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'''Viktor Suvorov''' ({{lang-ru|Ви́ктор Суво́ров}}) is the [[pen name]] for '''Vladimir Bogdanovich Rezun''' ({{lang-ru|Влади́мир Богда́нович Резу́н}}, {{lang-uk|Volodymyr Bohdanovych Rizun, Володимир Богданович Різун}}) (born April 20, 1947 in [[Primorsky Krai]]), a former Soviet and now British writer of Russian and Ukrainian descent who writes primarily in Russian, as well as a former Soviet spy who defected to the UK. Suvorov made his name writing books about [[Soviet]] history, the [[Soviet Army]], [[GRU]], and [[Spetsnaz]]. His testimony about the capabilities of the [[Spetsnaz|Soviet Special Forces]] created concern in the West.<ref>Suvorov, Viktor, "Spetsnatz, The Soviet Union's Special Forces", [http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/p124201coll1&CISOPTR=274&filename=275.pdf ''Military Review''], March 1984, p.30.</ref> It contributed to the formation of the Norwegian [[HV-016]], an elite unit equipped to neutralize such a threat if ever deployed on Norwegian soil.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}}
'''Viktor Suvorov''' ({{lang-ru|Ви́ктор Суво́ров}}) is the [[pen name]] for '''Vladimir Bogdanovich Rezun''' ({{lang-ru|Влади́мир Богда́нович Резу́н}}, {{lang-uk|Volodymyr Bohdanovych Rizun, Володимир Богданович Різун}}) (born April 20, 1947 in [[Primorsky Krai]]), a former Soviet and now British writer of Russian and Ukrainian descent who writes primarily in Russian, as well as a former Soviet spy who defected to the UK. Suvorov made his name writing books about [[Soviet]] history, the [[Soviet Army]], [[GRU]], and [[Spetsnaz]].


Suvorov's most controversial assertion{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}} was that [[Joseph Stalin]] originally planned to use [[Nazi Germany]] as a proxy (the “Icebreaker”) against the West. For this reason Stalin provided material and political support to [[Adolf Hitler]], while at the same time preparing the [[Red Army]] to “liberate”{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}} the whole of [[Europe]] from Nazi occupation. Suvorov argued that Hitler lost [[World War II]] the moment he attacked [[Poland]]: not only was he going to war with the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]], but it was only a matter of time before the [[Soviet Union]] would seize the opportune moment to attack him from the rear.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}} This left Hitler with no choice but to direct a preemptive strike at the Soviet Union, while Stalin's forces were redeploying from a defensive to an offensive posture, providing Hitler with an important initial tactical advantage.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}} But this was strategically hopeless since the [[Germans]] now had to fight on two fronts, a mistake Hitler himself had identified as Germany's undoing in the previous war.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}} In the end, Stalin was able to achieve some of his objectives by establishing Communist regimes in [[Eastern Europe]], [[China]], and [[North Korea]]. However this victory according to Suvorov was unsatisfying to Stalin and the Soviet leadership, because the war was intended to bring Soviet domination to the whole European continent and then the world.
Suvorov's assertion is that [[Joseph Stalin]] originally planned to use [[Nazi Germany]] as a proxy (the “Icebreaker”) against the West. For this reason Stalin provided material and political support to [[Adolf Hitler]], while at the same time preparing his [[Red Army]] for an offensive against Nazi Germany and further against the entire Western Europe. Suvorov argued that Hitler had no choice but to direct a unexpected preemptive strike at the Soviet Union, what we know today as [[Operation Barbarossa]]. In the end, Stalin was able to achieve some of his objectives by establishing Communist regimes in [[Eastern Europe]] and [[Asia]]. However this victory according to Suvorov was unsatisfying to Stalin, as he intended to bring Soviet domination to the whole Europe.


Suvorov's assertions remain a matter of debate among historians.
Suvorov's assertions remain a matter of debate among historians. While most agree that Stalin made extensive preparations for an upcoming war and exploited the military conflict in Europe to his advantage, the assertions that Stalin planned to attack Nazi Germany in the summer of 1941, and that [[Operation Barbarossa]] was a preemptive strike by Hitler, are generally discounted.<ref>Glantz, David M., ''Stumbling Colossus: The Red Army on the Eve of War'', Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1998, ISBN 0700608796 p. 4.</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==

Suvorov began his service in the [[Soviet Army]]'s [[41st Guards Tank Division]],<ref>Isby, D.C., ''Ten million bayonets: inside the armies of the Soviet Union'', Arms and Armour Press, London, 1988 p.15, Isby</ref> and worked in Soviet military intelligence{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} ([[GRU]]) before defecting to the [[United Kingdom]] in 1978, where he worked as an [[intelligence (information gathering)|intelligence]] analyst and lecturer. At the time he was working in [[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]] under United Nations cover. Rezun was smuggled out of the country to [[England]] with his wife and two young children. A career soldier, he had participated in the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and had later supervised the training of the elite Spetsnaz special forces. He had also undertaken missions in [[Munich]], [[Rome]], [[Basel]], [[Amsterdam]], [[Vienna]] and [[Hamburg]].<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/3227310/Sir-Dick-Franks.html Sir Dick Franks. Saboteur with the Special Operations Executive who went on to become Chief of MI6 during the Cold War] – Obituary, published by Daily Telegraph on October 19, 2008</ref>
Suvorov began his service in the [[Soviet Army]]'s [[41st Guards Tank Division]],<ref>Isby, D.C., ''Ten million bayonets: inside the armies of the Soviet Union'', Arms and Armour Press, London, 1988 p.15, Isby</ref> and worked in Soviet military intelligence{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} ([[GRU]]) before defecting to the [[United Kingdom]] in 1978, where he worked as an [[intelligence (information gathering)|intelligence]] analyst and lecturer. At the time he was working in [[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]] under United Nations cover. Rezun was smuggled out of the country to [[England]] with his wife and two young children. A career soldier, he had participated in the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and had later supervised the training of the elite Spetsnaz special forces. He had also undertaken missions in [[Munich]], [[Rome]], [[Basel]], [[Amsterdam]], [[Vienna]] and [[Hamburg]].<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/3227310/Sir-Dick-Franks.html Sir Dick Franks. Saboteur with the Special Operations Executive who went on to become Chief of MI6 during the Cold War] – Obituary, published by Daily Telegraph on October 19, 2008</ref>


== Publications and ideas ==
== Publications and ideas ==
=== Books about the Cold War era ===
{{Synthesis|date=December 2010}}
Suvorov has written several books about his Soviet Army experiences and also joined the team led by the British General Sir [[John Winthrop Hackett Junior|John Hackett]] in writing the book ''The Third World War: The Untold Story''.<ref name="untold_story">''The Third World War: The Untold Story'' ISBN 0-283-98863-0</ref> Published in 1982, this book was the sequel to the 1978 original ''The Third World War'',<ref name="wow3">''The Third World War'' ISBN 0-425-04477-7</ref> in which Hackett and his team had speculated about the possible course of a Soviet/NATO war in [[Germany]].
Suvorov has written several books about his Soviet Army experiences and also joined the team led by the British General Sir [[John Winthrop Hackett Junior|John Hackett]] in writing the book ''The Third World War: The Untold Story''.<ref name="untold_story">''The Third World War: The Untold Story'' ISBN 0-283-98863-0</ref> Published in 1982, this book was the sequel to the 1978 original ''The Third World War'',<ref name="wow3">''The Third World War'' ISBN 0-425-04477-7</ref> in which Hackett and his team had speculated about the possible course of a Soviet/NATO war in [[Germany]].


