Anyone want to dispute Hitler himself? Here are the reasons for his invasion of Russia and it has not to do with Russian oil wells. It has something to do with Romanian oil wells though...
Some rare recordings of Hitler actually talking about his exact thoughts on the invasion of the Soviet Union. I can think of no better source of information to answer this subjective question other than the words of the man himself. This recording is a truly incredible piece of historical record.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClR9tcpKZecEdit 2
Here is a link to an English translation transcript of the recording which is a converstation between Adolf Hitler and President Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim of Finland.
http://www.fpp.co.uk/Hitler/docs/Mannerheim/recording_040642_dt.htmlIn this translation Hitler describes his absolute disbelief of how well armed the Soviet Union was at the beginning of the war. Hitler describes how German tanks were not well equipped for winter fighting. He also describes what he calls the weakness of Italy, where the Germans helped them in North Africa and in Greece and Albania.
Directly quoting Hitler on his fear of an early war with Russia and the loss of valuable petroleum wells in Romania.
This all naturally was inevitable, you see. I had a conversation with Molotov [Soviet Minister] at that time, and i was absolutely certain that Molotov departed with the decision to begin a war, and I dismissed the decision to begin a war, and I dismissed him. This was only because the demands that man brought up were clearly aimed to rule, Europe in the end.
Already in the fall of 1940 we continuously faced the question, uh: shall we, consider a break up [in relations with the USSR]? At that time, I advised the Finnish government, to - negotiate and, to gain time and, to act dilatory in this matter - because I always feared - that Russia suddenly would attack Romania in the late fall - and occupy the petroleum wells, and we would have not been ready in the late fall of 1940. If Russia indeed had taken Romanian petroleum wells, than Germany would have been lost. It would have required - just 60 Russian divisions to handle that matter.
In Romania we had of course - at that time - no major units. The Romanian government had turned to us only recently - and what we did have there was laughable. They only had to occupy the petroleum wells. Of course, with our weapons I could not start a, war in September or October. That was out of the question. Naturally, the transfer to the east wasn't that far advanced yet. Of course, the units first had to reconsolidate in the west. First the armaments had to be taken care of because we too had - yes, we also had losses in our campaign in the west. It would have been impossible to attack - before the spring of 19, 41. And if the Russians at that time - in the fall of 1940 - had occupied Romania - taken the petroleum wells, then we would have been, helpless in 1941.
-Adolf Hitler
