: To secure the vast agricultural and oil resources of Ukraine and the Caucasus. Early Progress and Turning Point

Driven by Nazi ideology, the invasion had three primary objectives:

: German forces achieved massive early victories, capturing cities like Kiev and Smolensk and taking millions of Soviet soldiers prisoner.

: On December 5, 1941, the Red Army launched a major counterattack that pushed German forces back, marking the definitive failure of the operation's goal for a quick victory. Why It Failed

: To destroy the Communist Soviet Union and eliminate its Jewish population.