 Nyorai mberi kweiyi ndima - Musi wa22 June 1941, vachiputsa Chibvumirano chaMolotov-Ribbentrop cha1939, mauto eAxis anopfuura mamiriyoni matatu akarwisa Soviet Union. Uku kudenha kwakapiwa zita rokuti Operation Barbarossa kwakanga kwakarongedzerwa kuparadza Soviet Union ndokutora zvinhu zvayo zvakasikwa nokuda kwokudenha kwakatevera kuzvikwata zvamauto okuMadokero. Kupinda kwacho kwakakunda nzvimbo huru, kubatanidza nyika dzeBaltic, Belarus, uye Western Ukraine. Pakutanga kwaAugust, mauto eAxis akanga afambira mberi uye akakunda Hondo yeSmolensk. Hitler akarayira Boka reMauto reCentre kuti rimise kwenguva pfupi kufambira mberi kwaro kuenda kuMoscow uye kutsausa mapoka aro ePanzer kuti abatsire mukukomberedza Leningrad neKiev. Mauto ake haana kubvumirana nokuchinja uku, sezvo akanga afambira mberi mukati meMoscow, uye chisarudzo chake chakakonzera dambudziko pakati pehutungamiri hwechiuto. Kumira uku kwakapa Red Army mukana wekuunganidza matsva matsva; munyori wenhoroondo Russel Stolfi anozviona seimwe yezvinhu zvikuru zvakakonzera kukundikana kwechiitiko cheMoscow, icho chakatangazve muna Gumiguru 1941 uye chakaguma nenjodzi muna Zvita. Mukati meiyi nhamo, Hitler akazvigadza amene somusoro weHurumende yeEurope. 