The Russian Way of War: Operational Art, 1904-1940 by Richard W. Harrison. University Press of Kansas (http://www.kansaspress.ku. edu), 2501 West 15th Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66049-3905, 2001, 368 pages, $39.95.
In the summer of 1941, the Red Army was nearly annihilated during the opening phases of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. Poorly led, improperly deployed, and in the midst of reorganizing and reequipping, even the finest and most lavishly equipped Soviet formations fared poorly in their initial confrontations with the German army. Yet, following the catastrophes of 1941, the Red Army recovered and was able to conduct ever more complex and effective operations, ultimately ...