Why the Germans Captured SO MANY Soviet POWs in the summer of 1941?

The Germans captured a large number of Soviet POWs in the early months of Operation Barbarossa in 1941. The surprise and speed of the German Blitzkrieg overwhelmed Soviet defenses, leading to the encirclement and rapid collapse of large Soviet units. The German forces executed deep penetrations and encirclements, such as in the battles of Białystok-Minsk and Smolensk, trapping hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers. The Soviet military was unprepared for the scale and tactics of the German invasion. The initial stages of Barbarossa exposed the weaknesses in Soviet command and control, leading to disorganization and panic among troops. Other troops fought till the bitter end. The Stalinist purges of the 1930s had severely weakened the Red Army's officer corps, further impairing its ability to respond effectively to the German onslaught. These factors combined to facilitate the mass capture of Soviet soldiers by the advancing German forces. A grim fate would await them.