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From what I heard from my grandparents in Poland, when the Red Army came they looked largely like they were prisoners - on the verge of starving, often with no shoes, most had incomplete uniforms. And had their rifles on strings.
The Russian army still looks very much the same now.
Gaunt underfed boys in coats 8 sizes too big who beg for money and cigarettes on the street and in the Metro. It is heartbreaking to see.
While you don't really say anything untrue, I do have a problem with your wording. There is no question that the USSR had to take drastic measures in wartime. But that wasn't so much because it was a totalitarian state - it was because there was no other choice.
The question wasn't why, but how. Like it or not, the USSR was a totalitarian state, where people had no opportunity, as a practical matter, to change their geographic location. (And in fact, once the kolkhozes were created, farmers' internal passports were held by their management, so they could not even travel.) Like it or not, that made such a massive draft easier, than it would have been in a liberal democracy. And using workers as slave labor is easier in a totalitarian state, too.
I once read some great memoirs on a website relating the war experiences of Russian soldiers. One was a young woman sniper who described things including shortages of basic items. I will post the link when I find it.
The US gave Russia something like 100,000 trucks just to mention one item during the war. They were so short on basic materials.
The Soviet Union desperately needed soldiers to fight the war after all the Germans were right at Leningrad Stalingrad and Moscow , so basically once you turned 21 You HAD to join the army , unless you worked in a factory , and most of them where 20 year old men with very low quality , but Germany thought quality over quantity so the Axis had 4 million decently trained soldiers on the Eastern Front , and eventually Germany even started Conscripting 'Volksgrenediers' which were units made up of Germany cilivians
The US supplied Russia with Food, trucks, jeeps and planes, C-47s, B-25s, P-39s and P-63s, PBYs. The Russians were fond of the P-39 and P-63s and got more use out of them than we did.
Численность населения Третьего Рейха на начало Второй Мировой - 85 млн. чел., из них мужчин призывного возраста - более 23 млн. чел. Численность населения СССР â€“ 196,7 млн. чел., из них мужчин призывного возраста – 48.5 млн.
What translates as:
The 3rd Reich population at the beginning of the WWII was 85MLN people, amongst them men of service age - more than 23 MLN. Population of the USSR - 196.7 MLN people, out of them men of the service age - 48.5MLN.
How and why? Reason is very simple. For starters, Stalin did massive preparation to war he knew will come. Huge reserves were established and quite quickly drawn into military action.
Country had mandatory military service and everyone who spent their time, during non-war time in milatries, was more or less trained, and became a reservist, after demobilization. Every single one of them was under oath and was easily drafted. Refusal to be drafted resulted in severe punishment, but so it is in any country of the world, no need for firing squads.
But, more so reason is that may surprise you. It is unmatched patriotism of the country population, dedication to their Motherland, no matter how bloody a regime was at the helm at the moment. This lead to huge volunteering, including men and women of non draftable age.
And this is the reason you do not mess with Mother Russia. As this level of patriotism and love to Motherland is basically unknown anywhere else in the world. This is why they tried for 600 years, yet, every single one of them failed.
Remeber the movie Italian Job? Big Polynesian guy said : You don't mess with m-f=ing nature and you do not mess with m-f-ing Ukrainian. Except that truly, you do not mess with Russian.
The US supplied Russia with Food, trucks, jeeps and planes, C-47s, B-25s, P-39s and P-63s, PBYs. The Russians were fond of the P-39 and P-63s and got more use out of them than we did.
Another who gets his history from Hollywood. In 1942 the USSR produced more arms than the USA. They made the best tank of the war, the T-34, far better than the 2nd rate death trap called the Sherman the US made. The US could not match the Sturmovich ground attack plane. US planes in WW2 were dire, apart from the P-47 and the later B-29. The Mustang was a British plane made by a US company.
Well, the Soviet Union had 190,000,000 people in 1939, so roughly 18% of their population was in uniform.
The United States had 130,000,000 people in 1939, so roughly 8.5% of their population was in uniform.
That means that Russians were drafting everybody with a pulse who could drive a truck or pull the trigger of a gun.
At the same time, given how much Lend Lease aid flowed into the Soviet Union from the United States, considerable pressure was taken off the country's strategic industries, so the country could afford to devote more of its manpower to fighting rather than manufacturing.
One thing I have found are the numbers of Soviets that served are not always the same as I have seen as high as 30 million in the military to about 22 milliuon. The thing to remember is even if 30 million served they did not all serve at the same time as the peak strenth of the Red army in WWII was about 13 million.
I have read that they had lost 10 million soldiers killed , missing or POW's and when you add that to 13 million you have 23 million. The thing is their history was not kept as accurate as most countries and you can get many different figures. Many were drafted in the army and many died and were taken as POW's or missing or deserted as I have read they had their share of deserters also but no more then the peak of 13 million were ever serving at one time. I believe the Soviets had the policy like Germany as you fight until you die which makes sense when your country is fighting for its life.
It was different in the US as some served there tour and were released and after the Germans surrendered the US actually released some troops they felt were not needed for the invasion of Japan as I always wonder why they did that. But you can tell how many Soviets fought and died when compared with the US. 16.4 million served with the US armed forces in WWII and at the end of the war 12.3 million were in uniform. Less then a million had been lost from death , missing , wounded or POW's so you can see the US released a good 3 to 4 million after they served their tour of duty.
The USSR from what I feel is a more accurate figure had about 24 to 27 million served with somewhere from 11 to 14 million killed , missing , wounded or POW's and thats how they peaked at 13 million at the wars end. Most of the USSR's troops were either killed , wounded , missing or POW's with very many dieing as they fought a brutal war with Germany and they seemed to have had no problem sacrificing their troops as their casualties were appauling throughout the war.
I heard someone say about rifles produced as one of my books says the US produced 2.6 million machine guns (not sub machine guns) and the USSR produced 1.4 million machine guns. It does not state rifles so that why I wondered if the number of rifles stated was accurate. The USSR did produce more artillery and mortars then anyone else in the war as they were heavy on artillery in the war. Funny as Germany produced 159,144 artillery shells in the war and the UK produced 124,877 and the US produced 257,390 artillery shells. So the UK and US made many more artillery shells then the Germans already and then the USSR made 516, 648 artillery shells as you can see they threw alot of lead in the war. Myself I feel the number of 34 million served in the Soviet military in the war is to high as the numbers I see more say about 24 to 27 million served. But whatever it was it was alot and more then any other country in the war.
Funny how China had around 500,00 million people in the war and the peak size of thier forces (communist and Nationalist) was 5 million and I believe they say 14 million total served. And they had way more people then any country in the world and still do. Ron
How and why? Reason is very simple. For starters, Stalin did massive preparation to war he knew will come. Huge reserves were established and quite quickly drawn into military action.
The quality and training of the Red Army was dire. Hence why army after army easily fell to the Germans in the initial stages of the war. The USSR had more tanks and men. Some tanks were superior to German Tanks like the KV-1.
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Soviet russia
