Why Stalins Soldiers Fought

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Why Stalin's Soldiers Fought

Author : Roger R. Reese
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
ISBN 13 : 0700617760
Total Pages : 408 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis Why Stalin's Soldiers Fought by : Roger R. Reese

Download or read book Why Stalin's Soldiers Fought written by Roger R. Reese and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2011-04-28 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inept leadership, inefficient campaigning, and enormous losses would seem to spell military disaster. Yet despite these factors, the Soviet Union won its war against Nazi Germany thanks to what Roger Reese calls its "military effectiveness": its ability to put troops in the field even after previous forces had been decimated. Reese probes the human dimension of the Red Army in World War II through a close analysis of soldiers' experiences and attitudes concerning mobilization, motivation, and morale. In doing so, he illuminates the Soviets' remarkable ability to recruit and retain soldiers, revealing why so many were willing to fight in the service of a repressive regime-and how that service was crucial to the army's military effectiveness. He examines the various forms of voluntarism and motivations to serve-including the influences of patriotism and Soviet ideology-and shows that many fought simply out of loyalty to the idea of historic Russia and hatred for the invading Germans. He also considers the role of political officers within the ranks, the importance of commanders who could inspire their troops, the bonds of allegiance forged within small units, and persistent fears of Stalin's secret police. Brimming with fresh insights, Reese's study shows how the Red Army's effectiveness in the Great Patriotic War was foreshadowed by its performance in the Winter War against Finland and offers the first direct comparison between the two, delving into specific issues such as casualties, tactics, leadership, morale, and surrender. Reese also presents a new analysis of Soviet troops captured during the early war years and how those captures tapped into Stalin's paranoia over his troops' loyalties. He provides a distinctive look at the motivations and experiences of Soviet women soldiers and their impact on the Red Army's ability to wage war. Ultimately, Reese puts a human face on the often anonymous Soviet soldiers to show that their patriotism was real, even if not a direct endorsement of the Stalinist system, and had much to do with the Red Army's ability to defeat the most powerful army the world had ever seen.

Stalin's War on Japan

Author : Charles Stephenson
Publisher : Pen & Sword Military
ISBN 13 : 9781526785947
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (859 download)

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Book Synopsis Stalin's War on Japan by : Charles Stephenson

Download or read book Stalin's War on Japan written by Charles Stephenson and published by Pen & Sword Military. This book was released on 2021-07-30 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Did Japan surrender in 1945 because of the death and devastation caused by the atomic bombs dropped by the Americans on Hiroshima and Nagasaki or because of the crushing defeat inflicted on their armies by the Soviet Union in Manchukuo, the puppet state they set up in north-east China? Indeed, the Red Army's rapid and total victory in Manchukuo has been relatively neglected by historians. Charles Stephenson, in this scholarly and highly readable new study, describes the political, diplomatic and military build-up to the Soviet offensive and its decisive outcome. He also considers to what extent Japan's capitulation is attributable to the atomic bomb or the stunningly successful entry of the Soviet Union into the conflict. The military side of the story is explored in fascinating detail - the invasion of Manchukuo itself where the Soviet 'Deep Battle' concept was employed with shattering results, and secondary actions in Korea, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. But equally absorbing is the account of the decision-making that gave rise to the offensive and the political and diplomatic background to it, and in particular the Yalta conference. There, Stalin allowed the Americans to persuade him to join the war in the east; a conflict he was determined on entering anyway. Charles Stephenson's engrossing narrative throws new light on the last act of the Second World War.

Stalin's Guerrillas

Author : Kenneth Slepyan
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 432 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Stalin's Guerrillas by : Kenneth Slepyan

Download or read book Stalin's Guerrillas written by Kenneth Slepyan and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A detailed study of the operations, politics, culture, and autonomy of Soviet partisans (or guerrillas) who fought the German army in WWII. Blending military, political, social, and cultural history, Slepyan also provides a prism for viewing relations between the suffocating Stalinist state and its independent partisan warriors.

Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front

Author : Serhii Plokhy
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 0190061014
Total Pages : 355 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (9 download)

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Book Synopsis Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front by : Serhii Plokhy

Download or read book Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front written by Serhii Plokhy and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2019 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The full story of the first and only time American and Soviets fought side-by-side in World War IIAt the conference held in Tehran November 1943, American officials proposed to their Soviet allies a new operation in the effort to defeat Nazi Germany. The Normandy Invasion was already in the works; what American officials were suggesting until then was a second air front: the US Air Force wouldestablish bases in Soviet-controlled territory. Though pushing relentlessly for the United States and Great Britain to do more to help the war effort - the Soviet body count was staggering - Stalin, recalling the presence of foreign troops during the Russian Revolution, balked. His concern was thatthe American presence would inflame regional and ideological differences. Eventually in early 1944, Stalin was persuaded to give in, and Operation Baseball and then Frantic were initiated. B-17 Superfortresses were flown from bases in Italy to the Poltova region (in what is today Ukraine).As Plokhy's fascinating and utterly original book shows, what happened on these airbases mirrors the fate of the Grand Alliance itself. While both sides were fighting for Germany's unconditional surrender, differences arose that no common purpose could overcome. Soviet secret policeman watched overthe Americans, shadowing every move, and eventually trying to prevent fraternization between American airmen and local women. A catastrophic air raid by the Germans revealed the limitations of Soviet air defenses. Relations soured and the operations went south. Based on previously inaccessiblearchives, Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front offers a bottom-up history of the Grand Alliance itself, showing how it first began to collapse on the airfields of World War II.

Stalin's Folly

Author : Konstantin Pleshakov
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN 13 : 0618773614
Total Pages : 345 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (187 download)

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Book Synopsis Stalin's Folly by : Konstantin Pleshakov

Download or read book Stalin's Folly written by Konstantin Pleshakov and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2006 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stalin's cunning and ruthlessness brought him to supreme power in the Soviet Union. Yet in the summer of 1941 he appeared to lose his touch. With unparalleled access to the Soviet archives, this text reveals why the dictator behaved as he did.

Stalin's War

Author : Sean McMeekin
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 1541672771
Total Pages : 818 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (416 download)

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Book Synopsis Stalin's War by : Sean McMeekin

Download or read book Stalin's War written by Sean McMeekin and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2021-04-20 with total page 818 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A prize-winning historian reveals how Stalin—not Hitler—was the animating force of World War II in this major new history. World War II endures in the popular imagination as a heroic struggle between good and evil, with villainous Hitler driving its events. But Hitler was not in power when the conflict erupted in Asia—and he was certainly dead before it ended. His armies did not fight in multiple theaters, his empire did not span the Eurasian continent, and he did not inherit any of the spoils of war. That central role belonged to Joseph Stalin. The Second World War was not Hitler’s war; it was Stalin’s war. Drawing on ambitious new research in Soviet, European, and US archives, Stalin’s War revolutionizes our understanding of this global conflict by moving its epicenter to the east. Hitler’s genocidal ambition may have helped unleash Armageddon, but as McMeekin shows, the war which emerged in Europe in September 1939 was the one Stalin wanted, not Hitler. So, too, did the Pacific war of 1941–1945 fulfill Stalin’s goal of unleashing a devastating war of attrition between Japan and the “Anglo-Saxon” capitalist powers he viewed as his ultimate adversary. McMeekin also reveals the extent to which Soviet Communism was rescued by the US and Britain’s self-defeating strategic moves, beginning with Lend-Lease aid, as American and British supply boards agreed almost blindly to every Soviet demand. Stalin’s war machine, McMeekin shows, was substantially reliant on American materiél from warplanes, tanks, trucks, jeeps, motorcycles, fuel, ammunition, and explosives, to industrial inputs and technology transfer, to the foodstuffs which fed the Red Army. This unreciprocated American generosity gave Stalin’s armies the mobile striking power to conquer most of Eurasia, from Berlin to Beijing, for Communism. A groundbreaking reassessment of the Second World War, Stalin’s War is essential reading for anyone looking to understand the current world order.

The Warsaw Uprising of 1944

Author : Włodzimierz Borodziej
Publisher : Univ of Wisconsin Press
ISBN 13 : 9780299207304
Total Pages : 208 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (73 download)

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Book Synopsis The Warsaw Uprising of 1944 by : Włodzimierz Borodziej

Download or read book The Warsaw Uprising of 1944 written by Włodzimierz Borodziej and published by Univ of Wisconsin Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher description

Fighting the Russians in Winter: Three Case Studies

Author : A. F. Chew
Publisher : DIANE Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1428915982
Total Pages : 56 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (289 download)

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Book Synopsis Fighting the Russians in Winter: Three Case Studies by : A. F. Chew

