Allied by War: STALIN ÜBER ALLIES

By 1943, the Red Army has learned hard lessons. Soviet factories are producing weapons in vast numbers, Allied supplies help keep the army mobile, and Stalin is giving his commanders more freedom. Hitler’s armies are being driven back.

David Reynolds and Russell Barnes trace the advance through Operation Bagration, the Warsaw Uprising and the final assault on Berlin. Stalin co-operates with his Western allies while preparing to dominate the peace. He even sets his own generals against one another in a frantic race for Hitler’s capital, with little regard for the lives it will cost.

Victory brings no lasting relaxation at home. Returning prisoners face suspicion, and celebrated commanders become potential rivals. Across Eastern Europe, the defeat of Nazi Germany opens the way to Soviet rule. We examine the uncomfortable relationship between the courage of the people who won the war and the power of the man who claimed their triumph.