Suvorov made his name writing books about the contemporary [[Soviet Army]], [[GRU]], and [[Spetsnaz]] (Soviet Army's special forces). His publications included ''Aquarium'', ''GRU'', and ''The Liberators''.
Suvorov is best known for his books about Stalin's times written in a polemic, popular-science style.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}} In some countries, particularly in Russia, Germany and Israel, Suvorov's most controversial theses have jumped the bounds of academic discourse and captured the public imagination.<ref name="undricks"/> The first work was ''[[Icebreaker (Suvorov)|Icebreaker]]''. Later books on this subject were ''[[Day "M" (Suvorov)|Day "M"]]'', ''[[Suicide (Suvorov)|Suicide]]'', ''Last Republic'', and ''The Chief Culprit''. Suvorov used hundreds of Soviet-era memoirs and other publicly accessible sources to justify the following points.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}}

*'''1. The Soviet Union was intrinsically unstable, as any other communist regime must be. It had to expand to survive'''. According to the [[Permanent revolution|permanent revolution theory]] the communist system must expand and occupy the entire world to survive. Otherwise, it will fail in a peaceful and/or military struggle with surrounding “capitalist” countries. Stalin and other Soviet leaders had always understood this. It was publicly declared by Stalin that ''"the ultimate victory of socialism... can only be achieved on an international scale"''.<ref name="ACT 1997, pages 75-76">''[[Pravda]]'', February 14, 1938, cited from V. Suvorov ''Last Republic'' ({{lang|ru|Последняя республика}}), ACT, 1997, ISBN 5-12-000367-4, pages 75–76</ref> Therefore, Soviet leaders started preparations for a massive war of aggression. However, to mislead the West, they officially declared an adherence to a more peaceful theory of [[Socialism in One Country]], according to which Socialism can win in a single country, without being immediately overthrown by hostile "capitalist" neighbors. This leading country would then help revolutionary movements in other countries. Either way, the Soviet pre-war doctrine was based on [[Marxism-Leninism]] theory that [[capitalism]] will be overthrown through [[Communist revolution]].

*'''2. The Soviet Union made extensive preparations for the future war of aggression during the 1920s and 30s.''' Suvorov provides an extensive analysis of Stalin's preparation for war. Stalin, the leader of the [[Communist party]] officially announced three phases that should lead to the final preparation for the war: three [[Five Year Plan (USSR)|Five Year Plan]] phases, with the first one focused on [[Collectivization in the USSR|collectivization]], the second focused on industrialization, and the third phase emphasized the militarization of the country.

*'''3. Stalin escalated tensions in Europe by providing a combination of economic and military support to Hitler.''' (see [[Soviet-German relations before 1941]]). Stalin's plan and vision was that Hitler's predictability and his violent reactionary ideas made him a candidate to the role of "[[icebreaker]]" for the Communist revolution. By starting wars with European countries, Hitler would warrant the USSR joining World War II by attacking Nazi Germany and "liberating" and Sovietizing all of Europe. It is generally accepted that "from the early 1920s until 1933, the Soviet Union was engaged in secret collaboration with the German military to enable it to circumvent the provisions of the [[Versailles Treaty]]", which prohibited Germany's military production.<ref name="Pipes"/> Moscow allowed the Germans to produce and test their weapons on Soviet territory, while some Red Army officers attended general-staff courses in Germany.<ref name="Pipes"/> In 1932–1933, "Stalin helped Hitler come to power, by forbidding German Communists to make common cause with the Social Democrats against the Nazis in parliamentary elections".<ref name="Pipes"/> When concluding the [[Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact]] in 1939, Stalin "clearly counted on the repetition of the 1914–1918 war of attrition, which would leave the "capitalist" countries so exhausted that the USSR could sweep into Europe virtually unopposed"<ref name="Pipes"/> (see also [[Stalin's speech on August 19, 1939]]).
:Stalin always planned to exploit the military conflict between the "capitalist" countries to his advantage. He said as early as in 1925 that
:: "Struggles, conflicts and wars among our enemies are...our great ally...and the greatest supporter of our government and our revolution" and "If a war does break out, we will not sit with folded arms – we will have to take the field, but we will be ''last'' to do so. And we shall do so in order to throw the decisive load on the scale"<ref name="Pipes">[[Richard Pipes]] Communism: A History (2001) ISBN 0-812-96864-6, pages 74–75.</ref>

*'''4. World War II was initiated by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany which became allies after signing the [[Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact]]'''. The essence of this pact was in the secret protocols which divided Europe into zones of influence, and removed the Polish buffer between Germany and the USSR. Some countries that fell into the Soviet zone of influence, [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], and [[Lithuania]], were occupied. The difference between these smaller nations, occupied and annexed by the USSR, and Poland [[Invasion of Poland|initially attacked by Germany]] was that Poland had military assistance guarantees from [[Great Britain]] and [[France]].

*'''5. Stalin planned to attack Nazi Germany from the rear in July 1941''', only a few weeks after the date on which the [[Axis powers of World War II|Axis]] invasion of the Soviet Union took place. According to Suvorov, the [[Red Army]] had been already redeployed from a defensive to an offensive position. As described in Suvorov's books, Stalin had made no major defensive preparations. On the contrary, the [[Stalin line]] fortifications through Belarus-Ukraine were dismantled, and the new [[Molotov line]] was all but finished by the time of Nazi invasion.

*'''6. Hitler's intelligence identified USSR's preparations to attack Germany'''. Therefore, the Wehrmacht had drafted a [[preemptive war]] plan based on Hitler's orders as early as mid-1940, soon after the Soviet annexations of [[Bessarabia]] and [[Northern Bukovina]]. On June 22, 1941 Hitler began an assault on the USSR.


=== Historical works about the World War II ===
== Criticism and support ==
{{Main|Soviet offensive plans controversy}}
{{Main|Soviet offensive plans controversy}}


Suvorov wrote many books about about the outbreak of the Nazi-Soviet War in 1941 and circumstances that led to it. The first such work was ''[[Icebreaker (Suvorov)|Icebreaker]]'', with many others to follow. Suvorov's assertion is that [[Joseph Stalin]] originally planned to use [[Nazi Germany]] as a proxy (the “Icebreaker”) against the West. For this reason Stalin provided material and political support to [[Adolf Hitler]], while at the same time preparing his [[Red Army]] for an offensive against Nazi Germany and further against the entire Western Europe. Suvorov argued that Hitler had no choice but to direct a unexpected preemptive strike at the Soviet Union, what we know today as [[Operation Barbarossa]]. In the end, Stalin was able to achieve some of his objectives by establishing Communist regimes in [[Eastern Europe]] and [[Asia]]. However this victory according to Suvorov was unsatisfying to Stalin, as he intended to bring Soviet domination to the whole Europe.
=== Criticism ===


Suvorov's assertions remain a matter of debate among historians, and the final result of the debate is not yet clear. See [[Soviet offensive plans controversy]] for details on the debate.
Among the noted critics of Suvorov's work are Israeli historian [[Gabriel Gorodetsky]], American military historian [[David Glantz]],<ref>{{cite journal|author=David M. Glantz |journal=The Journal of Military History|volume=55|issue=2 |year=1991|pages=263–264|doi=10.2307/1985920|title=Icebreaker: Who Started the Second World War?|last2=Suvorov|first2=Viktor}}</ref> and Russian military historians [[Makhmut Gareev]], Lev Bezymensky and [[Dmitri Volkogonov]]. Many other western scholars, such as Teddy J. Uldricks,<ref name="undricks">{{cite journal|jstor=2697571|author=Teddy J. Uldricks|title= The Icebreaker Controversy: Did Stalin Plan to Attack Hitler? |journal=Slavic Review|volume=58|issue=3 |year=1999|pages=626–643|doi=10.2307/2697571}}</ref> Derek Watson,<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Slavic Review|volume=59|issue=2 |year=2000|page=492}}</ref> Hugh Ragsdale,<ref>{{cite journal|author=Hugh Ragsdale|title=Grand Delusion: Stalin and the German Invasion of Russia |journal=Slavic Review|volume=59|issue=2|year= 2000|pages=466–467|doi=10.2307/2697094|last2=Gorodetsky|first2=Gabriel}}</ref> Roger Reese,<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Slavic Review|volume=59|issue=1 |year=2000|page=227}}</ref> Stephen Blank,<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Russian Review|volume=59|issue=2 |year=2000|pages=310–311}}</ref> Robin Edmonds,<ref>Source: International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944–), Vol. 66, No. 4, Seventieth Anniversary Issue (Oct., 1990), p. 812</ref> agree that the major Suvorov's weakness is "that the author does not reveal his sources" (Ingmar Oldberg<ref>{{cite journal|author=Ingmar Oldberg|jstor=423626|title= Review: The USSR. Evil, Strong, and Dangerous? Reviewed work(s):The Threat: Inside the Soviet Military Machine by Andrew Cockburn, Inside the Soviet Army by Viktor Suvorov|journal=Journal of Peace Research|volume= 22|issue=3 |year=1985|pages=273–277}}</ref>) Cynthia A. Roberts is even more categorical, claiming that Suvorov's writings are based on "virtually no evidentiary base".<ref>{{cite journal|author=Cynthia A. Roberts|title=Planning for War: The Red Army and the Catastrophe of 1941|journal=Europe-Asia Studies|jstor=153299|volume=47|issue=8 |year=1995|pages=1293–1326|doi=10.1080/09668139508412322}}</ref>
<!--


