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In the summer of 1941, another invader since Napoleon begins to trample the vast lands of a nation. Germany has swallowed Austria and Czechoslovakia without firing a shot and turned Slovakia into a puppet state (early 1938–1939). In 1939, it devoured Poland in a month. In the spring of 1941, it crushed Denmark and Norway. France, which prided itself as a military power superior to Germany, was trampled by German boots along with the Benelux countries. Britain stands isolated, Sweden and Spain have effectively become German lapdogs, and Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Finland have become German allies due to shared interests. Germany has prepared 3.5 million invasion troops—the largest in human history (including allied forces). At 3:15 AM on June 22, 1941, the most cruel and madness-filled ideological war begins with aerial and dive-bombing strikes by the Luftwaffe. Germany invades the Soviet Union with three army groups, each targeting a vital objective: Field Marshal Wilhelm von Leeb's Army Group North strikes toward Leningrad. Field Marshal Fedor von Bock's Army Group Center strikes toward Moscow. Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt's Army Group South strikes toward Ukraine and Kyiv. Leningrad is a capital of politics and ideology, a source of pride equal to Moscow, and notably, Germany's ally Finland stands ready in Karelia just above it. Moscow is a city of deep historical symbolism, dating back to Imperial Russia and the Grand Duchy of Moscow; it houses Red Square and the Grand Kremlin Palace, and as the hub of all Soviet railways, it is the heart of the nation. Ukraine and Kyiv are historically, geographically, and socially critical. Ukraine is not called the 'Breadbasket of Europe' for nothing; its vast granaries feed the majority of the Soviet people. The fascist hordes clash with the Soviet hammer and sickle. Italy has barely managed to subdue Albania and Greece, while Yugoslavia is partitioned by Germany and its allies. In North Africa, Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps has advanced toward Tobruk, while British forces prepare Operation Crusader in response. Meanwhile, in East Asia, Japan has occupied the southeastern coastal and major cities of the Republic of China, but a grueling war of attrition continues. The Republic of China has moved its capital to Chongqing to sustain resistance. However, the Japanese cabinet is seized by the military, which prepares the 'Southern Operation' to secure the resource-rich regions of Southeast Asia that have long been their objective.