Timeline of War

German Army were well prepared for war with Russia

Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa- 'Operation Red Beard'

An attack on the Soviet Union, focusing on Moscow and Stalingrad

Operation Typoon launched to capture Moscow.

People panicked with rioting and looting breaking out.

Law and order broke down, government buildings deserted. 

Rumoured that Stalin was in enemy hands

General Zhukov launched the first Russian counter-attack

Successfully pushing Germans back 200 kilometres away from Moscow's centre

Hitler launched Operation Blue, aiming to capture the city of Stalingrad

Believed by overturning, it would deprive Russianwar effortof a vital industrial base

But also had propaganda benefits as it bore the name of Stalin

Six-month battle of Stalingrad, bloodiest in human history

Life expectancy of a Russian solider was 24 hours

Officers around 3 days

Over 1.9 million died in the seige, still Russia resisted

Soviet counter-offensive, Operation Uranus

Defence of Stalingrad cost 1.1 million Red Army lives, and 800,000 German troops

Germans driven from Stalingrad

2/3 of German- occupied territory had been re-captured

Soviet propaganda proclaimed 'Ten Great Victories' including recapturing Crimea, Belarus, Latvia and Estonia

Red Army entered German territory, Russian soliders sought revenge for Nazi invasion 

Several accounts talk of **** and murder by the advancing Red Army on the first Germans they encountered

4,000 Red Army tanks,

23,000 pieces of artillary &

4,000 aeroplanes reached the outskirts of Berlin

Germany surrendered to western allies and the USSR 

In homeage, Stalin ordered Georgian soilder should be given honour of planting the Red flag on top of the German Parliament building