Operation Barbarossa: Into the Heart of Darkness

8.0

2024•54m

In June 1941, Hitler decides to break the German-Soviet pact and set the German army in motion toward Moscow. From summer to winter, and from Kiev to Leningrad, previously unseen archival footage, some recolored, retraces the bloodiest military operation of World War II. Testimonies from soldiers and civilians recount these endless months of battles and sieges.

Production

Seasons

2 Episodes • Premiered 2024

1. Summer

8.0

After a deluge of bombs from the Luftwaffe, four million soldiers deploy along three axes: south toward Ukraine, central toward Moscow, and north toward Leningrad. The offensive catches the Red Army by surprise, many of whose senior officers had been decimated during the Great Purges of 1937-1938.

2. Winter

9.0

With Operation "Typhoon," the "last battle," a rain of fire falls upon the Soviet forces as the panzers break through their lines. The population, fed by propaganda, is still unaware of the rapid advance of the Germans, greeting the tank crews whom they mistake for fellow countrymen.