Operation Barbarossa 1941: Army Group South

Operation Barbarossa, Germany's surprise assault on the Soviet Union in June 1941, aimed at nothing less than the complete destruction of Communist Russia. This book focuses on Field Marshal von Rundstedt and Army Group South, tasked with the capture of the Ukraine and Crimea. Von Rundstedt's 46 divisions and single Panzer Group faced fierce resistance from the best equipped, trained, and commanded units in the Red Army, but ultimately succeeded in destroying the Soviet 6th and 12th Armies at Uman before inflicting a further 600,000 casualties at Kiev. Here, von Rundstedt's five-month advance to Rostov is examined in detail. Germany's surprise assault on the Soviet Union in June 1941, Operation Barbarossa, aimed at nothing less than the destruction of the Soviet Union. Adolf Hitler saw this as the last vital step in the establishing of Lebensraum for the German people in the East. South of the Pripyat Marshes Field Marshal von Rundstedt's powerful Army Group South was responsible for the capture of the Ukraine and the Crimea including the important cities of Kiev and Odessa. Von Rundstedt's force faced the Soviet Southwestern and Southern Fronts containing many of the best, equipped, trained and commanded units in the Soviet order of battle. The initial fighting in the south was characterized by fierce and effective Soviet resistance, and the German timetable was badly disrupted. Nevertheless, German superiority began to tell, and the entire Soviet 6th and 12th Armies were encircled and destroyed at Uman. In addition, Adolf Hitler directly ordered General Heinz Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group to turn south from Army Group Center to assist. This resulted in a still greater encirclement at Kiev that eliminated four entire Soviet field armies consisting of more than 600,000 men. By the beginning of October 1941, it appeared that the Red Army was in the final stages of collapse and nothing could stop the German juggernaut.