World War II Secret Archives

Author: Sokolov
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2005-05-01
Features: A true history of the Soviet War of Defense · A belated political and military revelation. Boris Vasilyevich Sokolov's book explores the most controversial and still troubling issues of World War II in a unique and argumentative manner: such as casualties, the Lend-Lease Act, Stalin's preparation for a preemptive strike, the blunders of the Kursk Battle, and whether the rumors about heroes and traitors are true, etc. The author uses previously unpublished archival materials to examine key events of the Soviet-German War from a new perspective and re-evaluates the actions of many marshals. There is no doubt that this book will spark debate among historians and readers, helping people to establish a multi-dimensional and multi-angle way of thinking about past wars. Boris Vasilyevich Sokolov's book explores the most controversial and still troubling issues of World War II in a unique and argumentative manner: such as casualties, the Lend-Lease Act, whether Stalin was preparing for a preemptive strike, the blunders of the Kursk Battle, and whether the rumors about heroes and traitors are true, etc. The author uses some previously unpublished archival materials to examine key events of the Soviet-German War from a new perspective and re-evaluates the actions of many marshals. There is no doubt that this book will spark debate among historians and readers, helping people to establish a multi-dimensional and multi-angle way of thinking about past wars. This book subverts the widely circulated myths of the Soviet War of Defense, using extensive historical records to re-examine the national image of the Soviet Union during World War II. First, it was not merely a victim but, like its opponent Nazi Germany, actively expanded and pursued hegemony. Many small nations it subjugated even preferred to side with the German invaders to resist its rule; second, as an authoritarian and backward state machine, it was inefficient in war, relying solely on Western allies (which was denied by its propaganda machine), and its foolish policy that disregarded individual rights cost the people an excessive and heavy price. All this was meticulously whitewashed by Russian official historians even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The author sharply points out: "After the war, the victory in the War of Defense became the main justification for the existence of the Soviet regime and provided moral support for its authoritarian politics, thus prolonging its existence for more than 40 years and keeping inefficient economic and political systems in a state of stagnation." Boris Vasilyevich Sokolov is renowned for his research on Soviet and World War II history and has a profound influence in Western historical academia. Starting from a completely new perspective, the author peels away the sacred veil of the War of Defense and explores the most controversial and still troubling issues of World War II. The book reveals for the first time the number of Soviet deaths in the War of Defense. It claims that although the victory in the War of Defense made significant contributions to the global anti-fascist struggle, the victory could not hide the excessive and enormous cost. However, "in the highly centralized Soviet Union," the calculation of casualties had always been a "taboo for scientific research." The author, by collecting first-hand materials and excluding the subjective influence of distorting facts, used the "method of numerical comparison" to conduct statistics. The results were astonishing: the number of Soviet deaths in the War of Defense reached 43.3 million, nearly seven times the total German deaths—6.5 million—and the error in this figure would not exceed 5 million! The "Lend-Lease Act" was downplayed in Soviet literature, deemed to have played a negligible role in the war victory. The book states that without Western aid, the Soviet Union would not have been able to win the War of Defense, nor could it have resisted the German invasion, nor could it have produced enough weapons and equipment, nor could it have ensured the fuel and ammunition needed for the war. This book uses secret archives to reveal the inhumane aspects hidden beneath the halo of the War of Defense. While preparing to attack Germany, Stalin and his Politburo colleagues, to prevent future problems, secretly massacred a large number of Polish officers in Katyn. The book details the inner workings of this massacre. On the other hand, the Red Army was also quite cruel to its own prisoners of war. The book reveals the secret order to execute prisoners of war, with Zhukov ordering: "Shoot everyone, regardless of whether they are commanders, soldiers, or their families."