The Role of Environmental Factors in the German Offensive in the Southern USSR in 1941

The reasons for Germany's defeat in the first year of the Great Patriotic War are often associated with the negative impact of weather conditions on the actions of the Wehrmacht. The authors studied the impact of natural factors on the military operations of the Wehrmacht in the southern direction of the Soviet-German front in 1941 in the Northern Black Sea region, Northern Azov region and Donbass. The study is based on documents from the funds of the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense (hereinafter referred to as TsAMO RF) and the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States (hereinafter referred to as NARA). The main attention is paid to the activities of specialized units, primarily the military geological service of the German army. Comprehensive enemy activities in preparation for an offensive on the southwestern territories of the USSR are revealed. An analysis of the activities of the military geological service of the 11th Army demonstrated the enemy's ability to quickly respond to emerging crises of a natural nature, primarily water supply in the arid steppes. In Donbass, the enemy predicted a similar crisis and carried out a set of measures in advance to prevent it. An analysis of the conclusions of the military geological services of Army Group South allows us to identify two of the most important issues: water supply in the steppe and highly urbanized areas and the influence of loess soils on the cross-country ability of equipment. As a result, a conclusion was made about the readiness of the Wehrmacht to take into account and overcome natural obstacles within the framework of the initial campaign plans. This emphasizes the significant military-technical and organizational potential of the German army, which the Red Army successfully resisted.