushed, the better,” he said. “If we were to start in May 1941, we would have five months to finish the job.”

The Nazi leader directed the OKW (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, the high command of the armed forces) to begin planning the invasion, codenamed Barbarossa after the famed Holy Roman Emperor, for 15 May 1941. The