Colossus Reborn: The Red Army at War (Modern War Studies)

About this book

In Stumbling Colossus David Glantz explored why the Red Army was unprepared for the German blitzkrieg that nearly destroyed it and left more than four million of its soldiers dead by the end of 1941. In Colossus Reborn he recounts the miraculous resurrection of the Red Army which with a dazzling display of military strategy and operational prowess stopped the Wehrmacht in its tracks and turned the tide of war. A major achievement in the recovery and preservation of an entire nations military experience Colossus Reborn is marked by Glantzs unrivaled access to and use of Soviet archival sources. This allows him to illuminate not only Russian victories in the Battles of Moscow Stalingrad and Kursk but also to rescue a host of major "forgotten battles " many of which had been suppressed to preserve reputations and national pride. As he reveals in unprecedented detail disastrous defeats vied with resounding victories throughout the early years of the conflict as the Red Army struggled to find itself in the "Great Patriotic War." Beyond the battles themselves Glantz also presents an in-depth portrait of the Red Army as an evolving military institution. Assessing more clearly than ever before the armys size strength and force structure he provides keen insights into its doctrine strategy tactics weaponry training officer corps and political leadership. In the process he puts a human face on the Red Armys commanders and soldiers including women and those who served in unitssecurity (NKVD) engineer railroad auto-transport construction and penal forcesthat have till now remained poorly understood. The worlds top authority on the Soviet military Glantz has produced a remarkable study that adds immeasurably to our understanding of the one part of World War II thats still struggling to emerge from the shadows of history.