Books on Soviet Strategy

I've been trying for a while to find some books about Soviet military strategy during WWII and haven't had much success. Most books out there seem to deal with the German strategy and try to answer that awful question "How could the Germans have won?" I've learned some about the Russian strategy but I've had to do it by "turning the map around," if you will. So I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to what books to read. Thanks in advance.  :)

ask Lord Rommel, he is a history student. Also i would search for student books

Anything by David Glantz. If you have the money, his books on Deep Battle and Soviet operational art/armored manoeuver are worth it.

thebomb wrote:
Anything by David Glantz. If you have the money, his books on Deep Battle and Soviet operational art/armored manoeuver are worth it.

Come on thebomb! Its a well-known fact that soviet/russians relied only and exclusively on wave of conscript! They didnt had others strategy, its impossible! They won WWII only because 1) they were more numerous 2) They were helped by americans 3) they were more numerous 4) Hitler was an idiot 5) they were more numerous 6) Germans didnt had enough bullet for them 7) they were more numerous 8 ) they were a army of looters/rapist and thus were able to supply themselves very well 9) they were more numerous.
Did I forget to precise: obviously soviet were more numerous than germans, everywhere and every time.


Then, how can be a considered as serious a book that depict soviet as an organized army with doctrines, training program, and such?


::)

A quick history I picked up from a few books that covered the war on the Eastern front.
Actually to begin with the German army devastated the Russians and utterly annihilated a number of their army groups. it was only Hitlers decision to go south when the Germans reached the outskirts of Moscow (to cut off the oil fields), when he should have gone straight for moscow.

German supply lines were too long, and once the roads had turned to mud and ice horses were the only real reliable vehicle for moving them, further reducing speed of advancing armies.

Hitler believed Russia would be a walkover, to begin with it was because Stalin just threw his forces at the germans, who promptly demolished them. "kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down".  Stalin however  did at least learn from his mistakes.
The greatest turning point in the war due to Hitlers decision to go south was the Battle of Stalingrad.

With the 6th army, which was supposed to be used for open fields warfare, their tanks suffered in the city, German heavy bombing of Stalingrad turned it into a fortress making it even easier to defend.

But the really big reason why Stalingrad was so tragic, Hitler told the (later on) surrounded army to stay put where air supplies could be dropped in.  not nearly enough air supplies could actually be landed to keep an entire army group alive and fighting. This was a fault due to Goering (who was an idiot).

Ever since the Russians won that they forced the Germans back, course later on the next really big engagement the battle of Kursk was the last time the Germans could muster a force large enough to even come on the playing field against the soviets. It was a meat grinder for men and tanks. 
but after that the Germans were on the retreat most of the way

Due to the German harsh treatment of the local populations and events like the siege of Leningrad (another sad affair) hardened the Russians to any German prisoners taken. Most of them died. In fact both sides killed a million or more of the POWs of the other side.

Yup probably the most depressing thing to read about in WW2.

Goering was an idiot, I never heard anything bad about him other than the blunder at the at the outskirts of Stalingrad. The Red Air Force shot down most of the airdrops. and the ones that fell mostly got into the hands of Red Army soldiers. I've heard of some of them using MG42's. Fill me in on details.

P.S. Update, Try reading Russia's War by Alexander Werth. It's pretty long, but very informative. I have a very old copy, many of the maps in my book are missing:( Hope it doesn't happen to you if you get a copy.

Last edited August 8, 2010 at 9:07 AM by EasyWay91

EasyWay91 wrote:
Goering was an idiot, I never heard anything bad about him other than the blunder at the at the outskirts of Stalingrad. The Red Air Force shot down most of the airdrops. and the ones that fell mostly got into the hands of Red Army soldiers. I've heard of some of them using MG42's. Fill me in on details.

P.S. Update, Try reading Russia's War by Alexander Werth. It's pretty long, but very informative. I have a very old copy, many of the maps in my book are missing:( Hope it doesn't happen to you if you get a copy.

Well it was Goering that told Hitler it was possible to supply the army via Airdrops.
Apart from forgetting that the opposition had air superiority at the time, the expected maximum amount of supplies that could be airdropped in ideal conditions would not meet the minimum needs of the army.
Goering really was a fool. And probably damned the army stuck in the Stalingrad Kessel.

Hi,

I saw this doctrinal document, how to take down the Tiger tanks. Illustrated and it is a real document.
http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt_tigervulnerability/index.html

If you read russian:

http://one.rushill.ru/samooborona/782-unichtozhaj-fashistskie-tanki-iz-protivotankovogo.html
AT rifle manual
http://one.rushill.ru/samooborona/783-uyazvimye-mesta-nemeckogo-samoxodnogo-orudiya.html
Vulnerability places of Ferdinand SU

Battle for Leningrad
Author is Shigin

Shows & analise ALL 93 (near mass scaled) combat operations for Northern & Leningrad fronts. More than 1000 days of siege & conterattack.
Include Lyubangskaya operation  most bloodies operation of the Northern front.

'When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army stopped Hitler' is an excellent account of the Eastern Front from the Soviet perspective.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Titans-Clashed-Stopped-Studies/dp/0700608990

Also, from the German pov - Barbarossa by Alan Clark.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Barbarossa-Russian-Conflict-Military-Paperbacks/dp/0304358649