Barbarossa: The Russian German: Conflict, 1941-45

The war shifted from a swift maneuver-based "blitzkrieg" into a grueling war of attrition and ideology—what the Nazis called a "war of annihilation".

: In just six months, the German Wehrmacht captured nearly 3 million Soviet prisoners and drove within sight of Moscow. Barbarossa: The Russian German Conflict, 1941-45

: Leaders lacked a single strategic goal, alternating between capturing Moscow, the industrial Donbas, and the Caucasian oil fields. The war shifted from a swift maneuver-based "blitzkrieg"

: The German advance was finally halted in December 1941 by a combination of "thickening Russian resistance" and a brutal winter where temperatures hit -40 degrees , causing over 100,000 cases of frostbite. The Turning Tide (1942 – 1943) : The German advance was finally halted in

: By treating Soviet citizens with extreme cruelty, the Nazis turned potential allies into fierce partisans, forcing the Soviets to fight a "Great Patriotic War" for survival.