Opening the Gates of Hell

Richard Hargreaves recounts the story of Operation Barbarossa, examining its impact on the soldiers and civilians who experienced it.

About the event

In June 1941, Adolf Hitler launched a surprise invasion of the Soviet Union, breaking a pact of non-aggression. The invasion was codenamed Barbarossa, and its impact has been studied by generals and historians alike in the decades since.

Richard Hargreaves will reveal stories of bravery, cowardice, misery and horror through the eyes of those who were there, including ordinary soldiers, generals, politicians and civilians on both sides.

Not only will he examine the fighting that took place, but he will also look at the impact on civilians, the atrocities committed by both sides, and ethnic cleansing carried out by the inhabitants of the regions invaded.

Additional information

This event is eligible for our 20% ticket bundle discount.

Book tickets to three or more different events across the festival and you can save 20%. Tickets must be purchased in the same transaction and the discount will automatically be applied within the basket.

About the speaker

Richard Hargreaves has been a journalist for 30 years. Since 2000, he has almost exclusively covered the Royal Navy and naval affairs, and was an official UK war correspondent in Iraq in 2003. He currently works for the Royal Navy as a press officer/writer and as subeditor of its monthly magazine, ‘Navy News’.