Stumbling Colossus: The Red Army on the Eve of World War

Abstract

in 1941, David Glantz discusses Soviet lack of preparation for Operation Barbarossa, and explains how the Soviets almost lost the Second World War that year.Glantz also argues that, because of Soviet military weakness in 1941, accusing Stalin of planning a preemptive strike on Nazi Germany that year is untenable.I enjoyed the book overall, but find his description of what happened to be stronger, partly unavoidably, than his argument about what could or could not have happened.The Soviet colossus was stumbling, butwas it backward or forward?The answer seems to be "backward," but I had to look elsewhere for confirmation of that additional thesis.