Barbarossa, 1941: Hitler's War of Annihilation

On June 22, 1941, Hitler began what would be the most important campaign of the European theater. The war against the Soviet Union would leave tens of millions of Soviet citizens dead and large parts of the country in ruins. The death and destruction would result not just from military operations but also from the systematic killing and abuse that the German army, police, and SS directed against Jews, Communists, and ordinary citizens. By drawing on the best of military and Holocaust scholarship, this study dispels the myths that have distorted the role of Germany's military leadership in both the military operations and the unthinkable crimes that were a part of them.