Operation Barbarossa

1941-06-22 - 1942-01-07

Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and its Axis allies, launched on 22 June 1941 with more than 3.8 million troops along a 2,900-kilometer front. It was the largest and costliest military offensive in history, with over 8 million casualties by its end on 5 December 1941. The operation opened the Eastern Front, the largest and deadliest land theater of World War II, and brought the Soviet Union into the Allied camp.