A 1952 US Army report on the impact of weather and climate on the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.

This report by the US Army uses weather statistics and interviews with German generals to summarize the role that climate and weather had on the Soviet defeat of Nazi forces in World War II. It is interesting to consider the potential purposes of the report, particularly because it was drafted as the Cold War was underway and the American military may have been contemplating scenarios that included war with the Soviet Union.

Citation Information
United States Department of the Army, excerpt from “Effects of climate on combat in European Russia,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/e0e528bf6f5d14b01583c298289bf175.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of University of California via HathiTrust.

Tips for Students

For this source, consider:

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