(3/12)Battlefield I The Battle for Russia Episode 10 (GDH)

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Videos Running Time: 01:55:00 in 11 Parts

Battlefield: "The Battle for Russia"

This fast paced episode of "Battlefield" chronicles the titanic war in the east, that eventually decided World War II in Europe.

Despite numerous warnings from the Communist spy networks: the Lucy Spy-Ring the Red Orchestra Richard Sorge, and pleadings from Churchill and FDR, through ultra decrypts, Stalin discounted all invasion warnings. Stalin felt that all these alarming reports was actually an attempt to divide agreements between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, by the British and Americans. The Soviet Union shipped supplies ahead of schedule to Nazi Germany. The people of the Soviet Union and Stalin were completely dumbfounded when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941.

Three German Army Groups attacked into North, Central and the Southern Soviet Union.

Army Group North (Heeresgruppe Nord) (Generalfeldmarschall von Leeb) objective was the Baltic states, recently invaded by the USSR. The ultimate objective was Leningrad. Army Group Center consisted of 16th (Ernst Busch), 18th (Georg von Küchler) Armies and the 4th Panzer Group (Col. Gen Hoeppner).

Army Group Centre (Heeresgruppe Mitte) (Generalfeldmarschall von Bock) was comprised of the 4th (Günther von Kluge) and 9th Armies (Strauss), along with 2nd (Guderian) and 3rd (Hoth) Panzer Armies. Army Group Centre was focused on destroying all USSR forces in central Russia. The German forces would encircle several massive pockets in their advance from Poland to Smolensk.

Army Group South (Heeresgruppe Süd) (Generalfeldmarschall von Runstedt) was comprised of 17th (Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel), 11th Army (Eugen Ritter von Schobert) Armies, and the mainly Romanian and Hungarian 6th Army (Walther von Reichenau). The 1st Panzer Group (von Kleist) was the main armored component.

Army Group South and Army Group Centres Panzer Armies advanced south to encircle Soviet Armies around Kiev. Many German officers protested Hitlers decision to destroy armies in the field rather than capture Moscow. After the Soviet defeat at Kiev, Hitler implemented Operation Typhoon. Weather, attrition and supply lines now hindered the German advance. Moscow attacked with reserves from the Far East and saved Moscow (GDH)

Category:

Education

Tags:

• World
• War
• II
• USSR
• Soviet
• Red
• Army
• Panzer
• Guderian
• Guns
• Tanks
• Leningrad
• German
• Russia
• Russian

[mikeduplantier]

Can any historian help name the army high command around Hitler shown beginning at 3:31? Thanks.

[HoustonGD]

@mikeduplantier Keitel is the officer pointing the most. Jodl is the other bald headed officer and the younger officer is Warlimont

[DouglasEdward84]

I'm almost positive at 0:42 it's Schoerner pointing at the map and not Paulus.

[gettincrazywithit]

@ABhaim Do you know if thats Paulus at 0:42 pointing at the map table?

[ABhaim]

@HoustonGD

not meaning to doubt you but i think i recognized Paulus (please correct me if i'm wrong)

[Bazrak1]

@NearAbbeyRoad Agree ! Russia was more like ... watch the big game happening till it ends and maybe fucking up a weekenend Germany or the weekenend winner of the War .... till it got attacked by Hitler ( cuz Hitler was a fucktard dumbass at military tactics )

But it is for sure that Russia was willing to rule at least Europe , as they declared. To bring socialist revolution ... well but we will never know for sure today what wouldhave happened if or if not

[ThugCologne]

Stalin did not place his strategic resources near to the border with Germany without reason, he also wanted to attack and ordered his Generals to work out plans for an invasion of Germany and therefore they would need resources near to Germany, Airfields, Roads and Fuel and Munition Depots were also build near the border... and why do you think could the Wehrmacht take Millions of prisioners in the first weeks, caus they all were stationed near to the border, preparing for attack...

[NearAbbeyRoad]

@gettincrazywithit

No proof whatsoever that the USSR was to attack Germany. Stalin wanted the west powers to grind each other down - and watch it happen.

[gettincrazywithit]

@NearAbbeyRoad Yeah they just magically beat the most powerful army in the world because they were caught "off guard."  Of course they were going to attack Germany, otherwise they would have been defeated in late 41'...

[gettincrazywithit]

@HoustonGD @ 0:42 is that Paulus pointing at the map table?