Figure 1.--It was the emense effot and sacrifice of the Soviet people which played the major role in destroying NAZI Germany. The price paid by the Soviets is beyond calculation. About 30 million Soviet citizens died in the War. As a result, the Russian people today look at the Great Patriotic War in almost religious terms. Any criticism of the Soviet war effort is highly controversial and normally resented by the great majority of the Russian public. Despite the great achievement in destroying NAZI Germany, Soviet actions in the War were in fact only exceeded in barbarity by the NAZIs. The Soviet poster here reads, "Waiting for victory", however I think there is also the meaning then our soldiers will come home.

The Soviet Union played the major role in the defeat of NAZI Germany. The great bulk of the Wehrmacht was deployed in the Eastern Front and most of the casualties sustained by the Germans were sustained in the East. German casulaties totaled in the East totaled about 10 million men, including 3.5 million deaths. This was achieved at enormous costs. About 30 million Soviets citizens died in the War, accounts vary as does the definition of Soviet citizens. Most souces agree that about 15 percent of the Soviet population perished. The bravery and sacrifice of the Soviet people bleed the Wehrmacht to such an extent that the Western Allies were able to reenter the Continent with the D-Day invasion (June 1944). Without the enormous casualties sustained by the Germans in the East, the D-Day invasion would have been impossible. The conduct of the war in the East and its importance importance is not well studied in the West. This is in part the result of the greater interest in the Western campaigns, but also because the Soviets and now the Rusians restrict access to primary sources. There are of course Soviet accounts, but these books do not normally meet the standards of Western historography. As a result the Russian people today look at the Great Patriotic War in almost religious terms. Any criticism of the Soviet war effort is highly controversial and normally resented by the great majority of the Russian public. Despite the great achievement in destroying NAZI Germany, Soviet actions in the War were in fact only exceeded in barbarity by the NAZIs. Stalin was in fact a virtual NAZI ally in the early phase of the War. Stalin launched a serious of aggressions against neigboring states. Once in control of the areas invaded, large numbers of people were arrested, killed, and deported. He delivered large quantities of strateic materials to support the NAZI war effort. After the German invasion the NKVD brutally treated Russian soldiers with large-scale arrests and execuutions. There were further mass arrestts and deportations of ethnic groups. The Soviets allowed the Germans to destroy the Polish Home Army in Warsaw. The Red Army engaged in mass rapings in Berlin and other German cities. Russian POWs who survived the horendous NAZI camps were consigned to the Gulag. Also the massive casualties experienced by the Red Army has not been well studied or the fact that the Soviet population was not as united in resisting the NAZIs as Soviet historians suggested. Much of this is not widely known, much less openly discussed in modern Russia.

Importance of the Eastern Front

The Soviet Union played the major role in the defeat of NAZI Germany. The great bulk of the Wehrmacht was deployed in the Eastern Front and most of the casualties sustained by the Germans were sustained in the East. German casulaties totaled in the East totaled about 10 million men, including 3.5 million deaths. This was achieved at enormous costs. About 30 million Soviets citizens died in the War, accounts vary as does the definition of Soviet citizens. Most souces agree that about 15 percent of the Soviet population perished. The bravery and sacrifice of the Soviet people bleed the Wehrmacht to such an extent that the Western Allies were able to reenter the Continent with the D-Day invasion (June 1944). Without the enormous casualties sustained by the Germans in the East, the D-Day invasion would have been impossible.

Western Assessments

The conduct of the war in the East and its importance importance is not well studied in the West. Russians commonly complain about this, and often for good reason. And some Western experts on the Soviet Union often make this point. One British expert complained that in the West too much emphasis is given to the Western contribution to the defeat of the NAZIs. [Braithwaite] As discussed above, World War II was essentially won and lost on the Eastern Front. Historians who do not recognize the impact of the war in East or simply poorly informed. But a lack of historical understanding is not the only reason hat the war in the East is a neglected topic in the West. The lack of historical attention to the Eastern Front is in part the result of the greater interest in the Western campaigns, but also because the Soviets and now the Rusians restrict access to primary sources. There are of course Soviet accounts, but these books do not normally meet the standards of Western historography. While Russians not uncommonly complain that Western historians do not give adequate credit to the Soviet contribution to the War. Even so there is a lingering reluctance to open Soviet arvchives to Western scholars interested in better assessing the Soviet war effort.

Russian Sensitivity

As a result the Russian people today look at the Great Patriotic War in almost religious terms. Any criticism of the Soviet war effort is highly controversial and normally resented by the great majority of the Russian public. The Great Patriotic War is an extremely sensitive issue in Russia for several reasons. The men and women who fought the war against the NAZIs are revered in Russia today and rightly so. Among older Russians it is proabably the cost of the War in terms of casualties and destruction. The Soviet people suffered unimaginable suffering during the War and made great sacrifices. Few families were unscarred by the War. As a result, any criticism of the Soviet is suspect and among many an outrage.

Controversial Subjects

There are several topics concening the Great Patriotic War that are especially controversial. These are issues that Soviet historians either failed to mention or attempted to resolve with fornalistic propaganda descriptions. Much of this is not widely known, much less openly discussed in modern Russia.

NAZI ally

Hitler only launched World War II after negotiating the Non-Agression Pact with the Soviet Union (August 1939). Stalin never thought that France would fall after a brief campaign. When this occurred he became in fact a virtual NAZI ally in the early phase of the War. Stalin delivered large quantities of strateic materials to support the NAZI war effort. The two dictators partioned Eastern Europe leading to a series of Soviet agressions.