****** Please do not insert arguments pro or contra. Please do not list authors and books that take part in the debate. ******
The most controversial Suvorov's thesis is that the [[Red Army]] made extensive preparations for an offensive war in Europe, but it was totally unprepared for defensive operations on its own territory.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}} Thereby Suvorov essentially reiterates the argument put forward by [[Adolf Hitler]] in 1941.<ref name="undricks"/> According to Jonathan Haslam, Suvorov's claim that "Germany frustrated Stalin's war"<ref>V. Suvorov, Icebreaker: Who Started the Second World War? (London, 1990) p. 325</ref> "would be comical were it not taken so seriously".<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1086/245594|author=Jonathan Haslam|title=Soviet-German Relations and the Origins of the Second World War: The Jury Is Still Out|journal=The Journal of Modern History|volume=69|issue=4 |year=1997|pages=785–797}}</ref>


The Wikipedia's goal is first of all to document what is obvious and what is well-known. This debate is simply not finished, and that is sufficient conclusion here. No need to educate everyone with the arguments, contrarguments, contra-contrarguments, etc.
[[Image:AntonovA40.jpg|thumb|300px|left|[[Antonov A-40]] "flying tank"]]
No need to make Wikipedia a directory of books, too.


****** Please do not insert arguments pro or contra. Please do not list authors and books that take part in the debate. ******
Much of Suvorov's thesis is based on [[circumstantial evidence]]: one of Suvorov arguments is that certain types of weapons were mostly suited for offensive warfare and that the Red Army had large numbers of such weapons. For example, he pointed out that the Soviet Union was outfitting large numbers of paratroopers — preparing to field entire parachute armies, in fact — and that paratroopers are only suitable for offensive action, which the Soviet military doctrine of the time recognized. Suvorov's critics say that paratroopers were used in defensive actions and that Soviet paratroopers were poorly trained and armed.<ref>Алексей Исаев. Вертикальный охват // Неправда Виктора Суворова. М.: Яуза, Эксмо, 2007, pp. 257–289</ref> However, Aleksei Semenovich Zhadov, commander of the Soviet IV Airborne Corps, writes in his memoirs that his corps was well trained and equipped, except for transport cars.<ref>[http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/zhadov_as/01.html ВОЕННАЯ ЛИТЕРАТУРА -[ Мемуары &#93;- Жадов А. С. Четыре года войны]. Militera.lib.ru. Retrieved on 2011-04-26.</ref> In like fashion, Suvorov cites the development of the KT/A-40 Antonov "flying tank" as evidence of Stalin's aggressive plans, while his critics say that development of this tank was started only in December 1941.<ref>Василий Чобиток. Кое-что о волшебных танках // Неправда Виктора Суворова. (Something about magic tanks / lie of Victor Suvorov) Мoscow: Яуза, Эксмо, 2007, pp. 136–137 (in Russian)</ref>
-->


In some countries, particularly in Russia, Germany and Israel, Suvorov's controversial theses have jumped the bounds of academic discourse and captured the public imagination.<ref name="undricks">Teddy J. Uldricks. The Icebreaker Controversy: Did Stalin Plan to Attack Hitler? ''Slavic Review'', Vol. 58, No. 3 (Autumn, 1999), pp. 626-643</ref>
David M. Glantz disputes the argument that the Red Army was deployed in an offensive stance in 1941. Glantz demonstrated that the Red Army was only in a state of partial mobilization in July 1941, from which neither effective defensive or offensive actions could be offered without considerable delay. Regarding Hitler's alleged [[pre-emptive strike|pre-emptive]] intentions, Erickson has stated that “what really concerned Hitler was not Soviet aggression but Soviet concessions to Germany, which could frustrate his own grand design, depriving him of a pretext to attack.”<ref>[http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=1704&sid=69c4ae71b491b63a743fefd84984c895 ''Barbarossa June 1941: Who Attacked Whom?'' by John Erickson]</ref> One of the major critics of the preventive war thesis is the American historian [[Gerhard Weinberg]]. In a scathing 1989 review of Ernst Topitsch’s book ''Stalin’s War'', Weinberg called all who argue that [[Operation Barbarossa]] was a preventive war believers in “fairy tales”.<ref>Weinberg, Gerhard Review of ''Stalin's War: A Radical New Theory of the Origins of the Second World War'' by Ernst Topitsch pages 800–801 from ''The American Historical Review'', Volume 94, Issue # 3, June 1989 p. 800</ref>


=== Fictional books ===
Another criticism of Suvorov's position includes the claim that Stalin had never "encouraged" Hitler to start World War II, even though he agreed with Germany about the [[invasion of Poland]] in the [[Molotov-Ribbentrop pact]], which had to trigger a general European war because of the military assistance guarantees given to Poland by Great Britain and France.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}} In his official statements, Stalin was opposed to [[Trotsky]]'s theory of [[Permanent Revolution]], implementation of which regarded worldwide war and other countries' usurpation as necessary (because practice showed that war, the ultimate devastation, could create revolutionary conditions that usually did not occur in any natural way). Stalin instead officially proclaimed the theory of [[Socialism in One Country]] according to which Socialism can win in a single country, without being immediately overthrown by hostile "capitalist" neighbors. This leading country would then help revolutionary movements in other countries. According to Stalin, ''"The ultimate victory of socialism... can only be achieved in international scale"''<ref name="ACT 1997, pages 75-76"/>
Suvorov wrote some fiction set in World War II era in the Soviet Union.

Soviet conventional theory states that Stalin prepared the Soviet Army for a general war because he knew he would have to free Europe from Fascism, and the [[Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact|Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact]] was nothing more than a way to delay the war with Nazism — to have time for such preparations as those that Suvorov discusses.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}}

=== Middle positions ===
In a 1987 article in the ''Historische Zeitschrift'' journal, the German historian [[Klaus Hildebrand]] argued that both Hitler and Stalin separately were planning to attack each other in 1941.<ref name="Evans, Richard page 43">Evans, Richard ''In Hitler's shadow: West German historians and the attempt to escape from the Nazi past'', New York, NY: Pantheon, 1989 p. 43 ISBN 0394576861</ref> In Hildebrand’s opinion, the news of Red Army concentrations near the border led to Hitler engaging in a ''Flucht nach vorn'' ("flight forward"-i.e. responding to a danger by charging on rather than retreating).<ref name="Evans, Richard page 43"/> Hildebrand wrote "Independently, the National Socialist program of conquest met the equally far-reaching war-aims program which Stalin had drawn up in 1940 at the latest".<ref name="Evans, Richard page 43"/> Hildebrand's views could be considered as a median viewpoint in the preventive war debate.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}}

A middle position seems to be taken by the [[Israel]]i historian [[Martin van Creveld]]. In an interview in the April 11, 2005 edition of the German [[news magazine]] ''[[FOCUS (magazine)|FOCUS]]'', which is the second largest weekly magazine in Germany, he said: "I doubt that Stalin wanted to attack as early as autumn 1941, as some writers argue. But I have no doubt that sooner or later, if Germany would have been entangled in a war with Great Britain and the [[United States|U.S.]], he would have taken what he wanted. Judging by the talks between [[Joachim von Ribbentrop|Ribbentrop]] and [[Vyacheslav Molotov|Molotov]] in November 1940, this would have been [[Romania]], [[Bulgaria]], an access to the [[North Sea]], the [[Dardanelles]] and probably those parts of Poland that were under German control at that time." Asked to what degree the leaders of the [[Wehrmacht]] needed to feel threatened by the [[Soviet]] military buildup, van Creveld replies "very much" and adds: "In 1941, the Red Army was the largest army in the world. Stalin may, as I said, not have planned to attack Germany in autumn 1941. But it would be hard to believe that he would not have taken the opportunity to stab the [[Third Reich|Reich]] in the back sometime."<ref>[http://www.focus.de/magazin/archiv/serie-und150-teil-vi_aid_212248.html SERIE – Teil VI: „Ans Hakenkreuz geschlagen“ – Archiv – FOCUS Online]. Focus.de (2011-04-16). Retrieved on 2011-04-26.</ref>

