Operation Barbarossa – Before Pearl Harbour the most Decisive turning point of World War 2 was this attack on Russia by Germany which ended in chaos and bloody failure for Germans.

On 22nd June, 1941 is the day when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa against the Soviets opening up the Eastern Front in violation of the Non Aggression Pact signed between Germany and Russia on 23rd August, 1939 their foreign ministers Ribbentrop and Molotov. Overnight Russia and Germany became enemies. Stalin felt betrayed by Hitler for having turned back on the treaty of non Aggression which was the most opportunistic alliance based upon deceit, devoid of Moral values. Hitler hated communism more than anything else and there were various correspondences between them sizing up territories and countries after Germany won the War.

Overnight England and Russia became allies. Although Churchill hated communism more than anything, he offered all support to Russia and Stalin in their fight against Hitler and Nazism and Britain and Russia became allies.

Hitler named the operation ‘Barbarossa’ after a Holy Roman Emperor ‘Fredrick Barbarossa’ who reigned from (1152-1190AD) who was amongst the greatest King and warrior having died fighting in the third Crusade of the War of Christians for Jerusalem.

‘Barbarossa’ means ‘red beard’ in Italian and ‘Barbarossa’ family under protection of Ottoman Sultan were notorious pirates in the Mediterranean in the 15th and 16th Centuries. The Pirate ‘Barbarossa’ family for generations looted and pillaged the Italian and Spanish cities in the Mediterranean. Inadvertently Hitler had unleashed the pirate ‘Barbarossa’ rather than the Great Holy Roman Emperor ‘Barbarossa’.

Scholars and Historians agree that Hitler had committed the same mistakes as made by Napoleon exactly 150 years earlier by attacking Russia and his army got defeated in Russia.

In May 1945 Germany was defeated and Hitler Committed suicide in Berlin and the Soviet troops stormed Berlin to take control of the City. Berlin was divided equally between the control of the British, American and Soviet administered areas. The memorial is situated within British administered Berlin.

The picture of this War memorial is in memory of the Soviet Soldiers who sacrificed their life fighting world War 2. The years are mentioned 1941-1945 i.e. the period when Russia was fighting Germany. Scholars believe that Russia suffered the most in terms of losses of its army men and damage and destruction to the territories because of War.

PS: The Hand of this soldier is made of granite marbles taken from the entry arch of Hitler’s chancellery after it was destroyed.

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