The Barberousse plan
Beginnings of the war germano-Soviet: the Barberousse plan.- Germany declares the war with the U.R.S.S. June 22, 1941 in the morning. Romania, Hungary and Finland enter in war to the sides of the Germans. From Finland to the Black Sea, by always using the strategy of Blitzkrieg, 5,5 million soldiers German, Finnish, Hungarian, Rumanian, Italian, but so Spanish (división Azul) and French (more than 3000 of the LVF, Legion of the French Volunteers), 3800 tanks, 5000 planes, spring in direction of Leningrad, Moscow, Kiev and Odessa.
The Red Army, completely disorganized after the purgings of 1938, is hustled. In the three months space, the Ukraine is conquered, German reach the Black Sea, Leningrad is besieged and threatened Moscow.
In the USSR, the war is total: the Communists and the Jews are massacred there by the SS of Einstazgruppen, the maltreated prisoners.
But the Red Army fights with eagerness and determination. By beating retirement, it leaves partisans practising the tactics of the burned ground. Towards the end of the year 1941, the Red Army resists the attacks of the Germans victoriously, in particular during the battles of Leningrad (9 seven.) and Moscow (Nov. 16). The situation was turned over in favour of the Russians a little before the arrival of the winter.
