Red Sky at Noon

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On 22 June 1941, Adolf Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, his invasion of the Soviet Union, which was ruled by its dictator Josef Stalin. It was to be the most savage war of annihilation ever fought. Taken totally by surprise, the Russians lost vast numbers of men, tanks, planes and territory in the early months as the Germans fought their way towards Moscow. By September, even the capital was in peril. But Stalin counter-attacked and the Germans were thrown back.

Early in 1942, Hitler planned a new knockout blow. Stalin expected another attack on Moscow but instead Hitler launched Case Blue, an offensive across Ukraine, and then the vast flat grasslands of southern Russia, towards the Don and Volga Rivers, and southwards to seize the oil fields of the Caucasus. The Nazis were aided by their allies: the Italian Fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, sent an army of 235,000 Italians to help in the assault. Both sides were short of tanks so, for a short time, they fielded cavalry instead. These battles would see the last great cavalry charges in history.

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