Figure 1.--The last major Luftwaffe raid on London was May 10. By this time the Luftwaffe had begun to shift east to prepare for Barbarossa. Londoners were surprised when the bombers did not return and experienced a trabquil summer in sharp contrast to 1940. Here District Officer Locke on a beautiful summer day is showing his obviously impressed son the George Medal that he was awarded at a Buckingham Palace ceremony. King George VI created the medal during the Blitz to honor civilians who performed courageous acts. While the British were able to enjoy a quiet summer. Hitler hurled the full force of the Whermacht at the Soviet people. At the time Locke got his medal, 3.5 million German soldiers and 1.0 million Axis Allies East were smashing their way east in the largest military campaign of history. Stalin had thought that the Non-Aggression Pact which he signed with Hitler would result in a debilitating war in the West that would weaken Germany. Instead he found himself fighting a strengthened Wehrmacht in a largely one-front war.

Hitler had often said that fighting a two-front war had doomed Germany during World War I and was determined to avoid a similar mistake. British resistance during the Battle of Britiain changed his mind. Somehow he convinced himself that the easiest way to defeat the British was a short summer campaign in the Soviet Union. He had confidence in his military leadership. With the Soviets defeated, Britain he insisted would have to come to terms. Of course, the fact that the East was his major goal fronm tghe beginning was another factor. The Blitz is often dated as ending with the devestating May 10 raid on London. Even before this, the Luftwaffe had begin shifting east to prepare on the assult on the Soviet Union. Wehrmacht land forces which required more time to move were shifted east even earlier. This was nioted by the Sioviets. Hitler concocted excuses which Stalin accepted. The shift east was obvious to the British, not only because the Blitz ended, but because of the Ultra decrypts produced at Bletchly Park. Both Churchill and Roosevelt alerted Stalin (without revealing the Ultra secret), but the ever-suspicious Stalin dismissed the reports. It seems difficult to believe, but Stalin decided to trust Hitler more than Churchill and Roosevelt. He convinced himself that the British and the Americans were trying to draw him into war with the Germans that he would have to fight alone. The NKVD also reported German preparation, but Stalin dismissed them as well. The early Luftwaffe campaigns had been conducted primarily from well prepared air fields in the Reich or occupied France. Barbarossa was different. The Luftwaffe would launch Barbarossa from less developed air fields in occupied Poland, Slovakia, and Romania. From the beginning, logistics would be a major problem. The Luftwaffe played a major role in preparing for Barbarossa, over-flying the border areas to gather intelligence on the Red AirFiorce abd Red Army dispositions. Stalin was informed of the overflights, but ordered his border forces not to fire on the German planes. Luftflotte 1 under Alfred Keller was assigned to Army Group North. Luftflotte 2 under Albert Kesselring was assigned to Arnmy Group Center. Luftflotte 4 under Alexander L�hr was assigned to Army Group South. Luftflotte 5 under Hans-J�rgen Stumpff supported the more limited operations from Norway.

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Created: 8:10 PM 8/5/2011
Last edited: 8:10 PM 8/5/2011