By March 1940, the European continent was still blanketed in ice and snow, but the breath of spring had gradually descended. The German military, which had lain dormant through an entire winter, began to move as well.
After winter began last year, the German military had withdrawn its main forces from the frontline positions to rest and regroup in the second line of defense. The armies of the various protectorates and vassal states were moved to the frontline positions, using them to wear down the Russian Army's living strength.
Although the Russian Army had launched offensives amid ice and snow, it had suffered grievous losses without managing to break through the German defensive line. This further weakened the Russian Army's living strength.
However, after a winter of mobilization, the Russian Army's numbers had also swelled to their peak. Even though it had lost a great many troops last year, the Russian Army still had more than ten million men. Such an enormous army naturally far outnumbered the German military. But if the armies of the vassal states were included, the German military was no fewer in number than the Russian Army, and even held the advantage.
Moreover, the units the Russian Army had lost last year had almost all been elite main-force troops. Though it had subsequently formed even larger forces, the loss of its elites had greatly reduced the Russian Army's combat effectiveness. Even with reinforcements of T-34 tanks and KV-1 and KV-2 tanks, its combat strength still lagged far behind that of the German military. Some second-line units were not much stronger than Germany's Puppet Troops.
For Germany, the European theater was undoubtedly the main battlefield during the early stages of the war. Only after Germany destroyed Buru could it ensure its absolute security on the European continent.