There were a number of reasons for Hitler’s attack on Russia:
Hitler hated Russia for introduction of communist rule. He hated communism from the bottom of his heart.
Hitler apprehended that Russia might attack Germany while Germany would be preoccupied in the war in the west.
Hitler thought that Japan would attack Russia in the Far East. Above all, there was his strong hatred for communism and his desires for lebensraum or living space.
Course of the attack : This campaign of Germany was known as the operation Barbarossa which started on 22 June, 1941. Hitler made an elaborate arrangement for the invasion of Russia from three sides- Leningrad, Moscow and Ukraine. Within short time, German army advanced within the striking distance of Leningrad and Moscow, but was held up by Russian resistance. Germans reached Stalingrad and destroyed all bridges factories, etc.
Reasons for the failure : The German army officers severely underestimated their opponent. One of the important causes of the German failure was their faulty planning. The greatest mistake the Germans made was that they came as conqueror, not as a liberator against communist oppression.
