The Eastern Front was the largest and deadliest land war ever fought, a four-year struggle between Germany and the Soviet Union that decided the Second World War. These are its four titanic battles, told in full and set on the real ground where they were fought. Read them in order and you read the whole arc, from the Wehrmacht at the gates of Moscow to the Red flag over Berlin.
Moscow, 1941. The Blitzkrieg that had rolled across Europe finally stalled in the snow at the gates of the Soviet capital. It was the first great defeat of the German army, and the moment the myth of its invincibility broke. Read the story of Moscow ›
Stalingrad, 1942 to 1943. The turning point of the Eastern Front and, many argue, of the war. An entire German army was surrounded and destroyed in the ruins of the city, and the strategic initiative passed to the Soviet Union for good. Read the story of Stalingrad ›
Kursk, 1943. The largest tank battle in history. Germany's last great offensive in the East was blunted on prepared Soviet defenses, and after it the Wehrmacht could only retreat. Read the story of Kursk ›
Berlin, 1945. The final battle. The Red Army fought street by street into the German capital, reached Hitler's bunker, and ended the Third Reich. Read the story of Berlin ›
Want the wider war? These battles sit inside the greatest battles of the Second World War and the full sweep of the greatest battles of all time. You can also rank them by their terrible human cost in the deadliest battles in history.
Why the Eastern Front decided the war
The Eastern Front was the largest and deadliest theatre of the Second World War, where the bulk of the German army was destroyed. From the gates of Moscow to the ruins of Berlin, the titanic battles between Germany and the Soviet Union, Stalingrad, Kursk and the rest, did more than any other campaign to defeat Hitler.
Each battle has its full account below. See it in the wider war in the greatest battles of the Second World War.