The Initial Period of War: A Soviet View

by S.P. Ivanov

PART I. The Formation and Development of Views on the Initial Period of War From the Nineteenth Century Until the 1940 Ch.1.Entry Into War in the Nineteenth Century and at the Start of the Twentieth Century; Ch. 2.The Organizational Development of the Armed Forces and the Development of Military Theories in the Main Capitalist Nations Between the Two World Wars; Ch. 3. The Organizational Development of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Elaboration of Views in the USSR on the Character of Future War and Its Initial Period. PART II. Strategic Planning and Armed Forces Deployment on the Eve of and at the Start of World War Ch. 4. The Military and Political Bases for Strategic Planning. The Goals and Plans of the Initial Campaigns and First Operations of the Capitalist Armies; Ch. 5. Methods of Strategic Deployment of the Capitalist Nations' Armed Forces; Ch. 6. The Concealment of Aggression in Europe and the Pacific; Ch. 7. Fascist Germany's Plans in the War Against the USSR. Strategic Deployment of the Armed Forces; Ch. 8.The Soviet Union's Preparations to Repel Fascist Aggression. PART III. The Initial Strategic Ch. 9. The Initial Offensive Operations in the European Theaters of Operations; CH. 10. The Collapse of the Strategic Defense in Poland and Western Europe; Ch. 11. Specific Features of the Soviet Armed Forces' Strategic Defense at the Start of the Great Patriotic War; Ch. 12. Preparing for and Making a Surprise Initial Attack After Opening a New Strategic Front (From the Experience of the Soviet Armed Forces' 1945 Campaign in the Far East). Ch. Specific Features of Initial Operation in the War in the Pacific; Ch. 14. Winning Air Supremacy and Organizing National Air Defense at the Start of the War.

311 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1986