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Operation Barbarossa Worksheet

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Operation Barbarossa Worksheet

Read the briefing and study the timeline. Then complete the questions using evidence from the material. Operation Barbarossa was a German invasion of the Soviet Union during the Second World War. Consider both military decisions and their human consequences.

Briefing: The invasion

On 22 June 1941, Nazi Germany and its allies launched Operation Barbarossa, a vast invasion of the Soviet Union. Germany and the Soviet Union had signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in 1939, agreeing not to fight each other; the invasion ended that agreement. Adolf Hitler sought territory, resources and the destruction of Soviet power. German forces advanced eastwards from Germany, capturing large areas and millions of Soviet soldiers. But the campaign stretched supply routes over enormous distances. Soviet forces resisted, and German troops failed to capture Moscow before winter. Cold weather, equipment problems, shortages and continued Soviet resistance contributed to the German advance slowing and then stopping. The invasion opened a huge eastern front and tied down German forces for the rest of the war. Civilians suffered enormously: cities were besieged, homes destroyed and millions of people killed or displaced. Leningrad endured a siege lasting 872 days. The campaign did not end in 1941; fighting continued for years.

Trace the campaign

Use the dates below as evidence. The timeline shows key moments in the opening phase, not every event.

1.Match each event to its approximate date. Dates: 22 June 1941; September 1941; October 1941; December 1941. Events: invasion begins; siege of Leningrad begins; German offensive towards Moscow begins; German advance is halted near Moscow.

Invasion begins
Siege of Leningrad begins
German offensive towards Moscow begins
German advance is halted near Moscow

December 1941
22 June 1941
September 1941
October 1941

2.Which agreement did the invasion break?

The Treaty of Versailles
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
The Treaty of Waitangi
The Munich Agreement

3.According to the briefing, in which general direction did German forces advance from Germany into the Soviet Union?

4.Choose two challenges described in the briefing that slowed the German advance.

Very long supply routes
Soviet resistance
A lack of roads in Germany
The siege of Berlin

5.Cause and consequence: Explain one reason Hitler launched the invasion and one consequence it had for the course of the Second World War.

6.A classmate says, “The campaign was over by the winter of 1941.” Correct this statement using evidence from the briefing.

7.The siege of Leningrad lasted 872 days. What does this detail suggest about the experience of civilians during the campaign? Give one reason.

8.Evidence check: Which statement is best supported by the briefing?

Germany captured Moscow in 1941.
The invasion ended the war in Europe.
German forces advanced quickly at first, but their progress was stopped near Moscow.
The Soviet Union joined the invasion as Germany's ally.

9.Write a short museum caption explaining why Operation Barbarossa was a turning point in the Second World War. Include one military consequence and one human consequence.