22nd June 1941
changed the direction of the Second World War. It also changed the direction of
human history. Unleashing a massive, three-pronged assault into Soviet
territory, the German army unwittingly created its own nemesis, forging the
modern Russian state in the process. Thus, for most Russians, 22nd June 1941 was
a critical point in their nation's history. After the first day of Barbarossa
nothing would be the same again – for anyone. Now, for the first time in
English, Russians speak of their experiences on that fatal Sunday. Apparently
caught off guard by Hitler’s initiative, the Soviets struggled to make sense of
a disaster that had seemingly struck from nowhere. Here are generals scrambling
to mobilise ill-prepared divisions, pilots defying orders not to grapple with
the mighty Luftwaffe, bewildered soldiers showing individual acts of blind
courage, and civilians dumbstruck by air raid sirens and radio broadcasts
telling of German treachery.
