In stunning detail, all of the personal effects, equipment and
uniform of a WWII Soviet soldier. Eight million Soviet soldiers died on the
Eastern Front between 1941 and 1945. However, their history, uniforms and day to
day plight still remain mostly undocumented. Many misconceptions prevail, most
of them stemming from the ferocious Nazi propaganda of the times. In reality,
the Soviet soldier proved himself to be a resolute and well-equipped fighter.
His uniform and equipment improved constantly despite the shortcomings of an
economy crippled by war.
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 organisation and orders of battle, uniform and
equipment and vehicles.
The various guises of the Soviet soldier, from Barbarossa to the fall
of Berlin have
been reproduced in colour with more than fifty studio reconstructions of
infantrymen, artillerymen, parachutists, tankmen, women soldiers, marines,
commissars and more.
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of unpublished period photographs, many from the soldiers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.
