Ribbentrop reads the note for press conference. Operation Barbarossa German: Unternehmen Barbarossa was the code name for the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union, which started on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II.

BERLIN, GERMANY - JUNE 22, 1941: Ribbentrop reads the note for press conference. Operation Barbarossa (German: Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the code name for the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union, which started on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II.