Some of Suvorov's critics argue that the suggestion that Stalin regarded war with Nazi Germany as inevitable is at odds with the undisputed fact that the attack by the Axis in 1941 took Stalin completely by surprise.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}} On the other hand, the fact that Stalin was taken completely by surprise contradicts the claims of some writers, who assert that Stalin was paranoid about a possible foreign invasion and so had concentrated on defensive policies.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}} The criticism was addressed in detail in Suvorov's book ''[[Suicide (Suvorov)|Suicide]]''. Also, the fact that Stalin was taken by surprise by the attack does not necessarily contradict Suvorov's thesis.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}} Suvorov makes clear that he believes that Stalin was planning for war on his own terms (i.e., an invasion of his own) rather than war on Axis terms. Thus, the turning of the tables, so to speak, was what surprised Stalin, rather than the war itself.{{Citation needed|reason=August2010|date=August 2010}}

=== Support ===
{{Synthesis|date=December 2010}}
While many Western researchers (two exceptions being Albert L. Weeks<ref name="weeks">''Stalin's Other War: Soviet Grand Strategy, 1939–1941'' ISBN 0-7425-2191-5 [http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/4/29/135936.shtml]</ref> and R. C. Raack <ref name = "Raack 1">{{cite journal|jstor=20672468|author=Raack, R.C.|title=Stalin's Role in the Coming of World War II|journal=World Affairs|volume=158|issue=4|year=1996 |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/raack.htm}}</ref><ref name = "Raack 2">{{cite journal|author=Raack, R.C.|title=Stalin's Role in the Coming of World War II: The International Debate Goes On|journal=World Affairs|volume=159|issue=2|jstor=20672480|year=1996 |url=http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/raack2.htm}}</ref><ref name = "Raack 3">''Stalin's Drive to the West, 1938–1945: The Origins of the Cold War'' ISBN 978-0-8047-2415-9</ref>) ignored Suvorov's thesis,<ref>(e.g., according to Raack, arguments in favor of the thesis “have not so far been systematically reported in, for example, the ''Journal of Slavic Military Studies''. Indeed, one searches in vain in North America for a broad discussion of the issues of Soviet war planning” R. C. Raack [Review of] ''Unternehmen Barbarossa: Deutsche und Sowjetische Angriffsplane 1940/41'' by Walter Post ''Die sowjetische Besatzungsmacht und das politische System der SBZ'' by Stefan Creuzberger'' ''Slavic Review''. Vol. 57, No. 1 (Spring, 1998), pp. 213</ref> he has gathered some support among Russian professional historians, starting in the 1990s. Support for Suvorov's claim that Stalin had been preparing a strike against Hitler in 1941 began to emerge as some archive materials were declassified. Authors supporting the Stalin 1941 assault thesis are [[Valeri Danilov|V.D. Danilov]],<ref name="danilov">Данилов.В.Д. Сталинская стратегия начала войны: планы и реальность—Другая война. 1939–1945 гг; or Danilоv V. "Hat der Generalsstab der Roten Armee einen Praventiveschlag gegen Deutschland vorbereitet?" ''Österreichische Militarische Zeitschrift''. 1993. №1. S.&nbsp;41–51</ref> [[Nevezhin|V.A. Nevezhin]],<ref name="nevezhin">Невежин В.А. Синдром наступательной войны. Советская пропаганда в преддверии "священных боев", 1939–1941 гг. М., 1997; ''Речь Сталина 5 мая 1941 года и апология наступательной войны'' {{Wayback| http://sscadm.nsu.ru/deps/hum/kirillov/ref-liter/nevezhin-95.html online text}}</ref> [[Constantine Pleshakov]] and [[Boris Sokolov|B.V. Sokolov]].<ref name="sokolov">[http://militera.lib.ru/research/sokolov2/index.html Соколов Б.В. Неизвестный Жуков: портрет без ретуши в зеркале эпохи.] (online text); Соколов Б.В. ''Правда о Великой Отечественной войне'' (Сборник статей). — СПб.: Алетейя, 1999 ([http://militera.lib.ru/research/sokolov1/index.html online text])</ref> As the latter has noted, the absence of documents with the precise date of the planned Soviet invasion can't be an argument in favor of the claim that this invasion was not planned at all. Although the USSR attacked Finland, no documents found to date which would indicate November 26, 1939 as the previously assumed date for beginning of the provocations or November 30 as the date of the planned Soviet assault.<ref>[http://militera.lib.ru/research/sokolov1/02.html Собирался ли Сталин напасть на Гитлера?]. Militera.lib.ru. Retrieved on 2011-04-26.</ref>

However [[Edvard Radzinsky]] noted that [[Dmitri Volkogonov]], in his own words "a lieutenant general and an eminent Russian military historian, [who] was the first person to be permitted to work in all the secret archives", found documents detailing plans in view of the situation in Europe in 1941. Radzinsky quotes Volkogonov as writing: "'No, Stalin was not planning an attack on Germany in 1941.'" But Radzinsky disagrees with that assessment. He further quotes Volkogonov: "'Nowhere is there a single word about a strike against the German forces. All the documents call for defensive measures to be taken.'" However Radzinsky considers the plans to be offensive in nature and the wording used to be not more than a cover, referring to the Winter War with Finland where "[...] 'defense' often signified 'attack.'"

Another document uncovered by Volkogonov and preserved in the Military-Memorial Center of the Soviet General Staff, was a draft of a plan for military strategy in case of war with Germany, drawn up by [[Georgy Zhukov]], referring to the status for May 15, 1941 (sometimes referred to as a plan from that actual date, although it was likely only ready later) and signed by [[Aleksandr Vasilevsky]] and [[Nikolai Fyodorovich Vatutin|Nikolai Vatutin]]. He considers this to be a plan of a pre-emptive attack on Germany. The document stated:

{{Quotation|"In view of the fact that Germany at present keeps its army fully mobilized with its rear services deployed, it has the capacity of deploying ahead of us and striking a sudden blow. To prevent this I consider it important not to leave the operational initiative to the German command in any circumstances, but to anticipate the enemy and attack the German army at the moment when it is in the process of deploying and before it has time to organize its front and the coordination of its various arms".}}

This pre-emptive strike would have been timed to coincide with the reorganization necessary to prepare the German forces for attack. The plan drafted by the Soviet command included a secret mobilization of the Soviet forces at the Western frontier in order to be able to surprise the Germans. The overall objective of the offensive operation was to cut Germany off from its allies, and especially Romania with its oil required for Germany to conduct the war. Radzinsky reinterprets the document as a plan for a pre-emptive strike, even in the absence of an imminent German attack. He disagrees with the assessment of Volkogonov, who did not consider it to be final proof of the Soviet intentions and did not believe that the document had even reached Stalin, as this copy had not been signed by Zhukov nor Stalin, although it was addressed to the Soviet leader and signed by both Vasilevsky and Vatutin. According to Radzinsky all that the missing signatures prove is that the copy found in the archives was a rough draft. He considers it more than likely that a final version has existed but was expunged from the archives to prevent it from ever becoming known. He further points out that several high ranking military officers, Zhukov, Timoshenko and Vasilievsky regularly visited Stalin in May 1941. He sees further evidence of Stalin's intentions in the fact that around the same time military units received a directive pointing out that: "'If a particular country is the first to attack, its war is considered an unjust one, whereas if a country is the victim of attack and merely defends itself, its war must be considered a just one. The conclusion drawn is that the Red army is supposed to wage only defensive war: this is to forget that any war waged by the Soviet Union will be a just one'" <ref>''Stalin: The First In-depth Biography Based on Explosive New Documents from Russia's Secret Archives'', Anchor, (1997) ISBN 0-385-47954-9, pages 454–459</ref>

