World War II was considered the most devastating war of the 20th century but it could have been the last. Hitler pumped his people full of false statements throughout the war. Sure enough he gave one speech that was extremely premature. He said in a statement to the German people: “I declare without any reservation that the enemy in the East has been struck down and will never rise again.” He said this because of how fast his troops were pushing into Russia (Reader's Digest Association). World War II ended with a defeat of the Axis powers, but it could have gone entirely differently if Operation Barbarossa never happened.
On August 23,1939-shortly before World War II commenced on September …show more content…
The Germans had captured Kiev but Nazi generals did not see any importance in the win unlike Hitler (Reader's Digest Association). Reluctantly, after months of urging from his generals to capture Moscow Hitler finally gave in, but he resumed the drive too late in the year and winter was about to wreak havoc (Reader's Digest Association). By the time they reached Moscow, the Nazi had confronted heavy resistance, and the resistance stopped the Germans everywhere on the front around Moscow (Reader's Digest Association). On December 6, General Georgi K. Zhukov of the Red Army attacked. Along the 200 mile front he launched 100 divisions of troops equipped and trained to fight in the bitter cold and the deep snow of the Russian winter. The blow by this force, which Hitler or his generals did not know existed, was so devastating that the Nazi Army never fully recovered (Reader's Digest Association). The Siege of Leningrad began in September 1941 and ended in January 1944. Though after November 1941, possession of Leningrad had only a symbolic significance ("Operation Barbarossa"). Though Leningrad had diminished its strategic significance, the suffering and sacrifices of the dwindling population and the defending forces had inspired the Soviet war effort as a whole ("Operation Barbarossa"). It was during the appalling five month’s battle when Hitler suffered his greatest defeat, Stalingrad. It claimed nearly …show more content…
Sure enough both Napoleon’s grand army and the Nazi war machine suffered the same crushing defeat at Moscow and lost it all in Russia. Halder had wrote in his journal: “The myth of the invincibility of the German Army was broke.” (Reader's Digest Association). Operation Barbarossa was the defeat of the Axis powers, but if it had not happened the Axis powers might have won World War II. Hitler’s thirst and greed for power had brought down the empire he had built. Hitler can also thank his great blunder of launching