Why did the Soviet Union not lose the war immediately when Hitler attacked in Operation Barbarossa in 1941?
The majority of people remember the Germans as the superpower during the beginning of the WWII in 1941. Nevertheless, the collapse of the Soviets did not occur. They managed to survive, as they did not make three serious mistakes, which would have given Hitler the opportunity to win the war in a short time.
Their initial move that was decisive was to secure their metalworking plants where the guns were being produced.
By the time the German army threatened to take over all factories, the Soviets did not leave them. They instead targeted over a thousand plants that were large and destroyed the heavy equipment.
They transported the equipment to the east of the Ural Mountains that was thousands of miles distant and put it in a safe place. Although they lost land, this move enabled them to go on with manufacturing thousands more new tanks and planes. Had the relocation not taken place, the Soviets would have had no weapon to resist with.
The elder leaders of the Soviets foresaw how to handle the younger soldiers. Although they lost millions of soldiers in their initial stages, they never devoted all the soldiers to the battles that were not won.
They had a sizable, fresh stockpile reserve that was kept in the last moment. This was the army of men who were ready to resist in cold weather and this force was supposed to guard Moscow at the end of 1941. It stopped the German, halting them.
Lastly Soviet government was not giving up. Hitler thought that the Soviet leadership could not stand long but the Soviet leaders were determined, the people continued fighting despite bad news.
This decision prolonged the war that eventually worked in favor of the Soviets as they enjoyed more land, human resources and time compared to Hitler.
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