Operation Barbarossa: The FIRST Day of the Eastern Front! Operation Barbarossa, launched on June 22, 1941, marked the beginning of the Eastern Front in World War II, as Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. This ambitious operation aimed to conquer the Soviet territories swiftly, with Adolf Hitler believing that victory would be achieved in a matter of weeks. On the first day, German forces unleashed a massive assault, employing Blitzkrieg tactics, which combined fast-moving infantry, tanks, an