Well - I happen to have different sources to you, because I have read more than simply Zhukov and Molotov. Zhukov and Molotov are neither considered the most reliable or non-biased sources on those days, so most people choose to *check* their testimonies with other eyewitness accounts.
So in other words you just CHOSE not to believe their eyewitness accounts and instead go for sources which weren't there and know jack...but act authoritarian simply for the purpose of slandering Stalin. Very well done of you.
I agree that many militaries throughout history have been unprepared. This does not deny that the Soviet Union was in 1941. What is clear from the sources is that Stalin did not treat the attack entirely seriously - perhaps due to previous disinformation - and did not trust early reports of the invasion, thinking them mere provocations. There was ample intelligence from many sources, but Stalin didn't react appropriately to it.
And here again you CHOSE to ignore all I said about Soviet preparations for the war...and simply go ahead and jump into fanatasies. By all means go ahead...I'v already made my case with facts...so I have no more obligation to talk to you on this matter.
The Soviet defensive lines and airfields were built *very* close to the new border between the USSR and Nazi Germany. This meant that unless the military command was competent enough to mobilise in time to repel an attack, or unless they thought *there would be no attack*, that this action was a case of quite inept planning. As it is, a combination of these cases meant large human and aircraft casualties on the first day of the war.
Once more...you do a wonderful job at ignoring the facts I wrote above...specifically the facts about the defensive lines not being COMPLETED YET. They were not occupied, the planes were unservicable and the units had no ammunition...having just gotten to the border.
So all you can accuse Stalin of is that he could not see into the future to predict when the German invasion would happen. Of that...he is guilty. he was not a prophet.
And then you make a half-assed comment "if they thought there would be an attack"...conveniently ignoring the facts as to the Soviet preparations and the excercises Zhukov mentions.
But of course..Zhukov is "biased"...There are apparently better sources to ask...ie western armchair intellectuals.
Even Zhukov seems to indicate that Stalin was not expecting the attack at any time - it was the only time Zhukov saw Stalin depressed. Zhenya Allilueva reported that she had "never seen Joseph so crushed". So what happened next was hardly unbelievable.
AND WHO MIND YOU...EXPECTED THE GERMAN INVASION ON JUNE 22??? Stalin was "somewhat depressed" to quote Zhukov correctly...But I ask you...what exactly is your criticism of Stalin here???
On the 28th of June, Stalin had reached breaking point
Look at the log books. Could it be he was physically and mentally exhausted from working 24 hours on June 25 and 10 hours both on 26th and 27th leading the war??? No...of course not...it must have been something else.
Again...ridiculous accusations made by armchair intellectuals.
As I mentioned before - it was from the 28th that Stalin had his "breakdown" - days that you have left unaccounted.
He had had a total of 88 hours 50 minutes of meetings during those 6 days...leading the greatest war in history. Was he possibly tired?? Was he possibly fatigued??
As a matter of fact Stalin's doctor had visited him 2 days earlier...becasue Stalin was suffering from throat problems (due to his smoking) and recomened on June 20th that Stalin needed imediate hospitalization. He had a 40 degree Celsius fever on June 20th. Was he perhaps physically and mentally exhausted...both from this fever and from the long working hours???
No...its not possible. He broke down..."for 10 days"...as Khruschiev says...beasue he couldn't believe the German attack happened. He broke down in demoralization....becasue he had taken the wrong course. That must be it.
While on the other hand we have NONE of the people you mention saying that Stalin felt anyway like that...saying that he was always in control and saying that he worked very hard during that first week.
But they aer all biased when it comes to that however...surely...it was becasue of his ineptritude.
Again...I ask you...WHAT ARE YOU ACCUSING HIM OFF??
Even as the Stalin-apologist Molotov recounts "Zhukov shirks responsibility for the beginning of the war. But that is naive. He is not only evasive, he gets confused"
I see no point to this...
Stalin lost his temper with Zhukov, and Zhukov reported left the room crying.
Again...please explain to me what you are accusing him off?? Of being human?? Of being worried that the greatest war machine in history was invading the USSR??? Of being fatigued and tired of working so hard??? What exactly is your point...beasue it seems to me you have absolutely none.
You seem to be making some VERY CHEAP shots at Stalin...which doesn't surprise me.
