Not So Quiet on the Eastern Front

       One of the most important, and yet most overlooked, factors that contributed to the Allied victory in World War II was the success of the USSR on the Eastern Front. The USSR was first brought into the war in mid-1941, when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa. Despite signing the non-aggression pact in 1939, many people were anticipating a German attack on Russia. So why was Russia surprised by Germany's invasion? The reason was because Stalin, in spite of the dozens of reports by spies claiming invasion was imminent, refused to believe that Germany would invade. The first few days of Operation Barbarossa witnessed a large defeat for many Russian troops: 150,000 men were killed or wounded and 2,000 planes destroyed in just the first week of the campaign. The Nazi's planned campaign relied on a swift victory, which seemed likely in the beginning. However, as time dragged on and the Soviets steadily launched counterattacks with their immense number of troops, Germany realized they would not be able to achieve the quick victory they wanted, and ultimately ended Operation Barbarossa's dream of gaining complete control of Russia.
       Another major event that would come to characterize the war on the Eastern front was the Siege of Leningrad (modern-day St. Petersburg). Aided by their Finnish allies, the Nazis were able to cut off all roads in and out of Leningrad in September of 1941. The siege would not be lifted until January of 1944, and would result in almost 4.5 million Soviet casualties. In fact, on the list of battles numbered by the amount of casualties, the Siege of Leningrad ranks #1. Leningrad's militaristic importance had been in its manufacturing abilities; It produced around 11% of the USSR's industrial output at the beginning of the war. In all, however, the capture of Leningrad was of more symbolic significance than militaristic significance, and in fact served as inspiration for many Soviet forces to continue to fight.
       The biggest battle on the Eastern front, and actually in WWII in general, began in August of 1942. It was 5 months of brutal fighting for control of the city of Stalingrad, and the battle that would ultimately decide Germany's fate in the East. By capturing Stalingrad, Germany would be able to cut off one of Russia's main supply routes, and make America's Lend-Lease shipments much harder to deliver. Hitler also believed it would solidify Germany's presence in Russia, and make it much easier to take the rest of the country. However, it was actually Hitler's overconfidence that would be one of the major factors that would lead to German defeat. Hitler had spread his troops out, trying to have them all accomplish multiple things at the same time. While he had believed the German forces would have the strength to do so, they were ultimately unprepared for the massive force of the Red Army's counterattack, and fell to the Soviet forces after 5 months. The reason this battle is often credited as one of the most significant in WWII is because, not only was it a failed chance for Hitler to destroy a large portion of the Soviet army, but it was also the first major defeat that Germany suffered in the war, and revealed that the Allies may actually be able to win the war against the Nazis.
       After their success at Stalingrad, the Red Army began to drive back the German forces, eventually driving them all the way back to Berlin by 1945. Soviet forces were also able to draw many German troops away from the areas around Normandy, which allowed Great Britain and the US to successfully launch Operation Overlord and achieve success on D-Day. In class this year, we've mostly studied the events of WWII that occurred in the Pacific and on the Western front (obviously, since that is where the US was most involved, and this is US history). However, it is really important to realize that, despite their industrial and militaristic strength, Great Britain and the US really could not have won the war if it had not been for the great successes by the USSR on the Eastern Front.

Sources
Facts about the Eastern Front
Siege of Leningrad
List of Battles by Number of Casualties
Battle of Stalingrad
The Eastern Front