Poland being split between Soviet Russia, receiving the Eastern side, and Nazi Germans, receiving the western side. As the battle waged on, Nazi Germany’s expenses resource-wise had grown to unsustainable amounts. This promoted them to rethink their ten-year treaty with their then-ally Soviet Russia. Events Immediately Before the War Despite the early political clout this pact had, it did not stand the test of time. As the war waged on, so did Adolf Hitler’s lust for dominion. Hitler had to necesítate his need for resources with oil from the Russian Caucasus region. On June 22, 1941 Operation Barbarossa was underway and the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact was quickly forgotten. “Having torn up yet another ‘scrap of paper’ and shown once again how worthless his word, Hitler has plunged Nazi Germany into another adventure—The colossal and incalculable adventure of an assault on Soviet Russia.” headlines the Western Daily Press. Quickly, Nazi Germany, alongside Romania, Italy, Hungary, and Croatia, began their offensive against the Soviet Union. In its opening weeks, the nearly three million German forces contained within 150 divisions lined up and delved deeply into Soviet territory. Victories at key areas like Smolensk and Minsk heightened Nazi morale and weakened the Soviets. Despite the victories, the Germans suffered important losses at Moscow in the winter of ‘41-‘42. As summer rolled back around for the Germans during Operation Barbarossa, Hitler set his sights upon the industrial capital and namesake of Joseph Stalin: Stalingrad. As the German Operation Barbarossa continued throughout the Russian Steppes and Caucuses, the themes of triumph and tragedy were ever-more-present. The quiet, yet influential triumph of the Soviet Army at Moscow was an echo of what was to come on the Volga River at Stalingrad. However, not only was the victory echoed, the loss of life was as well. By this point in the war, 600,000 Soviet Soldiers were already captured by the Nazi Army and casualties surmounted 1,000,000 casualties from both the offensive and defensive infantries.>