History's largest invasion.
Three million German soldiers began their attack
on Russia with an artillery barrage all along the
1,200 mile front. It was 3 am, June 22, 1941;
the first days of summer.
There was no better time than now to battle Russia.
Germany was at the height of its military power, having
just defeated the British and French in a matter of weeks.
Stalin was startled by this demonstration of blitzkrieg.
He made urgent demands on his generals and industrialists,
to grow him the most powerful and modern of armies.
Hitler believed Russia to be vulnerable and the time
he had to take advantage of this would be brief.
German troops overwhelmed Russia's defense.
Stalin was blind to the immediacy of Hitler's threat.
So long as Britain remained undefeated, the Germans
would not open up a second front by attacking Russia.
The order of the day had been 'don't antagonize Hitler'.
The Russian troops facing the Nazis weren't ready.
The military was still recovering from Stalin's purge
of the officer corps two years previous. Most of his
top generals were executed. Uncle Joe had
paranoid tendencies. It came with the job.
It was quickly made clear they were not your friends.
The Germans were your conquerors.
They behaved accordingly.
Russian guerillas sabotaged German efforts behind the lines.
There were those among the Russian population that were
ready to welcome German troops as liberators from Stalin's
ruthless rule. Instead they became lethal enemies of
Hitler's forces. The Nazis couldn't tolerate help coming
from the Slavs.
Allies. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
It's politics. You succeed with what you have.
Hitler gambled that he could defeat the Soviet Union
by year's end or lose everything.
What Germany and Hitler feared most, would
come to pass. This alliance of industrial behemoths
could only crush the Third Reich.
And at its leisure.
* * * * *
OVER EASY
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