One of views was expressed by [[Mikhail Meltyukhov]] in his study ''[[Stalin's Missed Chance]]''.<ref>Meltyukhov</ref> The author states that the idea for striking Germany arose long before May 1941, and was the very basis of Soviet military planning from 1940 to 1941. Providing additional support for this thesis is that no significant defense plans have been found.<ref>Meltyukhov 2000:375</ref> In his argument, Meltyukhov covers five different versions of the assault plan (“Considerations on the Strategical Deployment of Soviet Troops in Case of War with Germany and its Allies” [http://osteuropa.bsb-muenchen.de/dig/1000doktest/0024_zuk/@Generic__BookTextView/502;cs=default;ts=default;pt=502 (Russian original)]), the first version of which was developed soon after the outbreak of World War II. The last version was to be completed by May 1, 1941.<ref>Meltyukhov 2000:370–372</ref> Even the deployment of troops was chosen in the South, which would have been more beneficial in case of a Soviet assault.<ref>Meltyukhov 2000:381</ref>

In ''Stalin's War of Extermination'', [[Joachim Hoffmann]] made extensive use of interrogations of Soviet prisoners of war, ranging in rank from general to private, conducted by their German captors during the war. The book is also based on open-source, unclassified literature and recently declassified materials. Based on this material, Hoffmann argues that the Soviet Union was making final preparations for its own attack when the Wehrmacht struck.{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}} He also remarked that Zhukov's plan of May 15, 1941 had long been known and analyzed. Danilov and [[Heinz Magenheimer]] examined this plan and other documents which might indicate Soviet preparations for an attack in the early 1990s in the ''Austrian military journal'' (''Österreichische Militärische Zeitschrift'', nos. 5 and 6, 1991; no. 1, 1993; and no. 1, 1994). Both researchers came to the conclusion that Zhukov's plan of May 15, 1941 reflected Stalin's May 5, 1941 speech heralding the birth of the new offensive Red Army.{{Clarify|date=December 2010}}

In 2006, a collection of articles (entitled ''The Truth of Viktor Suvorov'') by various historians who share some views with Suvorov was published.<ref>Хмельницкий, Дмитрий (сост.). ''Правда Виктора Суворова. Переписывая историю Второй Мировой.'' Москва: Яуза, 2006 (ISBN 5-87849-214-8); some of the articles are here [http://tapirr.com/texts/history/suvorov/pravda/ind.htm]:</ref> It was followed by sequels; six as of September 2010. In a 2009 essay entitled "Don’t Blame Hitler Alone For World War II", journalist [[Eric Margolis]] endorsed Suvorov's assertion that [[Operation Barbarossa]] was a "preventive war" forced on Hitler by alleged impending Soviet attack, and that it is wrong to give Hitler "total blame" for World War II.<ref>{{cite web|last=Margolis|first=Eric|title=Don't Blame Hitler Alone For World War II|publisher=ericmargolis.com|month=September 7|year=2000|url=http://www.ericmargolis.com/political_commentaries/dont-blame-hitler-alone-for-world-war-ii.aspx|accessdate=2009-10-21}}</ref>

Several politicians have also made claims similar to Suvorov's. On August 20, 2004, historian and former [[Prime Minister of Estonia]] [[Mart Laar]] published an article in ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' titled ''When Will Russia Say 'Sorry'?''. In this article he said: "The new evidence shows that by encouraging [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] to start World War II, Stalin hoped to simultaneously ignite a [[world revolution|world-wide revolution]] and conquer all of Europe". Another former statesman to share his views of a purported Soviet aggression plan is [[Mauno Koivisto]], who wrote: "It seems to be clear the Soviet Union was not ready for defense in the summer of 1941, but it was rather preparing for an assault....The forces mobilized in the Soviet Union were not positioned for defensive, but for offensive aims." Koivisto concludes: "Hitler's invasion forces didn't outnumber [the Soviets], but were rather outnumbered themselves. The Soviets were unable to organize defenses. The troops were provided with maps that covered territories outside the Soviet Union."<ref name="koivisto">Koivisto, M. ''Venäjän idea'', Helsinki. Tammi. 2001</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Causes of World War II]]
* [[List of Eastern Bloc defectors]]
* [[Soviet offensive plans controversy]]
* [[Soviet offensive plans controversy]]
* [[Stalin's speech on August 19, 1939]]
* [[Soviet-German relations before 1941]]
* [[Soviet-German relations before 1941]]
* [[Causes of World War II]]
* ''[[Stalin's Missed Chance]]''


== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==
===Books by Viktor Suvorov===
===Books by Viktor Suvorov===
==== About Cold War era Soviet Union ====
* The series about the outbreak of the Nazi-Soviet War
*''[[Inside the Soviet Army (Suvorov)|Inside the Soviet Army]],'' 1982, Macmillan Publishing Co.
*''[[The Liberators (Suvorov)|The Liberators]]'', 1981, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, ISBN 0-241-10675-3
*''[http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov8/index.html Inside Soviet Military Intelligence]'', 1984, ISBN 0-02-615510-9
*''[[Aquarium (Suvorov)|Aquarium]]'' ({{lang|ru|Аквариум}}), 1985, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, ISBN 0-241-11545-0
*''[http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov6/index.html Spetsnaz]'', 1987, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, ISBN 0-241-11961-8

==== The series about the outbreak of the Nazi-Soviet War ====
**''[[Icebreaker (Suvorov)|Icebreaker]]'' ({{lang|ru|Ледокол}}) 1990, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, ISBN 0-241-12622-3
**''[[Icebreaker (Suvorov)|Icebreaker]]'' ({{lang|ru|Ледокол}}) 1990, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, ISBN 0-241-12622-3
**''[[Day "M" (Suvorov)|Day "M"]]'' ({{lang|ru|День "М"}})
**''[[Day "M" (Suvorov)|Day "M"]]'' ({{lang|ru|День "М"}})
Line 104: Line 70:
**''[[Last Republic (Suvorov)|Last Republic]]'', ACT, 1997, ISBN 5-12-000367-4.
**''[[Last Republic (Suvorov)|Last Republic]]'', ACT, 1997, ISBN 5-12-000367-4.
**''[[The Chief Culprit: Stalin's Grand Design to Start World War&nbsp;II]]''. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2008 (hardcover, ISBN 978-1-59114-838-8).
**''[[The Chief Culprit: Stalin's Grand Design to Start World War&nbsp;II]]''. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2008 (hardcover, ISBN 978-1-59114-838-8).

*''[[Aquarium (Suvorov)|Aquarium]]'' ({{lang|ru|Аквариум}}), 1985, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, ISBN 0-241-11545-0
==== About the Soviet historical figures ====
*''[[Inside the Soviet Army (Suvorov)|Inside the Soviet Army]],'' 1982, Macmillan Publishing Co.
*''[[The Liberators (Suvorov)|The Liberators]]'', 1981, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, ISBN 0-241-10675-3
*''[[Shadow of Victory (Suvorov)|Shadow of Victory]]'' ({{lang|ru|Тень победы}}), questions the image of [[Georgy Zhukov]]. The first book of trilogy with the same name.
*''[[Shadow of Victory (Suvorov)|Shadow of Victory]]'' ({{lang|ru|Тень победы}}), questions the image of [[Georgy Zhukov]]. The first book of trilogy with the same name.
*''[[I Take My Words Back (Suvorov)|I Take My Words Back]]'' ({{lang|ru|Беру Свои Слова Обратно}}), questions the image of Georgy Zhukov. The second book of "Shadow of Victory" trilogy.
*''[[I Take My Words Back (Suvorov)|I Take My Words Back]]'' ({{lang|ru|Беру Свои Слова Обратно}}), questions the image of Georgy Zhukov. The second book of "Shadow of Victory" trilogy.
*''[[Cleansing (Suvorov)|Cleansing]]'' ({{lang|ru|Очищение}}). Why did Stalin behead his army?, Moscow, 2002, ISBN 5-17-009254-7
*''[[Cleansing (Suvorov)|Cleansing]]'' ({{lang|ru|Очищение}}). Why did Stalin behead his army?, Moscow, 2002, ISBN 5-17-009254-7

