Barbarossa: The Russian German Conflict, 1941-45 Now

: The vast Russian landscape and muddy seasons (Rasputitsa) crippled German supply lines that were only designed for a short campaign.

: The German advance was finally halted in December 1941 by a combination of "thickening Russian resistance" and a brutal winter where temperatures hit -40 degrees , causing over 100,000 cases of frostbite. The Turning Tide (1942 – 1943) Barbarossa: The Russian German Conflict, 1941-45

: In the summer of 1943, the largest tank battle in history took place. After failing to regain the initiative here, the Wehrmacht would never again mount a major offensive in the East. The Soviet Steamroller (1944 – 1945) : The vast Russian landscape and muddy seasons

: Soviet forces pushed the Axis back through Eastern Europe, culminating in the Fall of Berlin in May 1945. After failing to regain the initiative here, the

The war shifted from a swift maneuver-based "blitzkrieg" into a grueling war of attrition and ideology—what the Nazis called a "war of annihilation".