Soviet Soldier 1941-1945

Book excerpt: Eight million Soviet soldiers died on the Eastern Front between 1941 and 1945. However, their history, uniforms, and day-to-day plight remain mostly undocumented to this day. Many misconceptions prevail, most of them stemming from the ferocious Nazi propaganda of the time. In reality, the Soviet soldier proved himself a resolute and well-equipped fighter. His uniform and equipment improved constantly during the Great Patriotic War, despite the shortcomings of a war-crippled economy. There have been few books on the history and uniforms of the World War II Soviet Army. The interested reader will find here a coherent wealth of information on the Red Army's organization and orders of battle, its uniforms and equipment, and its materials (soft skinned vehicles, AFVs, Artillery, Signals...). The various guises of the Soviet soldier, from Barbarossa to the fall of Berlin, have been reproduced in color with more than 50 studio reconstructions of infantrymen, artillerymen, parachutists, tankmen, women soldiers, marines, commissars, etc. A large variety of individual equipment, small arms, personal items, insignia and medals are illustrated in detail. The book also features hundreds of unpublished period photographs, many from the soldiers themselves. A career French Army NCO, Philippe Rio has a passion for the Red Army, from the 1930s to the 1950s. His vast knowledge of the subject has enabled him to contribute many articles to the French Militaria Magazine.