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with on a daily basis. A process that would be repeated throughout the winters on the eastern front.

Russia would also suffer at the hands of the weather, but to some extent they were more prepared for the realities. Their machinery was better adapted to cope with the frozen temperatures and they had more troops who were specialized in winter combat.

Another reason for the high personnel cost was that Adolf Hitler refused adamantly that the German Forces should retreat. Evidence was there to suggest that the weather was severely restricting the ability of the German Army to fight, but still they remained at the front.

An example of how the harsh winter, combined with battle, affected the soldiers fighting on the Eastern front is with the infamous Siege of Leningrad. Beginning on August 6th 1941, one of Hitler's prime objectives in his assault of Russia would last 900 days through to 1943. Energy and heating supplies were destroyed as part of the German assault. Over 1.5 million civilians would die due to cold and starvation. The harsh 1941 winter meant that the only access into the city was across the frozen Lake Lapdog, which was between the German and Finnish encampments. The severe weather meant no relief supplies could reach the city until January 1942, and residents resorted to eating anything, including dogs and cats.

The Red Army and the Germans suffered over 13 million casualties as a result of the battle along the Eastern front. A large proportion of these casualties was a result of the continued exposure to the sub-zero temperatures and its associated affects.

In hindsight, Germany was ill-prepared for the reality of the volatile and devastating weather that was to infiltrate its forces. Russia knew what to expect, but because of their determination to defend their nation, at all costs, they too would suffer at the hands of the elements.

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