Hitler's Strategy to Conquer the Soviet Union 🇩🇪

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Kings and Generals historical animated documentary series on the Eastern Front of World War II starts out with the prelude episode #11. Previously we discussed the Soviet strategic situation before the war (https://youtu.be/xvyZMYMn0g8), while this episode will focus on the German strategic situation before Operation Barbarossa and how Hitler planned to crush the Soviet Union. We begin with Hitler’s decision to invade the Soviet Union, made even before victory in the West was complete. With War Directive 21 and the grand strategy, the Nazi leadership envisioned a massive military operation stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea, aiming for a swift knockout of Soviet forces. However, internal rifts quickly appeared, as strategic conflicts and Wehrmacht weaknesses began to undermine planning. Halder and other high-ranking officers clashed with Hitler on objectives, while German tank divisions and logistics suffered from dilution and poor standardization. These weaknesses were compounded by German rail and supply problems in the East, where incompatible Soviet railway gauges and vehicle shortages threatened the entire invasion effort. Early planning was split between the Marcks and Lossberg invasion plans, each proposing different army group structures and campaign objectives. Ultimately, it was Paulus’ wargames and the push for Moscow that revealed the scale of the Red Army’s resilience—and the fatal overreach of the German strategy.

Eastern Front of WW2 Week-by-Week: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaBYW76inbX6ubSghjj0fxjMRvShxAUGT
Eastern Front Podcast: https://theeasternfront.podbean.com/e/eastern-front-prelude-01-the-russian-revolution-and-russian-civil-war/
Pacific War: https://youtu.be/MEgIHN63ojU?list=PLaBYW76inbX4kE52CPUvx8gZ7CQyjweEg
Modern Warfare: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaBYW76inbX4NYr_WkbaW5KfYwqTAxn08
Winter War: https://youtu.be/1Uk5bY22RSE
Khalkhin Gol: https://youtu.be/GGwUlET2tbw

Video: Hazimin Arif
Script: Russell Hellyer
VO: Devin http://bit.ly/3XzSCgV & http://bit.ly/3GUO9iT

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Production Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound: http://www.epidemicsound.com

00:00 - Hitler’s Decision to Invade the Soviet Union
01:14 - War Directive 21 and the Grand Strategy
03:27 - Strategic Conflicts and Wehrmacht Weaknesses
06:01 - German Rail and Supply Problems in the East
08:08 - The Marcks and Lossberg Invasion Plans
13:30 - Paulus’ Wargames and the Push for Moscow

Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/164N9vxrM1JlLZmaA3LFM9vuqsW1q5FyZs96RJ1y6iMA/edit?usp=sharing

#Documentary #EasternFront #WW2