DVDs about Operation Barbarossa

In this gripping episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," you'll learn how a secret plan unfolded to arm Russia, and how the United States delivered $10 billion of vital supplies to the Soviets through Alaska, Siberia and even Iraq. You'll meet the American men and women pilots who flew risky missions to the northern frontier for our Russian allies. You'll go inside the 'War of the Rats,' the desperate battle for Stalingrad. And you'll hear the incredible story of an American soldier who escaped from a German POW camp and joined the Red Army on the Eastern Front.

And in a rare interview, you'll meet the woman who was at Stalin's side during the Tehran and Yalta conferences when Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin divided the world. It's the untold story of Americans and Russians in the titanic struggle of World War II.

• 1st film: "The Russian Navy"
• 3rd film: "Russian Newsreels"
• 5th film: "Russian Submarine"

Operation Barbarossa (German: Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a 2,900 km (1,800 mile) front. It was the largest military offensive in history, and as well as the large number of troops it also involved 600,000 motor vehicles and 750,000 horses. Planning for Operation Barbarossa started on 18 December 1940, the secret preparations and the military operation itself lasted almost a year, from spring to winter 1941.

Barbarossa's operational goal was rapid conquest of the European part of the Soviet Union west of a line connecting the cities of Arkhangelsk and Astrakhan, often called the A-A line (see the translation of Hitler's directive for details). At its end in January 1942, the Red Army had repelled the Wehrmacht's strongest blow. Adolf Hitler had not achieved the expected victory, but the Soviet Union's situation remained dire. Tactically, the Germans had won some resounding victories and occupied some of the most important economic areas of the country, mainly in Ukraine. Despite these successes, the Germans were pushed back from Moscow and could never mount an offensive simultaneously along the entire strategic Soviet-German front again.

Operation Barbarossa's failure led to Hitler's demands for further operations inside the USSR, all of which eventually failed, such as continuing the Siege of Leningrad, Operation Nordlicht, and Battle of Stalingrad, among other battles on the occupied Soviet territory.

1st film: "The Russian Navy"

2nd film: "The Challenge Below"

3rd film: "Russian Newsreels"

4th film: "Beneath The Navy Wings"

5th film: "Russian Submarine"

5 films, Total run time: 60 min.

• Footage from the Russian Armed Force Central Museum & National Film Archives
• Thge Testimony of a Country's Resolve