Northern Eurasia 1941: Operation Barbarossa
5 July 1941
5 Jul 1941
Great Patriotic War: Germany Invades
1816–1914 Late Tsarist Russia
1914–1918 Great War and the Revolution
1918–1921 Russian Civil War: The White Phase
1921–1927 Russian Civil War: The Green Phase
1927–1941 Soviet Union under Stalin
1941–1943 Great Patriotic War: Germany Invades
1943–1945 Great Patriotic War: Germany at Bay
1945–1991 Soviet Superpower
1991–pres Successors of the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa
In the early hours of June 22, Germany launched its invasion of the Soviet Union. Within just a few weeks, they were fighting for Smolensk, halfway along the road to Moscow.