In a definitive new account of the Soviet Union at war, Alexander Hill charts the development, successes and failures of the Red Army from the industrialisation of the Soviet Union in the late 1920s through to the end of the Great Patriotic War in May 1945. Setting military strategy and operations within a broader context that includes national mobilisation on a staggering scale, the book presents a comprehensive account of the origins and course of the war from the perspective of this key Allied power. Drawing on the latest archival research and a wealth of eyewitness testimony, Hill portrays the Red Army at war from the perspective of senior leaders and men and women at the front line to reveal how the Red Army triumphed over the forces of Nazi Germany and her allies on the Eastern Front, and why it did so at such great cost.

'[Hill] offers a tightly written account that integrates battlefield events, organizational, tactical and technological innovation, and political and command changes that enabled the Red Army to survive the disaster of 1941, beginning a long and costly recovery that would lead it to Berlin four years later. This is an important read for anyone with an interest in the Second World War or military reform.'

Albert A. Nofi Source: Affairs Symposium

'… Hill’s work is a remarkably thorough, clear, and comprehensive account of previously-neglected technical questions of Soviet military development.'

David R. Stone Source: Slavic Review

‘In The Red Army and the Second World War, historian Alexander Hill (Univ. of Calgary) has produced an exceedingly lucid treatment of the development and employment of the Red Army before and during the Great Patriotic War. Transformation is the book's unifying narrative thread.’

Timothy Heck Source: Michigan War Studies Review

‘The Red Army and the Second World War is meticulously researched, including among its sources an extensive number of Soviet and Russian sources, including diaries, memoirs, interviews, and eyewitness accounts. Hill adroitly includes concise accounts of the war’s dozens of operations and battles that, together with his insightful analysis, will make this a valuable single-volume resource for all those seeking to expand their understanding of this still-evolving narrative of this crucial period in military, European, and Russian history.’

Mark J. Conversino Source: H-War

‘Alexander Hill’s Red Army and the Second World War is both a remarkable scholarly account of the Eastern Front and a valuable addition to our understanding of the Red Army and its evolution as a military machine.’

Christopher C. Lovett Source: The Journal of Military History

‘The Red Army and the Second World War is a must-have addition to the library of serious students of the Eastern Front.’

Reina Pennington Source: Parameters