*''[http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov8/index.html Inside Soviet Military Intelligence]'', 1984, ISBN 0-02-615510-9
==== Fiction ====
*''[http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov6/index.html Spetsnaz]'', 1987, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, ISBN 0-241-11961-8
*''[[Tales of a Liberator (Suvorov)|Tales of a Liberator]]'' ({{lang|ru|Рассказы освободителя}}), fiction
*''[[Tales of a Liberator (Suvorov)|Tales of a Liberator]]'' ({{lang|ru|Рассказы освободителя}}), fiction
*''[[Control (Suvorov)|Control]]'' ({{lang|ru|Контроль}}), fiction
*''[[Control (Suvorov)|Control]]'' ({{lang|ru|Контроль}}), fiction
*''[[Choice (Suvorov)|Choice]]'' ({{lang|ru|Выбор}}), fiction
*''[[Choice (Suvorov)|Choice]]'' ({{lang|ru|Выбор}}), fiction

===Books and articles by other authors===
====''Pro''====
* Dębski, Sławomir. ''Między Berlinem a Moskwą: Stosunki niemiecko-sowieckie 1939–1941''. Warsaw: Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych, 2003 (ISBN 83-918046-2-3).
***Reviewed by R.C. Raack in ''[[The Russian Review]]'', 2004, Vol.&nbsp;63, Issue&nbsp;4, pp.&nbsp;718–719.
*Edwards, James&nbsp;B. ''Hitler: Stalin's Stooge''. San Diego, CA: [[Aventine Press]], 2004 (ISBN 978-1593301446, paperback).
* Hoffmann, Joachim. ''Stalin's War of Extermination''. Capshaw, AL: Theses&nbsp;& Dissertations Press, 2001 (ISBN 0-9679856-8-4).
*Maser, Werner ''Der Wortbruch. Hitler, Stalin und der Zweite Weltkrieg.'' Olzog, München 1994. ISBN 3-7892-8260-X
**''Fälschung, Dichtung und Wahrheit über Hitler und Stalin'', Olzog, München 2004. ISBN 3-7892-8134-4
* Pleshakov, Constantine. ''Stalin's Folly: The Tragic First Ten Days of World War Two on the Eastern Front''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005 (ISBN 0-618-36701-2).
*** [http://washingtontimes.com/books/20050521-100529-9645r.htm Reviewed by Ron Laurenzo] in ''The Washington Times'', May&nbsp;22, 2005.
*** Reviewed by Robert Citino in ''World War II'', Vol.&nbsp;21, Issue&nbsp;1. (2006), pp.&nbsp;76–77.
* Raack, R.C. "Did Stalin Plan a ''Drang Nach Westen''?", ''World Affairs''. Vol.&nbsp;155, Issue&nbsp;4. (Summer 1992), pp.&nbsp;13–21.
**Preventive Wars?" [Review Essay of Pietrow-Ennker, Bianka, ed. ''Präventivkrieg? Der deutsche Angriff auf die Sowjetunion''. 3d ed. Frankfurt-am-Main: Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, 2000. ISBN 3-596-14497-3; Mel'tiukhov, Mikhail. ''Upushchennyi shans Stalina: Sovetskii Soiuz i bor'ba za Evropu 1939–1941''. Moscow: Veche, 2000. ISBN 5-7838-1196-3; Magenheimer, Heinz. ''Entscheidungskampf 1941: Sowjetische Kriegsvorbereitungen. Aufmarsch. Zusammenstoss''. Bielefeld: Osning Verlag, 2000. ISBN 3-9806268-1-4] ''[[The Russian Review]]'', 2004, Vol.&nbsp;63, Issue&nbsp;1, pp.&nbsp;134–137.
**"Stalin's Role in the Coming of World War II: Opening the Closet Door on a Key Chapter of Recent History", ''World Affairs''. Vol.&nbsp;158, Issue&nbsp;4, 1996, pp.&nbsp;198–211.
**"Stalin's Role in the Coming of World War II: The International Debate Goes On", ''World Affairs''. Vol.&nbsp;159, Issue&nbsp;2, 1996, pp.&nbsp;47–54.
**''Stalin's Drive to the West, 1938–1945: The Origins of the Cold War''. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 1995. (ISBN 0-8047-2415-6).
**"Stalin's Plans for World War Two Told by a High Comintern Source", ''The Historical Journal'', Vol.&nbsp;38, No.&nbsp;4. (Dec., 1995), pp.&nbsp;1031–1036.
**"Breakers on the Stalin Wave: Review Essay [of Murphy, David E. ''What Stalin Knew: The Enigma of Barbarossa. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005 (ISBN 0-300-10780-3); Pleshakov, Constantine. Stalin’s Folly: The Tragic First Ten Days of World War&nbsp;II on the Eastern Front. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Co., 2005 (ISBN 0-618-36701-2)]", ''[[The Russian Review]]'', Vol.&nbsp;65, No.&nbsp;3. (2006), pp.&nbsp;512–515.
* Topitsch, Ernst. ''Stalin's War: A Radical New Theory of the Origins of the Second World War''. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 1987 (ISBN 0-312-00989-5).
*** [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE3DB153CF936A25752C1A961948260&sec=&pagewanted=print Reviewed] critically by Alexander Dallin in [http://www.nytymes.com/ ''The New York Times''], November&nbsp;15, 1987.
* Weeks, Albert&nbsp;L. ''Stalin's Other War: Soviet Grand Strategy, 1939–1941''. Lanham, MD: Rowman&nbsp;& Littlefield, 2002 (hardcover; ISBN 0-7425-2191-5); 2003 (paperback, ISBN 0-7425-2192-3).

