The Russo-German Non-Aggression Treaty of 1939 also known as the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact was a ruse, a complete ruse. The treaty served to buy time for Hitler’s forces and gained Soviet assistance in taking down Poland. It had been Hitler’s intention to take territory from Russia for the expansion of German living space. Perhaps Stalin did not take time to read Hitler’s autobiography which we know as Mein Kampf.
There were practical reasons for Hitler turning on Stalin. Both forces had their eyes on the oil fields in Ploesti, Rumania. In these modern days we always hear from Anti-War protestors that we are fighting only for oil. Sorry to burst those young folks bubbles, because much of World War II depending upon which side one was on, was being fought either to procure or deny resources. Like it or not the primary motive fuel of modern mechanized forces is oil. Add to that the wealth of mineral resources to be found in Russia then you find the motive behind Hitler’s back stabbing of Stalin. Then again our text makes the issue that perhaps Germany felt it was due the territory of Russia since most of Russia’s officer corps during Tsarist times was in fact German.
Stalin of course was no angel in this matter. Stalin had a goal of dominating Europe himself in order to spread communism. In fact during the Blitzkrieg on Poland Russia seized many Baltic coastal States.
Hitler for awhile had the upper hand in the invasion of Russia, for a time Blitzkrieg tactics would work in the March to Moscow. As general students of history we have automatically assumed the Blitzkrieg was a German invention, we are found wrong however in that assumption because the theory was developed by the inventor of the tank in Britain. Sorry guys once again we have to take a back seat to our former benefactor, we did not invent the tank, the British did. There are those that say that Hitler was a military genius, if this is true might he not have learned about Napoleons defeat in Russia. The Germans got trapped by Russia’s severe winter just as Napoleon did, further just as our boys in Korea they were not prepared for it. None of the German soldiers in the invasion force had proper winter gear.
Stalin’s forces by now were being equipped by the Allies, (The enemy of my enemy is my friend.) further manufacturing centers had been established in the center of the Soviet Union far from Germany’s ability to destroy them. Stalin also had more people at his disposal, some of which were expendable in his eyes. It is important to understand that while the Germans were responsible for the loss of life in Russia, Stalin was responsible for the loss of more.