- On the night of August 23 to 24, 1939, Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia signed a “non-aggression” pact, also known as the German-Soviet pact. The 1 st September 1939, Hitler invaded Poland. Within the framework of the pact, Poland is divided in two:the Germans occupy the western part, the Russians the eastern part.
- The strategic interest of this pact for Hitler is simple:it is a matter of avoiding waging a war on two fronts (in the West and in the East), as was the case during the Great War.Stalin wanted to save him time on Nazi ambitions:he strictly respected the pact by delivering raw materials to Germany, but also anti-fascist German refugees.
- On June 22, 1940, France signed an armistice with Germany. Hitler, however, encountered difficulties in implementing his plans for the invasion of England:his ambitions would once again turn towards the East. In December 1940, Hitler signed a directive specifying the invasion of the USSR. The invasion plan will be called "Barbarossa", in homage to Frederick Barbarossa, Germanic emperor who left for the Crusade in the Holy Land in the 12 th century.
1941
Characters
Adolf Hitler
Joseph Stalin
Procedure
At 3:30 a.m. on June 22, 1941, more than 3 million men rush towards Russia, supported by thousands of tanks and planes:the invasion of the USSR begins. The front stretches from Finland to Romania. The German Army is in fact a coalition army, formed with Romania, Finland, Hungary, Italy and Francoist Spain.
Wishing to crush a possible alliance between the Russians and the English, while ensuring the expansion of the German "living space", the total defeat of the Russians is the final objective for Hitler.
The surprise effect of the attack is total. Stalin, not wanting to provoke Hitler within the framework of the pact, did not wish to set up a strong and supplied defensive system on the border. Faced with the gigantism of the attack and the organization of the Germans, the Soviet Red Army retreated and was surrounded in various places. Thousands of Russian soldiers are taken prisoner.
Hitler's plan is based on speed of action:he does not want his army to suffer the particularly harsh Russian winter. In October 1941, the Germans were at the gates of Moscow, capital of the USSR.
Consequences
- Very soon after the attack, Roosevelt (President of the United States) decided to send equipment to the USSR to fight against Germany. Britain publicly announces its support for Soviet Russia. The foundations of an alliance are laid.
- Faced with the rout of the Red Army, Stalin decided to concentrate his arms production in the East. The state invests heavily in war production. On June 29, Stalin calls for the "great patriotic war", urging the Russians to continue fighting in the occupied territories.
- After a decisive battle in Moscow that ended with the victory of the Red Army, the Germans were aware that the lightning war against Russia could not be accomplished. The soldiers are poorly equipped, and die of cold by the thousands. The Russian counter-offensive started in January 1942.