When Hitler Fought Stalin
The invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 was the start of a war on the Eastern Front such as the world had never seen before, a conflict which unleashed the Holocaust against the Jews and left a death toll of over 30 million. Our familiarity with the events of the war fought by the British and American allies, and the veil of secrecy that descended with the Cold War that followed, has tended to push into the background Hitler's war of annihilation in the USSR. In reality it played a major part in determining the outcome of World War II and shaped the face of Europe in a Cold War which lasted for the next 45 years.
This book explores the truth behind the war, its ruthless leaders and its devastating effects on the military and civilian populations of both sides. By concentrating on key events and policies, it shows how this was a new and different kind of war. The book also makes us pose the uncomfortable question: just how much like Hitler, the twentieth century's prince of darkness, was the West's ally, Stalin?