Download or read book Fighting the Russians in Winter: Three Case Studies written by A. F. Chew and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1981 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Stalin's Genocides

Author : Norman M. Naimark
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400836069
Total Pages : 176 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Stalin's Genocides by : Norman M. Naimark

Download or read book Stalin's Genocides written by Norman M. Naimark and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2010-07-19 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The chilling story of Stalin’s crimes against humanity Between the early 1930s and his death in 1953, Joseph Stalin had more than a million of his own citizens executed. Millions more fell victim to forced labor, deportation, famine, bloody massacres, and detention and interrogation by Stalin's henchmen. Stalin's Genocides is the chilling story of these crimes. The book puts forward the important argument that brutal mass killings under Stalin in the 1930s were indeed acts of genocide and that the Soviet dictator himself was behind them. Norman Naimark, one of our most respected authorities on the Soviet era, challenges the widely held notion that Stalin's crimes do not constitute genocide, which the United Nations defines as the premeditated killing of a group of people because of their race, religion, or inherent national qualities. In this gripping book, Naimark explains how Stalin became a pitiless mass killer. He looks at the most consequential and harrowing episodes of Stalin's systematic destruction of his own populace—the liquidation and repression of the so-called kulaks, the Ukrainian famine, the purge of nationalities, and the Great Terror—and examines them in light of other genocides in history. In addition, Naimark compares Stalin's crimes with those of the most notorious genocidal killer of them all, Adolf Hitler.

Stalin's War of Extermination 1941-1945: Planning, Realization and Documentation

Author : Joachim Hoffmann
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781591481201
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (812 download)

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Book Synopsis Stalin's War of Extermination 1941-1945: Planning, Realization and Documentation by : Joachim Hoffmann

Download or read book Stalin's War of Extermination 1941-1945: Planning, Realization and Documentation written by Joachim Hoffmann and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The breakthrough bestseller by a German academic (and longtime researcher with the German military archives) that documented Stalin's murderous war against the German army and the German people to today's German public. Based on the late Joachim Hoffmann's lifelong study of German and Russian military records, Stalin's War of Extermination not only reveals--as never before--the Red Army's grisly record of atrocities against soldiers and civilians, but establishes beyond cavil that torture, murder, and rape of the captive and the helpless was official Soviet policy, as ordered by Comrade J.V. Stalin. In detail: Since the 1920s, Stalin planned to invade Western Europe in order to initiate the "World Revolution." The outbreak of war between Germany and the Western Allies in 1939 gave Stalin the opportunity to prepare an attack against Europe which was unparalleled in history both in terms of Stalin's far-reaching goals as well as in terms of the amount of troops and armaments amassed at the Soviet border. Of course, Stalin's aggressive intentions did not escape Germany's notice who in turn planned a preventive strike against the Red Army. However, the Germans obviously underestimated both the strength of the Red Army and the determination of its leaders. What unfolded in June 1941 was undoubtedly the most-cruel war in history. Dr. Hoffmann's book shows in detail how Stalin and his Bolshevik henchman used unimaginable violence and atrocities to break any resistance in the Red Army and to force their unwilling soldiers to fight against the Germans who were anticipated as liberators from Stalinist oppression by most Russians. Stalin ordered not only to kill all German POWs, but also to kill Soviet soldiers who fell into German hands alive, because they failed to fight to their death. Dr. Hoffmann also explains how Soviet propagandists incited their soldiers to unlimited hatred against everything German, and he gives the reader a short but extremely unpleasant glimpse into what happened when these Soviet soldiers, dehumanized by Soviet propaganda and brutality, finally reached German soil in 1945: A gigantic wave of looting, arson, rape, torture, and mass murder befell East Germany. After reading this book, the world should thank the German Army that they prevented Stalin from succeeding with his plans of World Revolution, despite all the wrongdoings the Germans committed themselves. An indispensable book for all students of World War II as it actually happened, as well as a revisionist classic that has shaken anti-German propagandists to the marrow.

