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In an earlier LRC Blog I referred to Viktor Suvorov’s scholarly work regarding the role of Hitler and Stalin in beginning the Second World War. Suvorov’s revisionist writing has largely fostered what has been described as the Soviet Offensive Plans Controversy. Wikipedia has a concise summary article that outlines this major international academic debate among historians of WWII. As with all Wikipedia entry’s, it should be viewed as a preliminary initial source guiding researchers to wider, more in-death materials, and not the final authority:
The Soviet offensive plans controversy is a debate among historians whether Soviet leader Joseph Stalin planned to attack Axis forces in Eastern Europe prior to Operation Barbarossa. Most historians agree that the geopolitical differences between the Soviet Union and the Axis made war inevitable, and that Stalin had made extensive preparations for war and exploited the military conflict in Europe to his advantage. Viktor Suvorov has argued that Stalin planned to attack Hitler from behind while Germany fought the Allies, and Barbarossa was a preemptive strike by Hitler. Many historians have written in response to Suvorov’s views. Gabriel Gorodetsky and David Glantz authored books debunking his claims.[1][2][3] Suvorov received some support from Valeri Danilov, Joachim Hoffmann, Mikhail Meltyukhov, and Vladimir Nevezhin[4][5]
The brilliant Ron Unz also has an excellent summary article on the controversy, relating his personal quest for truth in this matter.
Here are two of Suvorov’s major books which outline and summarize his research: Icebreaker: Who Started the Second World War? and Chief Culprit: Stalin’s Grand Design to Start World War II. Published first in the eighties, Icebreaker was the first in Suvorov’s series of historical books. By the year 2000, it was translated into 27 languages and published more than 100 times. Icebreaker is a book about communist preparation and execution (however poorly, but not for the lack of trying) of the biggest crime in the history of mankind, World War II.
In the later book, bestselling author Victor Suvorov probes newly released Soviet documents and reevaluates existing material to analyze Stalin’s strategic design to conquer Europe and the reasons behind his controversial support for Nazi Germany. A former Soviet army intelligence officer, the author explains that Stalin’s strategy leading up to World War II grew from Vladimir Lenin’s belief that if World War I did not ignite the worldwide Communist revolution, then a second world war would be needed to achieve it. Stalin saw Nazi Germany as the power that would fight and weaken capitalist countries so that Soviet armies could then sweep across Europe. Suvorov reveals how Stalin conspired with German leaders to bypass the Versailles Treaty, which forbade German rearmament, and secretly trained German engineers and officers and provided bases and factories for war. He also calls attention to the 1939 nonaggression pact between the Soviet Union and Germany that allowed Hitler to proceed with his plans to invade Poland, fomenting war in Europe.
Suvorov debunks the theory that Stalin was duped by Hitler and that the Soviet Union was a victim of Nazi aggression. Instead, he makes the case that Stalin neither feared Hitler nor mistakenly trusted him. Suvorov maintains that after Germany occupied Poland, defeated France, and started to prepare for an invasion of Great Britain, Hitler’s intelligence services detected the Soviet Union’s preparations for a major war against Germany. This detection, he argues, led to Germany’s preemptive war plan and the launch of an invasion of the USSR. Stalin emerges from the pages of this book as a diabolical genius consumed by visions of a worldwide Communist revolution at any cost–a leader who wooed Hitler and Germany in his own effort to conquer the world. In contradicting traditional theories about Soviet planning, the book is certain to provoke debate among historians throughout the world.
Here is a two part interview with Suvorov regarding his background and work: Part 1; Part 2, and other ancillary items relating to this topic:
Raack, R.C., “Stalin’s Role in the Coming of World War II: The International Debate Goes On,” World Affairs, vol. 159, no. 2, Fall 1996
Sixty Years After the Nazi-§ovietPact, by Albert L. Weeks
Albert Weeks, a professor telling the truth, no matter how ugly, by Lev Navrozov
Speaking of Books: Stalin’s Other War, by R. C. Raack
Comrade Stalin’s Three Plans, by Mark Solonin
Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin –– Book by Timothy Snyder
What Stalin Knew: the Enigma of Barbarossa — Book by David E. Murphy
Nazis Secret Killing Squads (documentary concerning the Einsatzgruppen)
Nazi Death Squads (more documentaries regarding the Einsatzgruppen)
World War II — The Eastern Front — Animated maps describing the conflict
The Unknown War: WWII And The Epic Battles Of The Russian Front — Landmark 20 Part Documentary Series
The Unknown War (Russian: “Великая Отечественная” (The Great Patriotic War) or “Неизвестная война” (The Unknown War) is an American documentary television series. The 20-part series documents the World War II conflict between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The show was produced and syndicated for international distribution by Air Time International, and the executive producer was Fred Weiner. Each episode is about 48 minutes long, similar in format to the film The World at War. The footage was edited from over 3.5 million feet of film taken by Soviet camera crews from the first day of the war during Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941 until the Soviet entry into Berlin during the Battle of Berlin in May 1945. Most of these films have never been seen outside this documentary series.
The series is hosted by Academy Award Winner Burt Lancaster, who spent three weeks in eight cities in the USSR for location filming. Film footage from Soviet archives comprises a major portion of the series, supplemented by film from both the United States and British archives. Appearing in exclusive interviews would be Russian Commanders like Georgi Zhukov and Vasily Chuikov. Other interviews shot for the series included Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev and Averell Harriman, who was U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union during World War II.
The series was produced with Soviet cooperation after the release of The World at War, which the Soviet government felt paid insufficient attention to their part in World War II. Released in 1978, The Unknown War is sympathetic to the Soviet struggle against Nazi Germany. It was quickly withdrawn from TV airings after it ran in 1978. Later it returned to airings on cable, including A&E, the History Channel and YouTube.
Episode 2 The Battle for Moscow
Episode 3 The Siege of Leningrad
Episode 5 The Defense of Stalingrad
Episode 6 Survival at Stalingrad
Episode 7 The World’s Greatest Tank Battle
Episode 11 The Battle of the Seas
Episode 12 The Battle of Caucasus
Episode 13 Liberation of the Ukraine
Episode 14 The Liberation of Belorussia
Episode 15 The Balkans to Vienna
Episode 16 The Liberation of Poland
Episode 18 The Battle of Berlin
Episode 19 The Last Battle of the Unknown War
Episode 20 A Soldier of the Unknown War
This acclaimed ten part documentary series describes the historic clash of the military forces of gnostic totalitarian collectivism — Hitler’s Wehrmacht and Stalin’s Red Army.
Russia’s War brings to life the story of the people of the Soviet Union during World War II who struggled to survive the tyrannical reign of Joseph Stalin. A compelling story of dictatorship, bloody battles and endless courage as the Soviet people combat not only Hitler and the German Army , but their own leader as well. Hosted by former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, this 10 hour program features never-before-seen Russian images, once-secret documents, and leading Russian historians to explore Russia from 1924 through 1953.
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Episode 9
Episode 10
War of the Century — Acclaimed 4 Part Documentary Series
This acclaimed four-part BBC series investigates what led to the largest military operation in history – and the bloodiest. Assisted by leading historians and granted unique access to Eastern film archives and to both Soviet and German participants, War of the Century is the definitive series on a war that shaped the borders and attitudes of Europe for the second half of the 20th Century.
War of the Century — Episode 1
War of the Century — Episode 2
War of the Century — Episode 3
War of the Century — Episode 4
Ht to Felix Bronstein for apprising me of many of these sources
10:48 am on February 16, 2020
