German (Finnish) Glasses

The battles on the Eastern Front of the Second World War constituted the largest military confrontation in history. ^[ They were characterised by unprecedented ferocity, wholesale destruction, mass deportations, and immense loss of life due to combat, starvation, exposure, disease, and massacres. Of the estimated  70–85 million deaths  attributed to World War II, around 30 million occurred on the Eastern Front. ^[ The Eastern Front was decisive in determining the outcome in the  European theatre of operations  in World War II, eventually serving as the main reason for the defeat of  Nazi Germany  and the Axis nations.

The two principal belligerent powers were Germany and the Soviet Union, along with their respective allies. Though never engaged in military action in the Eastern Front, the  United States  and the  United Kingdom  both provided substantial material aid in the form of the  Lend-Lease  to the Soviet Union. The joint  German–Finnish operations  across the northernmost Finnish–Soviet border and in the  Murmansk region  are considered part of the Eastern Front. In addition, the Soviet–Finnish  Continuation War  may also be considered the northern flank of the Eastern Front.