I recognize that German tanks were expensive and included too many features to be reliable; but this can’t be the only reason.
I recognize that German tanks were expensive and included too many features to be reliable; but this can’t be the only reason.
other great comments, i just wanted to add a few things:
stalin tried to get france and the UK to join the war (and warned them of upcoming war) as early as possible, multiple times. when they refused to join an alliance, the molotov-ribbontrop pact between the USSR and nazi germany was basically signed in order to force france and the UK’s hand so that nazi germany would begin war on the western front. this gave the USSR the time to move heavy industry from it’s european west to a more protected location eastward, farther away from the front. it also gave them the time to heavily industrialize in general, to prepare for war
ofc a lot can be said about how nazi ideology is not only incredibly horrible, but also led to horrible tactics and strategy. but, the opposite can be said about the soviet tactics, strategy, and especially economic policy. it turns out you can be a lot more efficient and productive with socialist policies, and this was a gigantic factor in determining the outcome of the war.
regarding how the actual war and battles played out, and specific battlefield tactics and strategies, highly recommend this 18-part documentary series on ww2 in europe.