On June 22, 1941 the German army launched Operation Barbarossa.  At 0300 in the morning 153 German divisions stormed across the Soviet border.  They were aided by forces from 9 other nations.  The attack was a complete surprise and by the end of 1941 most of European Russia was under German domination.  The Germans soon reached the edges of Moscow, surrounded Leningrad, and advanced rapidly towards the Caucasus and a city on the Volga called Stalingrad.  It was at these cities that the seemingly unstoppable Wehrmacht ground to a halt in the winter of 1942.

From that point on the Workers and People's Red Army would give the Germans only one choice - go back or be destroyed.  This was shown at the battle of Kursk in 1943, which is considered by many to be the point when the Germans lost the strategic initiative forever.  Even thought the opening of the second front in 1944 by the United States and her allies diverted German resources, the die had already been cast.  Hitler's thousand year Reich was doomed, it was only a matter of time before the Red Army would punish it for its aggression.

The titanic struggle would end on May 9, 1945 when Soviet forces would accept the surrender of Nazi Germany in the ruins of its capital.  The war was the largest in history and resulted in over 18 million Soviet casualties.

The Red Army that ended the war was very different than the Army that faced the initial German invasion in 1941.  Weapons technology advanced dramatically during the war years.  New tanks, aircraft, and infantry weapons reached the front and helped turn the tide.  This section is the story of the Soviet people's battle for survival and ultimate victory.