Soviet agressions

Despite the great achievement in destroying NAZI Germany, Soviet actions in the War were in fact only exceeded in barbarity by the NAZIs. Stalin launched a serious of aggressions against neigboring states. Once in control of the areas invaded, large numbers of people were arrested, killed, and deported. After the German invasion the NKVD brutally treated Russian soldiers with large-scale arrests and execuutions. There were further mass arrestts and deportations of ethnic groups. The murder of Polish POWs in the Katyn Forest is the best know of these actions.

Warsaw uprising

The most dramatic resistance effort by the Polish Home Army was the uprising against the NAZIs in Warsaw when the Soviets neared the Vistula (July 1944). After Operation Bagration (June-July 1944), Warsaw on the Vistula was the principle barrier standing between thev Red Army and Berlin. The Poles did not greet the Red Army in the same way that populations in the West cheered the Americans and British. They had no illusions about what would follow in the wake of the Red Army, a Stalinist dictatorship. The Home Army (loyal to the London goverment-in-exile) decided on a desperate gambit at the Red army apprpached the Vistula. They would stage an insurrection and free Warsaw. The Home Army rebelled (August 1) anticipating the support of the Red army. Instead Stalin ordered the Soviet troops to stop on the far side if the Vidtula. The German reaction was savage. On one day alone the SS rounded up and shot 25,000 Polish men women and children. The Americans offered to drop supplies, but Stalin refused permission for the flights to use needed Soviet air bases to refuel for the return trip. Thev Poles fought valiantly on, finally capitulating (October 2). The Germans at Hitler's orders virtualy razed the city. The Soviets finally took Warsaw with little resistance from the Germans (January 1945). [Davies]

Mass rapings

The Soviet conquest of Berlin proved to be a nightmare for the surviving women, almost all of whom were raped. This begun even before the Red Army reached the Reich. It did not just occur in Berlin. It is estimated that 2 million German women were raped by Russians at the end of the War. Perhaps 0.2 million of those rapes took place in Berlin. The rapes included children, nuns, old ladies, and even Russian women brought to Germany to work as slave laborers. The Soviets denied the German civilian reports, but Soviet archieves leave no doubt as to what occurred. [Beevor] This is still very contoversial in Russia, as the Great Patriotic War is still considered in an almost religious way by Russians. While Soviet authors were not allowed to mention it, famed war correspondent Vasily Grossman did detail it in his notebooks. Grossman admired and empthized with the Red Army soldiers who defeated the NAZIs. He was apauled, however, by the riotous behavior he observed, especially the raping of girls and women. He wrote of the "horror in the eyes of women and girls". He reports that liberated Soviet slave workers reported being raped to him and even liberated contration camp imates were raped. [Beevor and Vinogravoda]

Russian POWs

Russian POWs who survived the horendous NAZI camps were consigned to the Gulag.

Red Army Casualties

Also the massive casualties experienced by the Red Army has not been well studied. More than 8 million Red Army soldiers are believed to have been killed during Word War II on the Eastern Front. One author points out that Red army losses were at least 3 times as high as those sustained by the Wehremacht. [Merridale] This is understandable in the initial phase of the War with the Wehrmacht advancing before a stuned Soviet military. Soviet losses, however, tended to be very high even in the battles they won and when they had overwealming strength in numbers and equipment. Soviet historians never addressed this glasring disparity. Part of the reason was Stalin disasterous military orders. Another factor was the Great Purges which left the Red Army without trained commanders. But another factor appears to be the willingness of Red Army commanders to use tactics that resulted in massive losses. This included even comanders luke Zukov.

Varied support

The Soviet population was not as united in resisting the NAZIs as Soviet historians suggested. When the NAZIs invaded there were mass surrenders. The surrenders of such magnitude are still not fully explained. There is no doubt that the shock and awe of the NAZI onslaught was a factor. It is unclear to what extent anti communist sentiment or anti-Stalin sentimentment may have been a factor. There is no doubt that Ukranian natiionalism was a factor. It was also a factor that the NAZIs failed to take advantage. Brutal NAZI actions in fact forced ukranians and others to fight the NAZIs. Vassily army's was painted by the Soviets as NAZI suympathizers, but in fact were largely Russians who desired a non-Communist Russia. Desertion rates early in the War were quite high until the Soviets began shooting deseters in large numbers. There were 158,000 men shot for desertion and this is probanly a low figure because of many unrecorded summary executions. [Merridale] Stlin was to say that "It takes a brave man to be a coward in the Red Army."

Impact on the Soviet Union

Many authors have addressed the topic of the impact of World War I on Britain and France. The British lost less than 1 million men, the French more than amillion. These casulaties had profound social and political impacts. They left France unable to effectively resist Hitler and nearly had the same impact on Britain were it not for the Channel and inspired leadership of Winston Churchill. Thus the question of how the Soviet losses of so many must have had huge impact on the Soviets. And added to that was the enormous number of people that Stalin had killed even before the War. I have never read, however, a detailed assessment of the impact. Many in Russia today hate Stalin, but many including young people revere him as a great leader. Thus any assessment of the impact of these terrible events is not an easy topic.

Sources

Beevor, Antony. The Fall of Berlin 1945.

Beevor, Antony and Luba Vinogravoda. A Writer at War: Vassily Grossman with the Red Army, 1941-1945 (Pantheon, 2006), 378p. This is an important document. There are passages from Grossman's notebooks (without the distortions of the Red Star editors along with interperative material written by Beevor.

Braithwaite, Rodric. Book TV, CSpan2, October 4, 2006. Sir Roderic was the British Ambassador to the Soviet Union and has written widely about the Soviet Unin and Russia, includig some important books on World War II.

Davies, Norman. Rising '44: The Battle for Warsaw (Viking, 2004).

Merridale, Catherine. Ivan's War: Life and Death in the Red Army (Metropolitn, 2006), 462p.

Created: 5:11 AM 3/29/2005
Last updated: 8:01 PM 10/21/2006