Russia's war : a history of the Soviet war effort, 1941-1945

"Russia's War" is the epic account of the greatest military encounter in human history. In a vivid, often shocking narrative, Richard Overy describes the astounding events of 1941-45 in which the Soviet Union, after initial catastrophes, destroyed Hitler's Third Reich and shaped European history for the next half Century. A penetrating and compassionate book on the most gigantic military struggle in world history.-- The New York Times Book Review An extraordinary tale... Overy's engrossing book provides extensive details of teh slaughter, brutality, bitterness and destruction on the massive front from the White Sea to the flank of Asia.-- Chicago Tribune The Russian war effort to defeat invading Axis powers, an effort that assembled the largest military force in recorded history and that cost the lives of more than 25 million Soviet soldiers and civilians, was the decisive factor for securing an Allied victory. Now with access to the wealth of film archives and interview material from Russia used to produce the ten-hour television documentary Russia's War , Richard Overy tackles the many persuasive questions surrounding this conflict. Was Stalin a military genius? Was the defense of Mother Russia a product of something greater than numbers of tanks and planes--of something deep within the Russian soul? Using Previously Unavailable Information From The Former Kgb And Presidential Archives, Provides An Overview Of Russia's Critical Role In World War Ii And Hitler's Defeat. The Darkness Descends: 1917-1937 -- The Hour Before Midnight: 1937-1941 -- The Goths Ride East: Barbarossa, 1941 -- Between Life And Death: Leningrad And Moscow -- The Fight From Within: Collaboration, Terror And Resistance -- The Cauldron Boils: Stalingrad, 1942-43 -- The Citadel: Kursk, 1943 -- False Dawn: 1943-44 -- Fall Of The Swastika: 1945 -- The Cult Of Personality: Stalin And The Legacy Of War. Richard Overy. First Published In The United States Of America By Tv Books, Inc. 1997: T.p. Verso. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 368-384) And Index. Overy recreates the course of the Great Patriotic War from the point of view of the military and the ordinary people. From the Hitler-Stalin pact to the capture of Berlin, Overly recreates the apocalyptic struggle