This volume opens with a review of the historical background of the Red Army in the year leading up to the outbreak of war in 1939, and follows with a discussion of the major themes in the development of Soviet forces during the Great Patriotic War that ensued in 1941. The Red Army's organizational structures are examined, from high command down to divisional level and below, which should help Western readers to understand the differences between the terminology of the Soviet and common Western (British, US and German) armies. Soviet combat arms - infantry, armor and mechanized forces, cavalry, airborne and special forces and artillery - are described from an organizational viewpoint. This is followed by a technical overview of the equipment - infantry weapons, armored vehicles and artillery, and support equipment. These sections are complemented by informative data charts.
Steven Zaloga is a senior analyst for Teal Group Corp., an aerospace consulting firm. His professional specialization is the commercial and technological aspects of the international trade in missiles, precision guided munitions, and unmanned aerial vehicles. He also serves as an adjunct staff member with the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think-tank.
Mr. Zaloga has published numerous books and articles on military technology and military history. His books have been translated into Japanese, German, Polish, Czech, Romanian, and Russian. He has been a special correspondent for "Jane's Intelligence Review" and is on the executive board of the "Journal of Slavic Military Studies". From 1987 through 1992, he was the writer/director for Video Ordnance Inc., preparing their TV series "Firepower" that aired on The Discovery Channel in the US.
Mr. Zaloga was born in 1952 and received his BA in history from Union College, Schenectady, NY. He received an MA in history from Columbia University specializing in modern East European history, and did graduate research and language study at Uniwersitet Jagiellonski in Krakow, Poland.
