German forces
Hitler expected a series of rapid victories in order to be successful against the Red giant. Initially, the German army committed 270,000 men, 3,000 artillery pieces 500 tanks, and 600 aircraft.
When the Soviets counter-attacked, the German military had 1,011,000 men, 10,250 artillery pieces, 675 tanks, and 732 planes. Manpower was matched on both sides, but Germans had to be more efficient in terms of supply usage because their supply lines were much longer.
The Germans had skilled artillerymen and technologically advanced guns. So why did they lose? The main problems were that the Germans did not have nearly enough supplies and their gun mobility was poor. Like in their other victories, the Luftwaffe (air force) provided the close fire support for moving units on the Eastern Front. But the east was so vast that Luftwaffe could not be everywhere and bad weather undermined their advancement by freezing their soldiers in their tracks, so they found themselves badly outgunned by the Red Army.
When the Soviets counter-attacked, the German military had 1,011,000 men, 10,250 artillery pieces, 675 tanks, and 732 planes. Manpower was matched on both sides, but Germans had to be more efficient in terms of supply usage because their supply lines were much longer.
The Germans had skilled artillerymen and technologically advanced guns. So why did they lose? The main problems were that the Germans did not have nearly enough supplies and their gun mobility was poor. Like in their other victories, the Luftwaffe (air force) provided the close fire support for moving units on the Eastern Front. But the east was so vast that Luftwaffe could not be everywhere and bad weather undermined their advancement by freezing their soldiers in their tracks, so they found themselves badly outgunned by the Red Army.