Barbarossa

Barbarossa

When Germany invaded Russia in 1941, they did so neither near-sighted or as a
“back-handed” diplomatic ploy. While Russia remained a key objective to
Hitler, it was also seen as a necessity for long-term victory and survival in
Europe for Germany. “Plan Yellow”, as developed by Field Marshal Erich von
Manstein, called upon the pre-emptive strike against an imperialistic Russia,
using speed and superior leadership as keys to victory. To always remember the
axiom: “History is written by the conquerers,” is key to the history of the
German-Russian War 1941-1945.
This paper intends to not only convey the necessity and the upside of a
German attack and subsequent victorys but also the Russian Army’s offense
stance of 1941. As Field Marshal Fedor von Bock wrote in his diaries “A sense
of fright came over the OKH” (German High Command) “With no more enemies, who
do we wait for to fight? Alas they had been waiting for us.”
Germany in 1941 had reached a high point. The German economy, bolstered by
it’s newly conquered lands, stood by itself with no equal. The citizenery had
not witnessed victory like 1939-1941 since the day of Fredrich the Great.
Germany, bolstered by such a booming economy and national morale, had yet to
truly begin it’s “witch-hunts,” nor had any of it’s concentration camps. While
Jews were politically and often violently blamed and attacked for Germany’s
ills, Hitler and the Nazi regime had at this point not begun the holocaust nor ...

Barbarossa

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