The failure of Operation Barbarossa reversed the fortunes of Nazi Germany. Operationally, it achieved significant victories and occupied some of the most important economic regions of the Soviet Union, captured millions of prisoners, and inflicted heavy casualties. The German high command anticipated a quick collapse of resistance as in the invasion of Poland, but instead the Red Army absorbed the German Wehrmachts strongest blows and bogged it down in a war of attrition for which Germany was unprepared. Following the heavy losses and logistical strain of Barbarossa, German forces could no longer attack along the entire front, and their subsequent operations—such as Case Blue in 1942 and Operation Citadel in 1943—ultimately failed.
The failure of Operation Barbarossa reversed the fortunes of Nazi Germany Operationally it achieved significant victories and occupied some of the most important economic regions of the Soviet Union captured millions of prisoners and inflicted heavy casualties The German high command anticipated a quick collapse of resistance as in the invasion of Poland but instead the Red Army absorbed the German Wehrmachts strongest blows and bogged it down in a war of attrition for which Germany was unprepared Following the heavy losses and logistical strain of Barbarossa German forces could no longer attack along the entire front and their subsequent operations—such as Case Blue in 1942 and Operation Citadel in 1943—ultimately failed