The attack on the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 is interpreted by historians as the final stage of Hitler's plan to establish a "new order" in Europe. The famous military historian Rolf-Dieter Müller refutes this statement. Based on numerous little-known sources, he proves that Hitler was seriously planning a war against the USSR back in 1933. The attack on the Soviet Union remained ideefixe for Hitler in later years. Even after the signing of the Soviet-German non-aggression treaty, in September 1939 a direct clash of the Wehrmacht with the Red Army was still possible. At the same time, contrary to the opinion of a number of publicists, the Wehrmacht generals were not afraid of such a development of events, but, on the contrary, pushed the Fuhrer to war. Rolf-Dieter Müller is a German military historian, in 1999-2012. scientific director of the Bundeswehr Center for Military Historical Research. Earlier, his book "On the side of the Wehrmacht. Hitler's foreign accomplices during the "crusade against Bolshevism," 1941-1945" (Moscow: ROSSPEN, 2012).