Beria recounted "It was obvious Stalin expected anything could happen, even the worst", suggesting that Stalin thought the Bolshevik leaders might have been organising a coup against him
Again...a stupid comment. How does that quote from Beria mean "they were organizing a coup against him"? if you want to add your own fairy tale comments to it...go ahead. I thought you weren't found of "biased" comments.
Beria couldn't possibly have been talking about the war situation...no...it was a coup!!
This is where the ridiculous LIES about Stalin come about.
So let me see...he rested for 3 days from the 29th to the 31st...this following a massive workload and a fever caused by his throat problems (which again I quote Stalin's docotor B.S.Preobrazhensky...needed hospitalization imediately). Was he exhausted?? Most likely...thats why he took the break. Now what does this have ANYTHING to do with your accusations on him???
You say he was inept...you say he broke down becasue he couldn't beleieve Hitler attacked him. Of course...convinently ignoring that he worked so hard in the first week against it. If that was the case...he would have broken down the first day...as some idiot Khruschievite would claim.
So again I ask you...what is your accusation of Stalin??? That he was physically and mentally exhausted from leading the greatest war in history??? What is your accusation...do you even have one or re you just arguing for the sake of throwing some dirt on Stalin...no matter how trivial or pointless???
But what is known - as I describe here - is that an account which critically examines *all* the eyewitness accounts available, does suggest that there was both depression and a misevaluation of the reality of the situation from about 16th June to the 1st July on Stalin's account.
Not at all. First you said Stalin ignored the deserter who warned the Soviets of the attack on June 21st. Stalin in fact believed him and issued orders in accordance. Then you say he did not prepare for the war and did in fact not even believe the war would come. That is also wrong...as Soviet forces were carrying out excercises for such an event well before June 22 1941...and the very fact that fortifications and forces were being massed on the border and defensive plans were already drawn up and build build. The only problem was...no one could see into the future.
You say Stalin ignored intelligence reports which supposedly pointed to when the attack would come. This again is wrong. As I pointed out earlyer...British intelligence was warning the Soviets every month that the attack would happen "next month". Germany itself was busy in a program of missinformation....(perhaps you convinently forget Sea Lion)...which they carried out against the Soviet Union. So Stalin was only being caucious. The intelligence sources that were reliable...we in fact saying that the German attack would not happen until the invasion of England (Sea Lion). This is what the commander of Soviet Intelliegence, General Golikov told Stalin.
And of course conveniently ignroing how the British themselves were foolwed by Sea Lion...or how French adn Belgian and British intelligence failed to predict the German attack on them.
So again I sak you...what is your criticism here?? You seem to simply criticise him for no other reason than to throw dirt on him..regardless how trivial. An armchair intellectual at its best...
Stalin did not ignore any intelliegence reports...those were the intelligence reports he was getting...and NONE indicated to any German attack at that time.
Then you go on saying Stalin was inept becasue he didn't believe the Germans would attack and therefore he went to some sort of depression becasue he couldn't believe Hitler attacked him and becsaue he had not prepared the USSR for it. Again...all lies...becasue you want to ignore the fact that the first week Stalin worked VERY hard. How could that be if he supposedly could not beleve the Germans attacked him??? But again...your accusations make no sense...other that to throw dirt on him on a completely trivial matter. He was exhausted physically and mentally from leading the war, had a 40 degree fever...and somehow that translates into ineptitude and disbelief in the German attack.
You say he ordered Soviet troops not to fire back...because he couldn't believe the German attack. That is a lie. The German deceleration of war came soon after their attack started...Stalin didn't issue any orders until 3 hours afterwards.
Again...your "interpretations" (I know you love to make interpretations) are completely baseless and wrong.
You try to bring up trivial and pointless things and some how "interpret" them to mean whetever you want. Also...being so ignornat on military matters...you say Stalinw as inept becasue the fortifications failed and it took so long to react.
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From all that I have seen...Stalin did his best to prepare the USSR for the war...and the USSR was in fact well prepared for the war. From what I can see...he worked very hard...and even on the first day was not "depressed" or "demoralized" as some have said about him. He WORKED HIMSELF TO THE BREAKING POINT...Of that I will accuse him.
The rest is just ignorant assumptions made by some armchair intellectual whose only aim so to throw dirt...no matter how trivial or pointless or wrong.