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World War II’s Eastern Front: Operation Barbarossa
An excerpt from The Story of the Second World War by historian Henry Steele Commager about the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

An excerpt from The Story of the Second World War by historian Henry Steele Commager about the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

This two-part segment is part of a larger book written by historian Henry Steele Commager, a prolific writer of forty books and 700 published essays during his seventy-year career. This excerpt focuses first on the effective, brutal destruction of all resources that could not be defended by the Soviets, and then profiles the incredible resilience of the people of Leningrad who withstood a 900-day siege by Nazi occupying forces. Commager’s book is unique as a work of history because it was written by a witness to the war immediately after its conclusion.

Citation Information
Commager, Henry Steele, excerpt from “The story of the second world war,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/e6352b23ebf124113ff1f4b28137df13.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of Indiana University via HathiTrust.

Tips for Students

For this source, consider:

  • the author's point of view
  • the author's purpose
  • historical context
  • audience

Item 13 of 14 in the Primary Source Set World War II’s Eastern Front: Operation Barbarossa

Previous ItemNext Item
An American political cartoon titled “And if Russia is crushed” that expresses fear of Russian defeat by Nazi forces in World War II.
A World War II political cartoon that communicates concern about the Nazi invasion of Russia by Dr. Seuss.
A radio program highlighting World War II-era Soviet heroism based on a short story by a female Russian survivor of the Siege of Leningrad.
A Soviet poster celebrating the female labor force that supported victory over the Nazis in World War II.
A table of World War II casualties listed by nation.
A photograph of a Soviet World War II memorial in Ukraine that commemorates the defeat of the Nazi occupying regime by Soviet forces.
A 1939 annotated map of Nazi aggression and emerging World War II “theaters of war.”
An excerpt from an interview with a Soviet soldier who survived the Battle of Stalingrad.
An excerpt from a 1944 pamphlet on the Siege of Leningrad published by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics’ American embassy.
A 1942 political cartoon predicting Nazi defeat in the attack on Stalingrad.
An excerpt from a talk by historian Timothy Snyder on the impact of World War II-era German and Soviet rule on Eastern Europe.
A 1941 political cartoon by Dr. Seuss depicting Stalin serving a roasted Adolf Hitler.
An excerpt from The Story of the Second World War by historian Henry Steele Commager about the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
A 1952 US Army report on the impact of weather and climate on the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.

These sets were created and reviewed by teachers. Explore resources and ideas for Using DPLA's Primary Source Sets in your classroom.

To give feedback, contact us at info@dp.la. You can also view resources for National History Day.

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