Operation »Barbarossa« und Stadtkampf

Abstract

Examines German military policy and subsequent efforts to capture Soviet cities after the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. From a logistical point of view, it was essential for the Germans to capture cities, but a combination of Soviet infrastructure and the military difficulty of capturing well-defended cities made such efforts costly in terms of resources and casualties. The difficulty of capturing cities highlighted the conflict between the goals of lightning war and and a war of extermination. The article offers a case study of Dnepropetrovsk in August-September 1941.