Soviet Military and Nazi Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Soviet Military and Nazi - Research Paper Example In fact, the survival and prosperity of these countries depended entirely on the outcome of this war. It should be noted that previously, Adolf Hitler had signed a non-aggression pact with Stalin in order to safeguard Germany from a possible invasion from the Soviet Union.1 The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed in August 1939. This pact was an agreement that the parties were not to attack each other and in case one of the parties was to be attacked by a third party, the other country was to uphold neutrality. Also, this agreement secretly divided Europe into various spheres to suit the interest of Germany and Russia. The aggression of Germany under Adolf Hitler made it to gain control of large parts of Europe. By 1940, Hitler had conquered most of the European countries including France, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. In fact, Germany was in control of the entire Europe save for the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. The Germans had succeeded to dislodge British army from most parts of Europe although they had not succeeded to make the United Kingdom surrender. After these swift victories, the Nazi army had become invincible. Hitler had the opportunity to force the United Kingdom into a peace agreement by putting up a naval and air siege against it. However, Hitler was untrusting of the Soviet Union and thought that Russians would offer assistance to the United Kingdom despite the non-aggression pact. Hitler made plans to wage war against the Russians with an aim of solidifying their power in the entire Europe and weakening any potential resistance from the United Kingdom. Notably, Hitler highly underestimated the military potential of the Soviet Union and he anticipated a quick and comprehensive win.3 The Nazi Army prepared for war against the Russians under the name of Operation Barbarossa in July 21, 1940. The operation was under the supervision of the renowned German military strategist General Frederick Paulus. In the preparat ory stages of the war, Hitler informed his generals that the aim of the war was to destroy any potential hope of support for the United Kingdom. Hitler believed that the destruction of the Soviet Union would inevitably lead to the withdrawal of US support for the United Kingdom. Hence, the United Kingdom would be significantly vulnerable and make it easier for Germans to attack it. Hitler further believed that the military system of Russia was so poor that any Russian response to the invasion would take a very long time. Adding to the fact that the Soviet Union did not have a system for the reinforcement of the combat divisions and activation of the reserves, Hitler believed that the war against the Soviet Union would be won quickly. According to the plan by Hitler, the Russians were going to be defeated in less than three months. Hitler strategized that the ground troops were going to play the main role in the campaign while the air force engaged the United Kingdom in military acti ons. The attack on the Russians was planned to be three pronged, from the North, South and the Center. One of the most important aims of the Nazi army was to capture the main cities of Russia which were Moscow and Leningrad. The capture of these cities would significantly demoralize the Red Army and tilt the scales of victory in favor of the Germans. Moscow was the capital city while Leningrad was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution. By capturing these cities, the Germans would gain control of the largest industrial centers and railway exchanges of the Soviet Union.4 However, after the onset of the war things did not go according to the plan of the Nazi army. As the war raged on, it became clear