After the initial German dominance over Russia during Operation Barbarossa - the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union - in 1941,
After the initial German dominance over Russia during Operation Barbarossa - the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union - in 1941, they were halted at the Battle of Moscow in April 1942 and then devastated at the Battle of Stalingrad in February 1943. Hitler had thought that all he would have to do was kick in the door and the Soviets would crumble. Far from it, they proved fierce, determined warriors with excellent generals. By the summer of 1943, the Soviet Red Army had completely turned the tables and began to bear down on Berlin. German soldiers on the Eastern Front knew the terrible reality of what was coming. And German civilians were familiar enough with Nazi crimes to want to escape Soviet revenge. All who could flee west to escape the Soviets did so, even as Hitler’s generals tried to hold off the onrushing tide. Without the effectiveness of this Soviet Red-wave, the actions of the Allies in the West on D-Day could have very likely been thwarted. This is stated, not to downplay th...