2 juin 1941 - Operation Barbarossa

Description:

Hitler's goal was to conquer all of Europe. After the loss at the Battle of Britain, he turned his eyes towards the Soviet Union. Germany and the Soviets signed a non-aggression called the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. However, Hitler broke this when he ordered the Axis to invade the Soviet Union. 3 army groups including 150 divisions were used in this operation. At first, Germany had great success, but when the Russian cold came, they were not prepared. Many soldiers died from disease, guns would not work, and tanks found it hard to move on the Russian terrain. Operation Barbarossa ended in Early December, 1941. The Axis were being pushed back rapidly by the Red Army.
This operation is significant, because it is a large reason why Nazi Germany lost WW2. If they had not attacked the Soviets, they would have had fewer enemies to fight. This marked the start of the downfall of Germany.