====''Contra''====
* Acton, Edward. "Understanding Stalin’s Catastrophe: [Review Article]", ''Journal of Contemporary History'', 2001, Vol.&nbsp;36(3), pp.&nbsp;531–540.
* Carley, Michael Jabara. "Soviet Foreign Policy in the West, 1936–1941: A Review Article", ''[[Europe-Asia Studies|Europe–Asia Studies]]'', Vol.&nbsp;56, No.&nbsp;7. (2004), pp.&nbsp;1081–1100. [Review of Silvio Pons, ''Stalin and the Inevitable War'', 1936–1941. London and Portland, OR: Frank Cass, 2002 and Albert&nbsp;L. Weeks, ''Stalin's Other War: Soviet Grand Strategy, 1939–1941''. Oxford and Lanham, MD: Rowman&nbsp;& Littlefield, 2002.]
* Erickson, John. "Barbarossa June 1941: Who Attacked Whom?" ''History Today'', July 2001, Vol.&nbsp;51, Issue&nbsp;7, pp.&nbsp;11–17. [http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=1704&sid=69c4ae71b491b63a743fefd84984c895 online text]
* Edmonds, Robin. "[Review: ''Icebreaker: Who Started the Second World War?''", ''International Affairs'', Vol.&nbsp;66, No.&nbsp;4. (Oct., 1990), p.&nbsp;812.
* Glantz, David&nbsp;M. ''Stumbling Colossus: The Red Army on the Eve of World War''. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1998 (ISBN 0-7006-0879-6).
** Reviewed by David&nbsp;R. Costello in ''The Journal of Military History'', Vol.&nbsp;63, No.&nbsp;1. (Jan., 1999), pp.&nbsp;207–208.
** Reviewed by Roger Reese in ''[[Slavic Review]]'', Vol.&nbsp;59, No.&nbsp;1. (Spring, 2000), p.&nbsp;227.
* Glantz, David&nbsp;M. "[Review: ''Icebreaker: Who Started the Second World War?''", ''The Journal of Military History'', Vol.&nbsp;55, No.&nbsp;2. (Apr., 1991), pp.&nbsp;263–264.
* Gorodetsky, Gabriel. ''Grand Delusion: Stalin and the German Invasion of Russia''. New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 1999 (ISBN 0-300-07792-0).
** Reviewed by David&nbsp;R. Costello in ''The Journal of Military History'', Vol.&nbsp;64, No.&nbsp;2. (Apr., 1999), pp.&nbsp;580–582.
** Reviewed by Stephen Blank in ''[[The Russian Review]]'', 2000, Vol.&nbsp;59, Issue&nbsp;2, pp.&nbsp;310–311.
** Reviewed by Hugh Ragsdale in ''[[Slavic Review]]'', Vol.&nbsp;59, No.&nbsp;2. (Summer, 2000), pp.&nbsp;466–467.
** Reviewed by Evan Mawdsley in ''[[Europe-Asia Studies]]'', Vol.&nbsp;52, No.&nbsp;3. (May, 2000), pp.&nbsp;579–580.
* Harms, Karl. "The Military Doctrine of the Red Army on the Eve of the Great Patriotic War: Myths and Facts", ''Military Thought'', Vol.&nbsp;13, No.&nbsp;03. (2004), pp.&nbsp;227–237.
* Haslam, Jonathan. "Soviet–German Relations and the Origins of the Second World War: The Jury Is Still Out [Review Article]", ''[[The Journal of Modern History]]'', Vol.&nbsp;69, No.&nbsp;4. (Dec., 1997), pp.&nbsp;785–797.
* Humpert, David M. "Viktor Suvorov and Operation Barbarossa: Tukhachevskii Revisited." ''The Journal of Slavic Military Studies'', Vol.&nbsp;18, Issue&nbsp;1. (2005), pp.&nbsp;59–74.
* [[John Lukacs|Lukacs, John]]. ''June 1941: Hitler and Stalin''. New Haven, CT; London: Yale University Press, 2006 (ISBN 0-300-11437-0).
* McDermott, Kevin. ''Stalin: Revolutionary in an Era of War (European History in Perspective)''. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006 (hardcover, ISBN 0-333-71121-1; paperback, ISBN 0-333-71122-X).
* Murphy, David&nbsp;E. ''What Stalin Knew: The Enigma of Barbarossa''. New Haven, CT; London: Yale University Press, 2005 (ISBN 0-300-10780-3).
** Reviewed by Robert Conquest at ''The American Historical Review'', Vol.&nbsp;111, No.&nbsp;2. (2006), p.&nbsp;591.
** Reviewed by Raymond W. Leonard in the ''Journal of Interdisciplinary History'', Vol.&nbsp;37, No.&nbsp;1. (2006), pp.&nbsp;128–129.
* Neilson, Keith. "Stalin's Moustache: The Soviet Union and the Coming of War: [Review Article]", ''Diplomacy and Statecraft'', Vol.&nbsp;12, No.&nbsp;2. (2001), pp.&nbsp;197–208.
* Roberts, Cynthia&nbsp;A. "Planning for War: The Red Army and the Catastrophe of 1941", ''[[Europe-Asia Studies]]'', Vol.&nbsp;47, No.&nbsp;8. (Dec., 1995), pp.&nbsp;1293–1326.
* Rotundo, Louis. "Stalin and the Outbreak of War in 1941", ''Journal of Contemporary History'', Vol.&nbsp;24, No.&nbsp;2, Studies on War. (Apr., 1989), pp.&nbsp;277–299.
*Gerd R. Ueberschär, Lev A. Bezymenskij (Hrsg.): ''Der deutsche Angriff auf die Sowjetunion 1941. Die Kontroverse um die Präventivkriegsthese'' Wissenschaftliche Buchgemeinschaft, Darmstadt 1998
* Uldricks, Teddy&nbsp;J. "The Icebreaker Controversy: Did Stalin Plan to Attack Hitler?" ''[[The Slavic Review]]'', 1999, Vol.&nbsp;53, No.&nbsp;3, pp.&nbsp;626–643.

====Neutral, cautious approach====
* Keep, John L.H.; Litvin, Alter L. ''Stalinism: Russian and Western Views at the Turn of the Millennium (Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions)''. New York: Routledge, 2004 (hardcover, ISBN 0-415-35108-1); 2005 (paperback, ISBN 0-415-35109-X). See chapter&nbsp;5, "Foreign policy".

====Other====
* ''The Attack on the Soviet Union'' (''Germany and the Second World War, Volume&nbsp;IV'') by Horst Boog, Jürgen Förster, Joachim Hoffmann, Ewald Osers, Louise Wilmott, Dean&nbsp;S. McMurray (Editors), Ernst Klink (Translator), Rolf-Dieter Müller (Translator), Gerd&nbsp;R. Ueberschär (Translator). New York: Oxford University Press (USA), 1999 (ISBN 0-19-822886-4).
* Carley, Michael Jabara. "Soviet Foreign Policy in the West, 1936–1941: A Review Article", ''[[Europe-Asia Studies]]'', Vol.&nbsp;56, No.&nbsp;7. (2004), pp.&nbsp;1081–1100.
* Drabkin, Ia.S. "'Hitler’s War' or 'Stalin’s War'?", ''Journal of Russian and East European Psychology'', Vol.&nbsp;40, No.&nbsp;5. (2002), pp.&nbsp;5–30.
* Ericson, Edward&nbsp;E., III. "Karl Schnurre and the Evolution of Nazi–Soviet Relations, 1936–1941", ''German Studies Review'', Vol.&nbsp;21, No.&nbsp;2. (May, 1998), pp.&nbsp;263–283.
* Förster, Jürgen; Mawdsley, Evan. "Hitler and Stalin in Perspective: Secret Speeches on the Eve of Barbarossa", ''War in History'', Vol.&nbsp;11, Issue&nbsp;1. (2004), pp.&nbsp;61–103.
* Haslam, Jonathan. "Stalin and the German Invasion of Russian 1941: A Failure of Reasons of State?", ''International Affairs'', Vol.&nbsp;76, No.&nbsp;1. (Jan., 2000), pp.&nbsp;133–139.
* Koch, H.W. "Operation Barbarossa—The Current State of the Debate", ''The Historical Journal'', Vol.&nbsp;31, No.&nbsp;2 (Jun., 1988), pp.&nbsp;377–390.
* Litvin, Alter&nbsp;L. ''Writing History in Twentieth-Century Russia: A View from Within'', translated and edited by John&nbsp;L.H. Keep. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001 (hardcover, ISBN 0-333-76487-0).
* Roberts, Geoffrey. "On Soviet–German Relations: The Debate Continues [A Review Article]", ''[[Europe-Asia Studies]]'', Vol.&nbsp;50, No.&nbsp;8. (Dec., 1998), pp.&nbsp;1471–1475.
* Vasquez, John A. "The Causes of the Second World War in Europe: A New Scientific Explanation", ''International Political Science Review'', Vol.&nbsp;17, No.&nbsp;2. (Apr., 1996), pp.&nbsp;161–178.
* Ziemke, Earl&nbsp;F. ''The Red Army, 1918–1941: From Vanguard of World Revolution to America's Ally''. London; New York: Frank Cass, 2004 (ISBN 0-7146-5551-1).

