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by James Mockridge

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Operation Barbossa, the name given to the German assault on the Soviet Union which began on the 22nd June 1941. The invasion was to culminate in 30 million deaths, including vast numbers of civilians, and be declared the bloodiest and costliest battle in history.

A major contributory factor to the outcome of this conflict was the harsh winter conditions that would be experienced along the Eastern front. The battle lasted between 1941 - 1945 and would be referred to as the 'Winter War.'

The contributing effects of the Eastern Front weather:

* June 1941 - Advancing German Army begins the assault along the entire Eastern Front between the Baltic and Blacks Seas. The German Forces continue, on a seemingly unstoppable march towards Moscow, before they had advanced too far ahead of their supply columns resulting in a halt on 5th December 1941. They had conquered a vast volume of Russian territory, but their plans for Russia to collapse before the winter set in proved to be incorrect incorrect and the opposing forces faced the first of four winters locked in battle.

A stark reminder that the German Army was expecting to complete the surrender of Russia within eight weeks was to fact that they attacked in their 'summer' military uniforms, which cost many unnecessary lives. They took to taking clothes off of dead comrades in order to stave off the cold. However, during November 1941 twice as many soldiers were lost to frostbite than to armed combat.

The Red Army took more attention to winter clothing and altered their tactics according to the weather conditions, whilst the exposed German troops suffered more due to their lack of using intelligence which was learned from previous winter campaigns.

The ensuing winter was to be one of the most severe on record. It combined the cold, deep snow, frostbite and short days. It affected the mobility of troops, blocked roads and airstrips, exhausted troops and lowered moral. Machinery froze, limiting transport both forward and for moving casualties back behind lines.

The German Army would suffer hundreds of thousands of casualties as a direct result of the bitter cold experienced during the ongoing winter months. Frostbite claimed 100 thousand lives The winter of 1941/42 saw frostbite claim 100,000 German casualties and would lead to approximately 14,000 amputations of limbs. This number would exceed 250,000 by the end of the winter months. You then add this to the thousands of related conditions of influenza, trench-foot and pneumonia that the army personnel would battle 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 their 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 Eastern front is with the infamous Siege of Leningrad. Commencing on August 6th 1941, one of Hitlers 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 Ladoag, 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 effects.

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.

Learn more about this author, James Mockridge.

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