Editing Second World War (section)

== Eastern Front ==
Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 in Operation Barbarossa. The invasion opened the Eastern Front, which became the largest land theatre of the war. German forces advanced through the Baltic region, Belarus, Ukraine, and western Russia.

The German advance reached the outskirts of Moscow in late 1941 but failed to capture the city. Soviet counterattacks during the winter forced German troops back from Moscow and ended the expectation of a short campaign.

In 1942, Germany shifted its main effort toward southern Russia, the Volga, and the Caucasus oil fields. The Battle of Stalingrad developed from that offensive. German forces were surrounded after the Soviet counteroffensive of November 1942 and surrendered in the city on 2 February 1943.

The Battle of Kursk began on 5 July 1943 and ended with a Soviet defensive and counteroffensive victory. After Kursk, Germany no longer regained the strategic initiative in the east. Soviet advances in 1944 pushed German forces out of much of occupied Soviet territory.

Operation Bagration began on 22 June 1944. The Soviet offensive destroyed much of German Army Group Centre and opened the way for further advances into Poland and eastern Europe.

Jan Paap served on the Eastern Front before his desertion in 1944. In 1943, during the recapture of an airfield, he encountered his cousin [[Antonie Ronald Paap]], who was serving as a Fallschirmjäger. Their confrontation led to reassignment after an officer intervened.