==See also==
* [[List of Eastern Bloc defectors]]


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
*Melyukhov M.I. (2000) [http://militera.lib.ru/research/meltyukhov/index.html Упущенный шанс Сталина. Советский Союз и борьба за Европу: 1939–1941] (electronic version of the book) For a review of the book, see [http://www.russiamonitor.org/en/main.asp?menu_id=7_489]), Moscow, Вече


==External links==
==External links==
* {{en icon}} ''Who Started World War II? – Stalin as a Chief Culprit'', Viktor Suvorov's presentation at the U.S. Naval Academy, Eurasia Forum, in Annapolis, Maryland, on October 7, 2009, as a four-part video: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7zVLfjWzmE part 1], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qh_iNRfGC0 part 2], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0BdQn9JekQ part 3] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IilUns-oPvg part 4].
* {{en icon}} ''Who Started World War II? – Stalin as a Chief Culprit'', Viktor Suvorov's presentation at the U.S. Naval Academy, Eurasia Forum, in Annapolis, Maryland, on October 7, 2009, as a four-part video: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7zVLfjWzmE part 1], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qh_iNRfGC0 part 2], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0BdQn9JekQ part 3] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IilUns-oPvg part 4].
* {{en icon}} [http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=283856-1&showVid=true "The Chief Culprit: Stalin's Grand Design to Start World War II"], a C-SPAN2 video of a February 2009 speech by Viktor Suvorov at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC.
* {{en icon}} [http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=283856-1&showVid=true "The Chief Culprit: Stalin's Grand Design to Start World War II"], a C-SPAN2 video of a February 2009 speech by Viktor Suvorov at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC.
* {{en icon}} [http://web.archive.org/web/20071102155746/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JAP/is_3_13/ai_n15627741 Criticism of Rezun's ''Ledokol'' in Russian Journal ''Military Thought'']
* {{en icon}} [http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/raack.htm Raack, R.C. "Stalin's Role in the Coming of World War II"] at Vincent Ferraro's web site (published in ''World Affairs'' (1996) vol.&nbsp;158, no.&nbsp;4
* {{en icon}} [http://www.carlonordling.se/ww2/stalinevoke.html ''Did Stalin deliver his alleged speech of 19 August 1939?'' by Carl O. Nordling]
* {{de icon}} [http://www.historisches-centrum.de/forum/benz04-1.html Criticism of the Preventive War Theory by Wigbert Benz]
* {{ro icon}} Andreea Tudorica, Ovidiu Ciutescu, Corina Andriuta, [http://www.jurnalul.ro/articole/95756/giurgiulesti-piedica-in-calea-lui-stalin "Giurgiuleşti, piedică în calea lui Stalin"], ''[[Jurnalul Naţional]]'', June 26, 2007.
* {{ru icon}} [http://lib.ru/WSUWOROW/ Some online books] of Viktor Suvorov and links to related online publications at the [http://www.lib.ru/ Maxim Moshkov's Library]
* {{ru icon}} [http://lib.ru/WSUWOROW/ Some online books] of Viktor Suvorov and links to related online publications at the [http://www.lib.ru/ Maxim Moshkov's Library]
* {{ru icon}} [http://militera.lib.ru/research/index.html#s Complete up-to-date collection] of Suvorov's online books (some in English), at [http://militera.lib.ru/ Militera Project]
* {{ru icon}} [http://militera.lib.ru/research/index.html#s Complete up-to-date collection] of Suvorov's online books (some in English), at [http://militera.lib.ru/ Militera Project]
* {{ru icon}} [http://plgalaxy.co.uk/suvorov/ Viktor Suvorov, ''Ledokol''], audio book
* {{ru icon}} [http://plgalaxy.co.uk/suvorov/ Viktor Suvorov, ''Ledokol''], audio book
* {{ru icon}} [http://www.suvorovrezun.com/ Viktor Suvorov's new homepage]
* {{ru icon}} [http://www.suvorovrezun.com/ Viktor Suvorov's new homepage]

* {{ru icon}} [http://www.litportal.ru/index.html?a=2485&t=12047 Виктор Грызун – Как Виктор Суворов сочинял историю].
* {{ru icon}} [http://www.litportal.ru/index.html?a=2485&t=12047 Виктор Грызун – Как Виктор Суворов сочинял историю].
* {{ru icon}} [http://hedrook.vho.org/hoffmann Иоахим Гофман. "Сталинская истребительная война"].


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
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Revision as of 08:27, 29 June 2011

Vladimir Bogdanovich Rezun
Notable worksAquarium, Icebreaker

Viktor Suvorov (Russian: Ви́ктор Суво́ров) is the pen name for Vladimir Bogdanovich Rezun (Russian: Влади́мир Богда́нович Резу́н, Ukrainian: Volodymyr Bohdanovych Rizun, Володимир Богданович Різун) (born April 20, 1947 in Primorsky Krai), a former Soviet and now British writer of Russian and Ukrainian descent who writes primarily in Russian, as well as a former Soviet spy who defected to the UK. Suvorov made his name writing books about Soviet history, the Soviet Army, GRU, and Spetsnaz.

Suvorov's assertion is that Joseph Stalin originally planned to use Nazi Germany as a proxy (the “Icebreaker”) against the West. For this reason Stalin provided material and political support to Adolf Hitler, while at the same time preparing his Red Army for an offensive against Nazi Germany and further against the entire Western Europe. Suvorov argued that Hitler had no choice but to direct a unexpected preemptive strike at the Soviet Union, what we know today as Operation Barbarossa. In the end, Stalin was able to achieve some of his objectives by establishing Communist regimes in Eastern Europe and Asia. However this victory according to Suvorov was unsatisfying to Stalin, as he intended to bring Soviet domination to the whole Europe.

Suvorov's assertions remain a matter of debate among historians.

Biography

Suvorov began his service in the Soviet Army's 41st Guards Tank Division,[1] and worked in Soviet military intelligence[citation needed] (GRU) before defecting to the United Kingdom in 1978, where he worked as an intelligence analyst and lecturer. At the time he was working in Geneva, Switzerland under United Nations cover. Rezun was smuggled out of the country to England with his wife and two young children. A career soldier, he had participated in the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and had later supervised the training of the elite Spetsnaz special forces. He had also undertaken missions in Munich, Rome, Basel, Amsterdam, Vienna and Hamburg.[2]

Publications and ideas

Books about the Cold War era

Suvorov has written several books about his Soviet Army experiences and also joined the team led by the British General Sir John Hackett in writing the book The Third World War: The Untold Story.[3] Published in 1982, this book was the sequel to the 1978 original The Third World War,[4] in which Hackett and his team had speculated about the possible course of a Soviet/NATO war in Germany.

Suvorov made his name writing books about the contemporary Soviet Army, GRU, and Spetsnaz (Soviet Army's special forces). His publications included Aquarium, GRU, and The Liberators.

Historical works about the World War II

Main article: Soviet offensive plans controversy

Suvorov wrote many books about about the outbreak of the Nazi-Soviet War in 1941 and circumstances that led to it. The first such work was Icebreaker, with many others to follow. Suvorov's assertion is that Joseph Stalin originally planned to use Nazi Germany as a proxy (the “Icebreaker”) against the West. For this reason Stalin provided material and political support to Adolf Hitler, while at the same time preparing his Red Army for an offensive against Nazi Germany and further against the entire Western Europe. Suvorov argued that Hitler had no choice but to direct a unexpected preemptive strike at the Soviet Union, what we know today as Operation Barbarossa. In the end, Stalin was able to achieve some of his objectives by establishing Communist regimes in Eastern Europe and Asia. However this victory according to Suvorov was unsatisfying to Stalin, as he intended to bring Soviet domination to the whole Europe.

Suvorov's assertions remain a matter of debate among historians, and the final result of the debate is not yet clear. See Soviet offensive plans controversy for details on the debate.

In some countries, particularly in Russia, Germany and Israel, Suvorov's controversial theses have jumped the bounds of academic discourse and captured the public imagination.[5]

Fictional books

Suvorov wrote some fiction set in World War II era in the Soviet Union.

See also

Bibliography

Books by Viktor Suvorov

About Cold War era Soviet Union

The series about the outbreak of the Nazi-Soviet War

About the Soviet historical figures

  • Shadow of Victory (Тень победы), questions the image of Georgy Zhukov. The first book of trilogy with the same name.
  • I Take My Words Back (Беру Свои Слова Обратно), questions the image of Georgy Zhukov. The second book of "Shadow of Victory" trilogy.
  • Cleansing (Очищение). Why did Stalin behead his army?, Moscow, 2002, ISBN 5-17-009254-7

Fiction

References

  1. ^ Isby, D.C., Ten million bayonets: inside the armies of the Soviet Union, Arms and Armour Press, London, 1988 p.15, Isby
  2. ^ Sir Dick Franks. Saboteur with the Special Operations Executive who went on to become Chief of MI6 during the Cold War – Obituary, published by Daily Telegraph on October 19, 2008
  3. ^ The Third World War: The Untold Story ISBN 0-283-98863-0
  4. ^ The Third World War ISBN 0-425-04477-7
  5. ^ Teddy J. Uldricks. The Icebreaker Controversy: Did Stalin Plan to Attack Hitler? Slavic Review, Vol. 58, No. 3 (Autumn, 1999), pp. 626-643

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