Operation Barbarossa: The Failure of Nazi Ideology at the Eastern Front

The Student Historical Journal 1989-1990 ^ | Paul Fleming, Jr.

[Sparta]

All I've got to say is remember Thermopylae. 20,000 Persians died failing to disarm 300 Spartans.

[Sparta]

MOLON LABE!!!!!

[SAMWolf]

189 Texans cost the Mexicans quite a few troops too.

[Sparta]

The question is when its time to for the Texans to stand at the Alamo, this time against Aztlan reconquistas, will they have the guts to stand

[NovemberCharlie]

I think Russia is probably the one nation that is impossible to conquer.

The Mongols did it.

[Sparta]

I mean by a modern army

[John Will]

The Mongols attacked from the east.
The Mongols were used to the harshness.

[eeman]

Who needs to conquer all of Russia, or what was then the Soviet Union? If Hitler had just contented himself with the Ukraine and the Crimea and not wasted his forces at Moscow, he would have been able to extract the raw resources he needed. His supply lines and interior lines would have been much more easily defended againt a Soviet conter-offensive

[Goetz_von_Berlichingen]

"I mean by a modern army."

Treaty of Brest-Litowsk.

I know the Imperial Army was old-fashioned, but I think they still classify as "modern" by 1917 standards.

[rockfish59]

Whistle while you work,
Hitler is a jerk,
Mussolini bit his weenie,
Now it doesn't work!
=^)

[rockfish59]

One of the bright days against the Nazi's (barring the later reprisals) was when they chucked a grenade into Heydrich's car!

[rockfish59]

Looks like he's saying 'Fuggeddaboudit'
Which is what the left does anyway!

[Travis McGee]

Great article. In 1941, the USSR was ripe for revolution against the Bolsheviks. The Germans could have armed the captured armies and sent them forward to wipe out the commissars, but then, they would not have been Nazis if they had behaved intelligently humanely. Acting humanely was just not in the Nazi repetoire, even where it would have had spectacular results.

[Squantos]

Makes one remember that history repeat's itself.......Stay Safe !

[Tijeras_Slim]

I hope you realize I was being facetious.

There was never any doubt.

[RussianConservative]

However, the Germans and their Nazi leaders felt that defeating the Soviet Union would be fairly easy, and thus chose the strategy of military annihilation. One reason for this is that the Nazis had been stressing such traditional German concepts as Lebensraum (living space) and Drang nach Osten (push to the East), as well as promoting racism and anti-Semitism. All four concepts "justified" a war of annihilation.

Not quite true...Nazies yes but Wehrmacht officers many of top generals opposed and hated Hitler and cronies.

[RussianConservative]

One reason the invasion failed is that Hitler himself got too involved in the decision making (especially for one whose military experience consisted of running messages as a corporal).

Understatement...all decision even where individual battalion move went through Hitler.

[RussianConservative]

Not quite: Stalin kill 30 million in about 30 years. Hitler: 20 million Russian civilians, 1 million Czeck, 12 million in camps (Jews/Poles), 1 million in Serbia, million or so own country men and couple million here/there in rest Europe and N. Africa...all in 6-7 years.

[RussianConservative]

So...most industry and heavy resources in East and so oil, which Germany always short on. Partisans would always be problem and continued attack by much large population with more resources and ever growing armies....in end Germany still loose.

[RussianConservative]

Only because Russia in Civil War...not much win...most territory "seeded" to Germany not occupied and German soon face partisans for same crap as in '41.