Never seen before photographs show the German invasion of Russia

Never seen before photographs show the German invasion of Russia

BRENDAN MCFADDEN


An incredible diary provides a sinister and poignant insight into the invasion of the Soviet Union through the eyes of a German soldier on the Eastern Front at the height of the Second World War.

 

A candid collection of photographs captures Operation Barbarossa where Hitler’s troops launched a brutal and prolonged attack on Soviet forces in Russia which resulted in the deaths of six million soldiers and – following Germany’s failure to defeat the Red Army – proved a turning point in the war against the Nazis.

The collection is believed to have been compiled by a German soldier from the Nazi’s feared armoured tank unit known as the Panzer division which wreaked havoc on enemy lines thanks to its advanced technology and innovative Blitzkrieg military strategy.

There are chilling images of Jewish ghettos, surrendering Russian soldiers and the debris of bombed cities including Minsk, which fell into German hands within weeks of Operation Barbarossa being launched.

The German invasion of Russia began on June 22, 1941. By July 11, 1941 the Germans had taken more than 400,000 prisoners of war on the Eastern Front. To stop themselves from becoming prisoners of war many Russian troops are said to have abandoned their uniforms and tried to surrender as civilians. Civilians are seen here surrendering to German armed forces – some of which would have ended up in brutal Jewish ghettos

The Warsaw Ghetto (pictured) was the largest of all the Jewish ghettos in German-occupied Europe during WWII. It was located in Poland but Jews from across German-occupied territories were brought there. Over two million Soviet Jews are believed to have died during the Holocaust. Some of the larger massacres took place during 1941 as German forces invaded Russia. At its peak the ghetto had around 460,000 inhabitants – 85,000 of them children up to the age of 14

Hitler wanted to take Soviet forces completely by surprise with Operation Barbarossa – considering the element of surprise crucial to success. To this end he deployed a large number of trucks and tanks to drive forces forward quickly into Russian territory. Given the speed of the advance, however, a number of trucks were destroyed (such as the one pictured). The speed of the advance was to ensure the Red Army did not withdraw into Russia’s vast interior. Hitler hoped to accomplish his advance before Russian commanders had time to react

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