Ebook: The German Army 1939–45 (2)

Hitler first considered an invasion of Great Britain in autumn 1940, then scheduled Operation Barbarossa, the conquest of the European part of the Soviet Union, for May 1941. Anxious to emulate Hitlers successes, the Italian dictator Mussolini embarked upon unnecessary military adventures in North Africa and the Balkans, which forced Hitlers intervention, diverting and depleting precious German resources, and a six-week postponement of Barbarossa.