Operation Barbarossa kicks off this week with action all along the front as German panzers pierce through deep into the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, Claude Auchinleck becomes Commander of the Allied forces in the Middle East that capture Damascus.

Unlike the German Army, which for the most part had many idle months over the past year, the German Air Force- the Luftwaffe- has seen constant action in the Battle of Britain and the Mediterranean Theater. How did this affect its preparations and plans for the invasion of the Soviet Union?