Author Description

Stalin's Red Army entered the war as a relatively untried fighting force. In 1941, with the launch of Operation "Barbarossa", it joined battle with Hitler's army - the most powerful in history - and after a desperate war of attrition over four years it beat the Nazis into defeat on the Eastern Front. Although the Red Army won lasting fame and glory in 1945 by eclipsing the military might of the Nazis, there is currently a glaring lack of published material available about it. This book fills the gap. The narrative opens with a review of the historical background to the Red Army leading up to the outbreak of war in 1939, followed by a review of the major themes in the development of Soviet forces during the "Great Patriotic War" that ensued in 1941. The Red Army's organisational structures, from high command down to divisional level and below are examined and the authors also discuss the higher level organisations to assist a Western reader in comprehending the differences in terminology between the Soviet and common Western (British, US, German) armies. The chapters which follow describe infantry, armor and mechanised forces, cavalry, airborne and special forces and artillery, and take a detailed look at the combat arms from an organisational viewpoint. Soviet infantry weapons, Soviet armoured vehicles and artillery, and support equipment are outlined, including a technical overview of the equipment, including data charts.