The Führer falls ill

7th August 1941: The strain of Barbarossa is taking its toll on the 'military genius' behind it all, Adolf Hitler

Hitler leaving the HQ of Army Group South after a conference on 6th August 1941. He had left East Prussia at 4 am for the 3-hour flight to the Ukraine, returning the same day under a beating sun. The following day he was unable to get up, much less attend the daily conference at the Wolfsschanze. This was unprecedented, causing a sensation amongst the staff.

The tension was mounting inside Hitler’s eastern command complex, the Wolfsschanze, the Wolf's Lair. The Soviet system had not collapsed under the surprise assault of Barbarossa, as predicted.

The Russian fightback was determined and resolute, even if inept. They seemed easily capable of absorbing enormous losses in men. German losses were unexpectedly high.

This bunker atmosphere has been getting him down for five or six weeks now.

And Hitler was falling out with the High Command. They wanted to stick to the plan of pressing on directly onto Moscow. He had decided on different priorities.

Suddenly the strain began to affect Hitler physically.

Face deathly white. “I feel very bad now,” he said, “much worse than I was earlier. …