Stalin's War: Soviet Uniforms & Militaria 1941-45 in Colour Photographs

I bought this book because I have recently started reenacting Soviet Army World War 2 and wanted to make sure that when I am looking at items to buy, or am interpreting for the public that I have some source material. This book is not a good source for information.First, the book does not off much in the way of uniforms. Those that are displayed are only high ranking officer uniforms. You will find very little on the equipment and uniform of the common Red Army private or even NCO.Second, the book shows pictures of reenactors wearing repops clothes. The author does claim these to be reenactors in the photos, but when eyeing photos in books to see real Red Army Frontoviks, seeing other reenactors doesn't give you the chance to notice how the real soldiers carried themselves or wore their gear. With all the photos taken during the war, these spaces would have been better used if they had been populated with war time photos.Third, nothing of interest is really shown in the book. If you are only interested in officer uniforms fine. Other than a neat 3-4 page part on partisans using M1985 Winchesters (which is mostly photos of the gun anyway), you will be better off on spending your money on another book.After buying the book earlier this year, and already being disappointed, I found out this past weekend that the author has come under scrutiny for apparently using post war items in another book and improperly mis-identifying them. I felt completely defeated.Some other books I have come across and been impressed by are followed here: Red Army Handbook 1939 to 1945 by Steven Zaloga and Red Army Uniforms 1918-1944 by Anton Shelito (who also wrote another book I have not yet seen).Some books with good info and period photos are The Unknown War by Harrison E. Salisbury, and the Time Life series on WWII.Stay away from Laszlo Bekesi!

Good service.Very happy with the book,it's a great reference source.

Out of dozens of books that cover Soviet uniforms(in both Russian and English), this is a top 3 book for me, and it had a lot of competition in both content and photography.My other books in the top three are long out of print book by world war 2 veteran Pavel Lipatov who has period photographs to illustrate actual uniform wear, and a 1958 official history of soviet uniforms, which shows all the rules, and regulations.I can understand you, fellow reviewer, how the book rubbed you the wrong way, but I found a lot of images of privates and NCOs in this book. I recommend a book Uniforma Krasnoi Armii 1918-1945(uniforms of the red army 1918-1945) by Shatilo, Roginskiy, and Tsiplenkov. It has 98% color reenactment photos, showing about 50% lower ranked/ and 50% officers. I also came across an article in a Russian periodical Serzhant profiling a life of a red army private, what pieces of attire and equipment he had. Many great reenacted photographs there.Back to this title: it combines color photography taken in reenactment, with wartime images.I scanned images that i found interesting. Good research on part of the author.This book definitely provided useful pictures taken in theater of soldiers with equipment I did not often see. Optics used by the red army, for example, are very well represented here.David

I saw another review and thought I would chime in:"Stalin's War" is NOT a comprehensive guide to the Red Army, however it does an excellent job of skimming through the uniforms of the Red Army as it developed from the RKKA to the beast at the end of the war. While yes, there are many higher ranking officers uniforms, I found many examples of the private soldier as well. I really enjoy this book and it is an essential part of my militaria library.

This title fills a gap in my collection, and as such was desperately needed. I glance through it a lot, noting new details every time. So what is it about?The book gives an impression of Soviet wartime uniforms and personal weapons and equipment. Almost all of the equipment shown concerns that of fighting troops. I didn't find anything on signals troops, medical troops or transport services (perhaps there just were too few of them anyway). But there is a wartime picture of a command centre with a radio.What the book does show is a set of uniforms worn by live models, depicted from different angles and with detailed pictures of special items. The uniforms that are mentioned are ranging from regular infantry uniforms through a Cossack Major and a Naval Infantryman to a traffic regulator. In total 18 sets of uniforms are shown, if I counted correctly. Pieces of equipment shown include range finders, manuals and documents and mine clearing equipment and weapons shown include the Moisin Nagant rifle, the PPSh submachine gun and the DT LMG.Also getting special attention are the shoulderboards and rank badges used throughout the war. These appear at regular intervals in the book, because they changed quite a lot during the period.These pictures with models are augmented by contemporary pictures of troops wearing similar uniforms during the war, or operating similar pieces of equipment. Especially in the case of engineers some diagrams are used to explain how their equipment was used, something I find very informative. And all of the illustrations are provided with exellent and comprehensive explanations.The are two reasons why I have given the book 4 stars instead of 5 (I would prefer 4.5 stars). One is that the book is not showing a complete list of wartime uniforms, but only a selection. This means some types get a lot of attention, and others none. The title initially led me to believe all of my questions would be answered, but that was not the case. Especially the lack of things like signalling equipment, medical gear and some attention to the supporting services (if only their shoulderboards would have been shown) would have made this a more balanced title.The second reason for not giving it five stars is that I think the title could have been more helpful as a reference if it were a bit more organized. I can't find any structure in the order the uniforms are shown. Perhaps a clear organization per branch of service and year(s)of use would have helped.But these are minor criticisms, as the book is very beautiful and helpful as I already mentioned. If you take this into account, the title is highly recommended to anyone with an interest in Soviet wartime uniforms.

Has info that other comparable books do not. Super fast delivery!

Well laid out book with good detailed colour photos. A good introductory overview of Soviet equipment. A very good starting point for the collector of WW2 Soviet kit or a good companion for more detailed texts.

Si eres aficionado a la ¨militaria¨, imprescindible

Stalin's war appartient à la même série que "Soviet uniforms ans militaria 1917-1991" et "KGB and Soviet security uniforms and militaria 1917-1991". Ces ouvrages ont été créés par un hongrois, particulièrement féru sur le sujet, Laszlo Bekesi, assisté de Gyorgi Török pour les photographies.L'auteur présente non seulement les soldats mais aussi les partisans. Les photos sont excellentes, avec des mises en situation. On y découvre les uniformes, les insignes, les épaulettes, les coiffures, l'armement, l'équipement, les décorations mais aussi les documents militaires que les femmes et les hommes de l'Armée Rouge ont porté jusqu'en 1945.C'est au final un excellent ouvrage qui devrait intéresser les amateurs de militaria, d'histoire militaire ainsi que les maquettistes.