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Originally posted by Sandman
I'll post a more more full critique of Stalin later, but:
He failed to recognise the threat of German invasion, despite the huge warnings.
His refusal to consider retreat as an option allowed the Germans to repeatedly encircle and destroy Red Army units.
His brutality gave the Germans a temporary liberators bonus, and his secret police thought nothing of jamming the railways up with deportees, slowing the evacuation of workers and machinery.
He purged the Red Army of its innovative officers, and promoted his Civil War cronies, who attempted to turn back the clock and institute a WW1 style infantry/artillery combination, with tanks dispersed between infantry groups. The sort of tactics that had failed the French, who also had decent heavy tanks.
He was invisible for the first week of the invasion, hiding out in his villa.
I'll post a more more full critique of Stalin later, but:
He failed to recognise the threat of German invasion, despite the huge warnings.
His refusal to consider retreat as an option allowed the Germans to repeatedly encircle and destroy Red Army units.
His brutality gave the Germans a temporary liberators bonus, and his secret police thought nothing of jamming the railways up with deportees, slowing the evacuation of workers and machinery.
He purged the Red Army of its innovative officers, and promoted his Civil War cronies, who attempted to turn back the clock and institute a WW1 style infantry/artillery combination, with tanks dispersed between infantry groups. The sort of tactics that had failed the French, who also had decent heavy tanks.
He was invisible for the first week of the invasion, hiding out in his villa.
And did Bor turn around and join the Nazis?
No he didn't. I wouldn't say Stalin was an imbecile... but as a highly accomplished mass murderer, "imbecile" is a step up on the human ladder to what Stalin was.
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