Introduction

          Spanning over 2,000 miles, the western border of the Soviet Union is virtually impenetrable. Filled with marshes, rivers, and plains, along with the extremely cold winters, it caused Napoleon’s retreat in 1812 and absorbed hardly any damage from the Kaiser’s armies in the First World War.

          With the aim of destroying Communism, enslaving the Russian people, and gaining the wheat of Ukraine and oil of the Caucasus, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941. The German armed forces, with almost 200 divisions of infantry and armour, 3,500 tanks, and 3,000 aircraft, launched the largest military invasion in history. How did the Soviets repel the German attack?

          What Hitler did not expect was that even though the Soviets had to make some sacrifices early in the war, such as at Bialystok and Kiev, the latter had already planned out their strategy and therefore knew how to deal with the Germans beforehand.

          Due to the brilliant minds of the Soviet high command (General Zhukov and Marshal Timoshenko), the extensive planning in the war games of early 1941, the information provided by Soviet intelligence, the organization and preparedness of the Red Army, the modernization of equipment, and the cooperation of the people, the Soviet Union was able to repel the invasion, counter-attack, save Moscow and Stalingrad, and secure victory. It was in this way that the Eastern Front resulted in an Allied success that greatly influenced the outcome of the Second World War, or, in the view of the Soviets, the Great Patriotic War.