In 1937 when Boris Laskin wrote “Three Tank Drivers” the Nazi war machine was ramping up its modernization and mobilization efforts and tensions were building in the East as the Japanese prepared for an excursion in to Soviet territory. On the home front the second five year plan was coming to an end, an era […]
Read moreWaging a modern war requires many things, weapons, ammunition, vehicles, uniforms, supplies, and most of all, soldiers to fight. However, raising a standing military is expensive, and it takes away from the workforce that pays for all of the things needed for war. When the Soviet Union was on the march towards the Second World War … Continue reading Plowshares into Tractors, Swords into Tanks
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In the late 1930’s, the Soviet Union had an intense focus on military preparedness as well as loyalty. The Red Army went through a series of purges due to Stalin’s perceived lack of loyalty. His purges were especially focused on higher ranking leaders of the army. The military preparedness came from recent conflicts with Manchuria, … Continue reading →
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Steel and machinery are two crowning results of industrial power and ingenuity. With Stalin’s first Five Year Plan complete, the USSR had reached a level of industrialization achieved by few other nations.Pictured above is a parade of Soviet T-34 battle tanks. This beast of steel was the Soviet’s primary battle tank from 1934 through World War Two. The … Continue reading “… Train my hands for war, and my fingers for battle…” →
During the 1930s, Russia saw purges throughout different sectors of its culture. Stalin began to eliminate three main groups within the country: the party (Old Bolsheviks), the military, and the security apparatus (the secret police). These three groups were targeted…
In 1938, the Soviet Union reached out to Finland’s government to inform them that Stalin believed war to be inevitable with Germany and that the Soviet Union wanted Finish lands and islands in order to advance and fight the Germans. A previous Russian territory, Finland refused all Soviet advances to take their lands and remained […]
