Operation Barbarossa

German troops crossing the Soviet border during Operation Barbarossa

Operation Barbarossa was Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II. Lasting June 22 to December 5, 1941, it was a massive engagement, involving millions of troops along an 1,800-mile front. Germany’s eventual failure was a major setback for the country, as it forced them to fight a war on two fronts in Europe. The campaign would prove a key turning point in the European theater of the war.

Learn more about Operation Barbarossa through historical newspapers from our archives. Explore newspaper articles, headlines, images, and other primary sources below.

Articles and Clippings about Operation Barbarossa

"Nazis Take on Russia; Nazi Troops Ready from Rumania to Finland for Fight" Sun, Jun 22, 1941 – Page 1 · Santa Cruz Sentinel (Santa Cruz, California) · Newspapers.com"Nazis Declare War on Russia; Attack by Land, Sea and Air; Rumania, Finland Join Drive" Sun, Jun 22, 1941 – Page 1 · The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com"Nazis Push Three Drives into Russia; Hitler Unleashes Full Fury of His War Machine" Mon, Jun 23, 1941 – 1 · The Dayton Herald (Dayton, Ohio) · Newspapers.com"Germany and Italy at War with Russia; Early Morning Attack Across Enormous Frontier" Mon, Jun 23, 1941 – Page 7 · The Age (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) · Newspapers.com"Nazis March Against Russia; Hitler's Excuses for Attack; 1,500-Mile Land Front" Mon, Jun 23, 1941 – 5 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com"Reds, Nazis Locked in Combat; Russians Rush Up Men to Halt Invaders" Mon, Jun 23, 1941 – Page 1 · The Winnipeg Tribune (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) · Newspapers.com"Conflicting Stories of the Battle" from early days of Operation Barbarossa Thu, Jun 26, 1941 – Page 7 · The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) · Newspapers.com"4,000 Tanks Clash In Polish Sector; Russians Claim Main Drives Halted" Sun, Jun 29, 1941 – Page 1 · Argus-Leader (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) · Newspapers.com"German Tornado Roars Through Minsk, 400 Miles from Moscow" Mon, Jun 30, 1941 – 1 · Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Hawaii) · Newspapers.com"Drive on Moscow Checked, Reds Claim; Nazis Claim 100,000 Captives; Trapped Red Army Wiped Out" Wed, Jul 2, 1941 – 1 · The Record (Hackensack, New Jersey) · Newspapers.com"Reds Smash Panzer Division; New Nazi Onslaught Wrecked; Attack Checked Dead in Tracks" Thu, Jul 10, 1941 – 1 · The Record (Hackensack, New Jersey) · Newspapers.com"Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev Doomed, Nazis Say; Reds Claim Victories, Admit 250,000 Losses" Mon, Jul 14, 1941 – Page 1 · The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com"9,000,000 Clash in Key Red Battle; Smolensk Is Captured, Nazis Claim" Thu, Jul 17, 1941 – 1 · Press and Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton, New York) · Newspapers.comMaps showing conflicting claims of Soviets and Nazis during Operation Barbarossa Thu, Jul 17, 1941 – Page 1 · Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Arizona) · Newspapers.com"Heavy Fighting Continues at Smolensk and in Ukraine; Push on Leningrad Fizzles Out" Thu, Aug 7, 1941 – 1 · The Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) · Newspapers.com"Russia Orders Old, Young to Train to Defeat Nazis" Thu, Sep 18, 1941 – 1 · El Paso Times (El Paso, Texas) · Newspapers.com"Germans Claim New Successes Near Kiev; Counter-Claims of Reds Say Invaders Are Being Checked" Sat, Sep 27, 1941 – 1 · The Troy Messenger (Troy, Alabama) · Newspapers.com"Fall of Russia Looms as Nazis Smash Entire Front; German Hordes Only 125 Miles from Moscow" Thu, Oct 9, 1941 – Page 1 · Daily World (Opelousas, Louisiana) · Newspapers.com"Nazis Driven Back at Moscow; Reds Advance, Gain 24 Miles; Berlin Blames Weather for Rostov Rout" Wed, Dec 3, 1941 – 1 · The Record (Hackensack, New Jersey) · Newspapers.com"Fighting on Moscow Front Reaches New Violence Peak; Nazi Lines in Kalinin Territory Cracked" Sat, Dec 6, 1941 – Page 1 · The Town Talk (Alexandria, Louisiana) · Newspapers.com1945 newspaper summary of history of Germany's decision to attack Russia in Operation Barbarossa Wed, Dec 5, 1945 – 6 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com1946 newspaper column discusses Hitler's plans "to eliminate Russians as Baltic power" Mon, Mar 11, 1946 – 3 · The Ottawa Citizen (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) · Newspapers.com1968 article proposes reason for lack of eye-witnesses to Nazi atrocities towards Jews in Russia Thu, Apr 25, 1968 – P1 · The American Israelite (Cincinnati, Ohio) · Newspapers.comExcerpt from article with accounts of Nazi violence against Jews during Operation Barbarossa Thu, Apr 25, 1968 – P12 · The American Israelite (Cincinnati, Ohio) · Newspapers.comRetrospective on Operation Barbarossa from German & Russian perspectives on 50th anniversary Sun, Jun 23, 1991 – Page 6 · The Courier-News (Bridgewater, New Jersey) · Newspapers.com