FOTO/ ‘Katër dimra në ferr’! Publikohen pamjet e rralla të operacionit ‘Barbarossa’, ushtarët nuk e imagjinonin dot se çfarë i priste

Last updated: April 28, 2021 3:41 pm

4 years ago

Të mbështjellë për t’i bërë ballë të ftohtit me fytyra të zymta teksa përballeshin me një armik të vendosur, trupat gjermanë shihen teksa luftojnë gjatë dimrit të ashpër rus gjatë pushtimit të tyre në Bashkimin Sovjetik.

Imazhet e rralla, të shkrepura në muajt e ftohtë të vitit 1941 janë publikuar në një libër për ofensivën e Luftës së Dytë Botërore, e cila u quajt operacioni ‘Barbarossa’, i cili nisi në qershor të vitit 1941. Fotot tregojnë gabimin e Hitlerit, cili mendonte se lufta do të mbaronte në fund të atij viti.

Por, nuk ndodhi aspak kështu. Njësoj si përpjekja e perandorit francez Napoleon Bonaparte për ta pushtuar këtë territor më shumë se 100 vjet më parë, forcat naziste ‘u mbytën’ nga territori i ashpër dhe i ftohtë, pajisjeve të pamjaftueshme dhe taktikave të dobëta.

Në fund të fundit, pushtimi dështoi dhe çoi në humbjen e Gjermanisë duke i detyruar ata të luftoni një konflikt në dy fronte, duke devijuar fuqinë punëtore dhe burimet nga beteja në Perëndim kundbr Britansë, Francës, SHBA-së dhe trupave të tjera aleate.

Their uniforms, motorbikes and armoured cars covered with snow, German troops are seen battling through the harsh Russian winters as they try to invade the Soviet Union. The rare image, taken in 1941, features in new book Images of War: The Nazis' winter warfare on the Eastern Front, 1941-1945, written by historian Ian Baxter and published by Pen and Sword

A German motorcyclist has problems with his bike, caused by the extremely muddy conditions. He is wearing the standard issue waterproof coat. It has which wool collar and two large pockets on the the front and side. On his back he is carrying a 7.92mm Kar 98k Mauser bolt-action rifle

The poor weather made the bogged-down units sitting targets. To try to improve the roads, some men and vehicles were sent ahead. In other cases, only vehicles fitted with tracks were allowed to advance. Pictured Soldiers are seen smiling as they use a rope to attempt to pull a supply vehicles across the snow

There were more than 800,000 horses on the Eastern Front in 1941. Mr Baxter said that, in the day, around 8,000 were being killed by enemy fire, the freezing temperatures or sheer over-exertion. Pictured: A group of soldiers tending to horse exhausted by trying to pull a cart through the snow and mud

The handbook given to troops also gave instructions on how to build various types of shelter, including igloos. The guide also spoke of the alleged advantages of winter warfare, including that it was particularly easy to dig trenches, shelters and build walls of snow to use as wind breakers. Pictured: Troops building an igloo according to the guide's specifications

German ski troops are seen wearing the one-piece camouflage snow suit during operations in southern Russia. Most of the men are carrying the Karbiner 98K rifle over their shoulders. Two soldiers also have MG34 machine gun belts draped around their necks

The first weeks of 1943 saw the German forces which made up Army Group South trying to hold their men together against what Mr Baxter described as 'overwhelming Soviet superiority'. Pictured: German troops are seen dressed in their reversible winter coats as they move through Kharkov, which is now part of Ukraine

Battle-worn soldiers are seen above wearing the two-piece snow suit. Behind them, a camouflaged tank is being driven with two troops visible on top

German troops are seen pushing pulling a utility car through the mud. The Soviet Union's Operation Bagration offensive, carried out in July 1944, led to a succession of German collapses on the Eastern Front. By August, the Red Army had reached Poland

Troops from the Waffen-SS are seen above being subjected to Soviet aerial and ground bombardment. The Germans were soaked, freezing and exhausted. They fought on but were overwhelmed in terms of both numbers of soldiers and weapons. It prompted officials to order a retreat - much to Hitler's anger - to prevent them being totally destroyed

Images of War: The Nazis' winter warfare on the Eastern Front, 1941-1945, is written by historian Ian Baxter and published by Pen and Sword in June 2021