When Hitler's Wehrmacht invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, the bloodiest campaign in history began, the oft-cited war of annihilation. Despite countless publications on the subject, many legends still surround the so-called Operation "Barbarossa" and unanswered questions: Was the campaign in Russia doomed to fail even before the first shot was fired? What military-strategic alternatives were there to Führer Directive No. 21? How should Hitler's role as a commander be assessed; did he really interfere constantly with his generals' plans? Above all: How did the ordinary soldiers, the Landser, experience the murderous events at the front, the incredibly brutal battles with the Red Army? How did they fight, suffer, survive, and die - in the heat of summer and finally in over 40 degrees of cold during a relentless winter battle? What did they know?.