Stalin spent the 30s doing everything in his power to form a bulwark against fascism, the western allies also made non-aggression pacts with Nazi Germany, as they were content to let fascism be the solution to the red menace. Stalin only made his non-aggression pact AFTER every western power refused to make a mutual defense pact, or join in if the USSR committed 1 million troops to an invasion.
Then after dividing Czechoslovakia between Germany and Poland, Hitler invaded Poland and France instead of working with Poland to invade the USSR as the western allies intended.
Stalin couldn’t have done it without the vast amounts of money the US sent his way (Russian nationalists don’t like to talk about Lend-Lease), and without the US and Western European countries fighting the Nazis on a second front.
Even then, Stalin’s psycopathy and ruthless incompetence caused far a far higher casualty rate than on the western front. He was fine throwing infantry into the meat grinder in a war of attrition, because Russia had more bodies than Germany did.
You’re repeating the nazi myth about Asiatic hordes and misunderstanding intentionally obfuscated things like the role of blocking brigades. In practice, the USSR didn’t have more bodies on the front until roughly Stalingrad. At which point casualty rates roughly equalized. Turns out it’s easier not to get encircled when you don’t have half the number of troops of the enemy.
That’s not to say that the USSR had the most competent leadership before Zhukov got his shit together, just that you shouldn’t get your understanding of either Stalin, WWII, or Stalin’s role in WWII from memes.
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If I recall Stalin was an ally
Stalin spent the 30s doing everything in his power to form a bulwark against fascism, the western allies also made non-aggression pacts with Nazi Germany, as they were content to let fascism be the solution to the red menace. Stalin only made his non-aggression pact AFTER every western power refused to make a mutual defense pact, or join in if the USSR committed 1 million troops to an invasion.
Then after dividing Czechoslovakia between Germany and Poland, Hitler invaded Poland and France instead of working with Poland to invade the USSR as the western allies intended.
Stalin couldn’t have done it without the vast amounts of money the US sent his way (Russian nationalists don’t like to talk about Lend-Lease), and without the US and Western European countries fighting the Nazis on a second front.
Even then, Stalin’s psycopathy and ruthless incompetence caused far a far higher casualty rate than on the western front. He was fine throwing infantry into the meat grinder in a war of attrition, because Russia had more bodies than Germany did.
You’re repeating the nazi myth about Asiatic hordes and misunderstanding intentionally obfuscated things like the role of blocking brigades. In practice, the USSR didn’t have more bodies on the front until roughly Stalingrad. At which point casualty rates roughly equalized. Turns out it’s easier not to get encircled when you don’t have half the number of troops of the enemy.
The USSR suffered about 9 million casualties due to combat, and 16 million more due to nazi warcrimes and famine.
Germany suffered roughly 5 million
That’s not to say that the USSR had the most competent leadership before Zhukov got his shit together, just that you shouldn’t get your understanding of either Stalin, WWII, or Stalin’s role in WWII from memes.
Removed by mod