The 64th Army at Stalingrad 1942-43

Author : Dann Falk
Publisher : Falken Books
ISBN 13 : 9781732607415
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (74 download)

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Book Synopsis The 64th Army at Stalingrad 1942-43 by : Dann Falk

Download or read book The 64th Army at Stalingrad 1942-43 written by Dann Falk and published by Falken Books. This book was released on 2019-05-31 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This second edition covers the Soviet/Russian 64th Combined Arms Infantry Army during the Battle of Stalingrad from July 1942 to February 1943. This is a day-by-day account of the 64th Army at an Operational Level. There has been little study in English language about the day-by-day operation of Soviet Armies during the Soviet-German War. The only comparable titles are David Glantz "Colossus Reborn" and Roger Reese "Why Stalin's Soldiers Fought." This book aims to advance the study of the Soviet Red Army during WW2 by detailing the operations of a single Combined Arms Army, including Combat Actions, Logistics, Command and Control, Medical and the overall day-to-day experience of a typical Soviet infantryman. Most books and articles covering the war on Eastern Front focus on either the big picture or the story of individual combatants. My approach is to stay between these two extremes and concentrate upon the actions of a single Russian army. In doing so, illustrating the many problems encountered during the war, in essence, how a typical Russian infantry army was able to move about, fight, be supplied, care for its wounded and defeat the enemy. By making extensive use of newly released historical documents from the Russian Ministry of Defense's TsAMO Archive, my work provides a refreshing other side of the hill point of view. This approach complements existing research and publications, thus more fully completing the historical narrative. Additionally, 32 original maps, and 2 figures clearly illustrate the ebb and flow of this great battle. Also, an assortment of 21 photos, some never before published, only adds to the unique look and feel of this book.

Stalin's Defectors

Author : Mark Edele
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780191839375
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (393 download)

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Book Synopsis Stalin's Defectors by : Mark Edele

Download or read book Stalin's Defectors written by Mark Edele and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first systematic study of the phenomenon of frontline surrender to the Germans in the Soviet Union's 'Great Patriotic War' against the Nazis in 1941-1945, showing that while people were disgruntled with Stalin's rule, most attempts to cross the frontline stemmed from a wish to survive this war, rather than a desire to support Hitler's regime

War of the Century

Author : Laurence Rees
Publisher : BBC Books
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis War of the Century by : Laurence Rees

Download or read book War of the Century written by Laurence Rees and published by BBC Books. This book was released on 1999 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text offers interviews with witnesses who knew Stalin and Hitler, together with documents from Russian archives. It explores in detail the reasons why Hitler invaded Russia, why it was a mistake to believe Hitler was a reasonable conqueror, and, ultimately, was Stalin another Hitler?

Stalingrad

Author : Jochen Hellbeck
Publisher : PublicAffairs
ISBN 13 : 1610394976
Total Pages : 513 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis Stalingrad by : Jochen Hellbeck

Download or read book Stalingrad written by Jochen Hellbeck and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2015-04-28 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The turning point of World War II came at Stalingrad. Hitler's soldiers stormed the city in September 1942 in a bid to complete the conquest of Europe. Yet Stalingrad never fell. After months of bitter fighting, 100,000 surviving Germans, huddled in the ruined city, surrendered to Soviet troops. During the battle and shortly after its conclusion, scores of Red Army commanders and soldiers, party officials and workers spoke with a team of historians who visited from Moscow to record their conversations. The tapestry of their voices provides groundbreaking insights into the thoughts and feelings of Soviet citizens during wartime. Legendary sniper Vasily Zaytsev recounted the horrors he witnessed at Stalingrad: "You see young girls, children hanging from trees in the park.[ . . .] That has a tremendous impact." Nurse Vera Gurova attended hundreds of wounded soldiers in a makeshift hospital every day, but she couldn't forget one young amputee who begged her to avenge his suffering. "Every soldier and officer in Stalingrad was itching to kill as many Germans as possible," said Major Nikolai Aksyonov. These testimonials were so harrowing and candid that the Kremlin forbade their publication, and they were forgotten by modern history -- until now. Revealed here in English for the first time, they humanize the Soviet defenders and allow Jochen Hellbeck, in Stalingrad, to present a definitive new portrait of the most fateful battle of World War II.

