June 22nd, 1941. Operation Barbarossa begins.![]()
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Hitler's 1939 Nonaggression Pact with the Soviet Union came to abrupt but predictable end on Sunday, June 22, 1941. At dawn on that day, German forces launched Operation Barbarossa along an 1,800-mile front that ran from Leningrad to the Black Sea. The three German army groups included 150 divisions containing three million men, 3,000 tanks, 7,000 artillery pieces and 2,500 aircraft. The German forces were further strengthened by more than 30 divisions of Finnish and Romanian troops. It was in effect the largest and most powerful invasion force in history. Like previous campaigns, Barbarossa was planned as a blitzkrieg led by armored units.![]()
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The invasion took the Soviet leadership completely by surprise and caught the Red Army in an unprepared and partially demobilized state. Stalin had been informed that the Germans would invade but he did not believe the sources. Over the first few days, the German Luftwaffe destroyed more than 1,200 Soviet aircraft, many of them on the ground. By mid-July the Germans had advanced more than 400 miles and were only 200 miles from Moscow. Heavy Autumn rains would turn the Russian roads to deep mud and the sub-zero temperatures that followed in November would further stall and finally end the German advance.
3 hours ago ·
~ A new addition to this year's American Elegance performance: 1926 Chrysler Model 72 Roadster. Show starts around 1 PM Saturday and Sunday. More information see: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/event/tanks-wings-wheels-2/
5 days ago ·
Word on the streets says Al Capone will be showing up at AHM in his 1940 V-16 Cadillac on June 19th and 20th - to case the place for his new casino and speak-easy.
1 week ago ·
Visitors to the American Heritage Museum this past weekend had the opportunity to view a display of impressive artifacts from the Allied campaign to liberate Italy (1943-1945). The Allied advance through Italy produced some of the most bitter, costly fighting of the war, much of it in treacherous mountain terrain. Rome was liberated 77 years ago this month but at the time the event was completely overshadowed by the D-Day landings in Normandy.![]()
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The weekend exhibition was organized and expertly described to several hundred Museum visitors by Abigail Metheny of Concord, MA and Jesse Campana of Brick, NJ. Both are avid students of the history of the Italian Campaign as well as skilled collectors of WWII memorabilia. Abigail and Jesse appeared in US Army uniforms from the period: Abigail as a US Army Nurse and Jesse as an Army private. ![]()
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The AHM extends its appreciation to Abigail and Jesse for their wonderful commitment of their time and expertise. We look forward to welcoming them back to the Museum sometime soon.
1 week ago ·
The American Heritage Museum is running a very unique sweepstakes fundraiser "Behind Enemy Lines - WWII Tank Experience." We hope that you could share this with your friends. ![]()
Here is the link with all the details: ![]()
americanheritagemuseum.tapkat.org/behindenemylines![]()
Proceeds go to our education outreach programs and operations.
2 weeks ago ·
Clash of Steel
T-34/85 – RUS | TANK
Panther Ausf. A – GER | TANK
Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, its invasion of the Soviet Union, on June 22nd, 1941. The tank battles the ensued between the Soviet Union and Germany were massive. The Clash of Steel exhibit features two of the most advanced tanks along the Eastern Front: the Russian T-34/85 and the Panther Ausf. A.
The Battle of Kursk was the largest tank battle in history, involving some 6,000 tanks, 2,000,000 troops, and 4,000 aircraft. It marked the decisive end of the German offensive capability on the Eastern Front and cleared the way for the great Soviet offensives of 1944–45. Battle of Kursk, (lasting from July 5, to August 23, 1943), was an unsuccessful German assault on the Soviet city of Kursk in western Russia. In an attempt to recover the offensive on the Eastern Front, the Germans planned a surprise attack on the from both north and south, hoping to surround and destroy the Soviet forces within the bulge that was created by Soviet defenses. The Soviets had surmised the German attack beforehand and had withdrawn their main forces from the obviously threatened positions.
The Germans launched their attack on July 5, but they soon encountered deep antitank defenses and minefields, which the Soviets had placed in anticipation of the attack. The Germans advanced only 10 miles into the north and 30 miles in the south, losing many of their tanks in the process. At the height of the battle on July 12, the Soviets began to counterattack, having built up both troops and tanks. Their successes encouraged them to develop a broad offensive that recovered the nearby city of Orel (now Oryol) on August 5 and that of Kharkov (now Kharkiv, Ukraine) on August 23 and helped clear their advancements into Germany.
