Operation Barbarossa - The German Invasion of Soviet Russia

by Robert Kirchubel

When Hitler ordered the start of Operation Barbarossa, millions of German soldiers flooded into Russia, believing that their rapid blitzkrieg tactics would result in the an easy victory similar to the ones enjoyed by the Wehrmacht over Poland and France. But the huge human resources at the disposal of the Soviet Union, and the significant distances and overstretched supply lines that the Germans had to overcome, saw the seemingly invincible armored spearheads start to slow. Finally, in sight of Moscow, the German invasion ground to a halt. Hitler's dreams of a quick victory were shattered and the ensuing war of attrition was to bleed Germany white, robbing her of manpower and equipment in one of the bloodiest episodes in human history.

Fully illustrated with unique Osprey artwork, new maps, and contemporary photographs, Operation Barbarossa tells the story of one of the definitive campaigns of World War II and examines how the failure of the invasion contributed to the final defeat of Nazi Germany.

Genres: Military History, Military Fiction

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Yar Haluk · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this book should be "Operation Barbarossa - The Invasion of the Soviet Union" since it was not only Russia that was attacked but also the soviet republics of Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The author makes the same mistake that many historians make, namely that "Russia" is the term used to describe the soviet union. Russia was a soviet republic, like Ukraine and Belarus, that was part of the soviet union.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of pictures and maps, and a good criticism of German high command muddles, as well as looks into Soviet command, too.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry but informative military history

Lots of details and unusually, it gets better as you go on. Buy a good map because you will need it