The Stuff of Soldiers

Author : Brandon M. Schechter
Publisher : Cornell University Press
ISBN 13 : 1501739816
Total Pages : 571 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis The Stuff of Soldiers by : Brandon M. Schechter

Download or read book The Stuff of Soldiers written by Brandon M. Schechter and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 571 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Stuff of Soldiers uses everyday objects to tell the story of the Great Patriotic War as never before. Brandon M. Schechter attends to a diverse array of things—from spoons to tanks—to show how a wide array of citizens became soldiers, and how the provisioning of material goods separated soldiers from civilians. Through a fascinating examination of leaflets, proclamations, newspapers, manuals, letters to and from the front, diaries, and interviews, The Stuff of Soldiers reveals how the use of everyday items made it possible to wage war. The dazzling range of documents showcases ethnic diversity, women's particular problems at the front, and vivid descriptions of violence and looting. Each chapter features a series of related objects: weapons, uniforms, rations, and even the knick-knacks in a soldier's rucksack. These objects narrate the experience of people at war, illuminating the changes taking place in Soviet society over the course of the most destructive conflict in recorded history. Schechter argues that spoons, shovels, belts, and watches held as much meaning to the waging of war as guns and tanks. In The Stuff of Soldiers, he describes the transformative potential of material things to create a modern culture, citizen, and soldier during World War II.

Stalin's Defectors

Author : Mark Edele
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0192519131
Total Pages : 222 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (925 download)

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Book Synopsis Stalin's Defectors by : Mark Edele

Download or read book Stalin's Defectors written by Mark Edele and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-06-16 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stalin's Defectors is the first systematic study of the phenomenon of frontline surrender to the Germans in the Soviet Union's 'Great Patriotic War' against the Nazis in 1941-1945. No other Allied army in the Second World War had such a large share of defectors among its prisoners of war. Based on a broad range of sources, this volume investigates the extent, the context, the scenarios, the reasons, the aftermath, and the historiography of frontline defection. It shows that the most widespread sentiments animating attempts to cross the frontline was a wish to survive this war. Disgruntlement with Stalin's 'socialism' was also prevalent among those who chose to give up and hand themselves over to the enemy. While politics thus played a prominent role in pushing people to commit treason, few desired to fight on the side of the enemy. Hence, while the phenomenon of frontline defection tells us much about the lack of popularity of Stalin's regime, it does not prove that the majority of the population was ready for resistance, let alone collaboration. Both sides of a long-standing debate between those who equate all Soviet captives with defectors, and those who attempt to downplay the phenomenon, then, over-stress their argument. Instead, more recent research on the moods of both the occupied and the unoccupied Soviet population shows that the majority understood its own interest in opposition to both Hitler's and Stalin's regime. The findings of Mark Edele in this study support such an interpretation.

When Titans Clashed

Author : David M. Glantz
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
ISBN 13 : 0700621210
Total Pages : 576 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis When Titans Clashed by : David M. Glantz

Download or read book When Titans Clashed written by David M. Glantz and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2015-10-16 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On first publication, this uncommonly concise and readable account of Soviet Russia's clash with Nazi Germany utterly changed our understanding of World War II on Germany’s Eastern Front, immediately earning its place among top-shelf histories of the world war. Revised and updated to reflect recent Russian and Western scholarship on the subject, much of it the authors' own work, this new edition maintains the 1995 original's distinction as a crucial volume in the history of World War II and of the Soviet Union and the most informed and compelling perspective on one of the greatest military confrontations of all time. In 1941, when Pearl Harbor shattered America's peacetime pretensions, the German blitzkrieg had already blasted the Red Army back to Moscow. Yet, less than four years later, the Soviet hammer-and-sickle flew above the ruins of Berlin, stark symbol of a miraculous comeback that destroyed the Germany Army and put an end to Hitler's imperial designs. In swift and stirring prose, When Titans Clash provides the clearest, most complete account of this epic struggle, especially from the Soviet perspective. Drawing on the massive and unprecedented release of Soviet archival documents in recent decades, David Glantz, one of the world's foremost authorities on the Soviet military, and noted military historian Jonathan House expand and elaborate our picture of the Soviet war effort—a picture sharply different from accounts that emphasize Hitler's failed leadership over Soviet strategy and might. Rafts of newly available official directives, orders, and reports reveal the true nature and extraordinary scale of Soviet military operations as they swept across the one thousand miles from Moscow to Berlin, featuring stubborn defenses and monumental offensives and counteroffensives and ultimately costing the two sides combined a staggering twenty million casualties. Placing the war within its wider context, the authors also make use of recent revelations to clarify further the political, economic, and social issues that influenced and reflected what happened on the battlefield. Their work gives us new insight into Stalin's political motivation and Adolf Hitler’s role as warlord, as well as a better understanding of the human and economic costs of the war—for both the Soviet Union and Germany. While incorporating a wealth of new information, When Titans Clashed remains remarkably compact, a tribute to the authors' determination to make this critical chapter in world history as accessible as it is essential.