Why did Operation Barbarosa fail? Explain the strategy that was planned, how that changed, and the factors that lead to a failure of the operation.

Operation Barbarossa , the code name given to Hitler 's invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 , would come to be considered one of Nazi Germany 's greatest follies in the Second World War , and would play a monumental role in bringing an end to Hitler 's regime just a few years later Though the operation itself lasted less than six months it resulted in four years of harsh fighting on the Eastern Front , marked by an enormous casualty toll for both the Russians and the Germans and countless battles fought in the cruel

conditions of Russian winter . All of this despite the fact that both countries had engaged in a mutual non-aggression pack two short years earlier

In 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact a series of agreements regarding how both countries would split the territory separating them and share the resources therein . Signing of the pact created strong political and economic ties between the two nations , at least on the surface . Historians , however , argue that the pact was doomed to fail long before it was even signed , as Hitler had long harbored a disgust for the Soviet Union 's Slavic peoples , which he viewed as sub-human . Couple this racial prejudice with the extremely different political ideologies governing both countries and it becomes clear that the relationship between Germany and the Soviet Union was merely one of temporary convenience

Despite the volatile nature of the German-Soviet relationship , it still struck many as incomprehensible why Hitler should choose to invade Russia in 1941 , with war already raging in the west . One can only judge that Hitler , in a misplaced display of ego , believed the west to already be won , with France effectively crushed and England standing as the only viable opponent on that front , struggling hopelessly to maintain a foothold on the European mainland . Believing the western front was theirs , Germany sought to expand her influence and complete her domination of Europe by conquering the resource-rich eastern countries- including the powerhouse of the Soviet Union

Preparations for the invasion began in April of '41 , as Germany began to secretly amass troops on her eastern bs . The plan involved a three-pronged Blitzkreig attack that would simultaneously strike northern Russia with the object of taking Leningrad , while a second group struck toward Moscow and a third took a southern route through the Ukraine . By doing this , Hitler believed that the Russians would be caught completely off guard and would be unable to mount an effective defense in so many places at once

Hitler 's plan , however , contained a number of fatal flaws . Firstly , he greatly underestimated the numbers and strength of the Soviet military which had effectively doubled its number of troops , artillery pieces and aircraft since the outbreak of war in western Europe . Though not all of this strength was situated in the western part of Russia , where Hitler planned to strike , significant advances had also been made in Soviet infrastructure (most significantly , their railroad system ) such as...