This study explores the organization, history and uniforms of the
Soviet Red Army during the 20 years between its victory in the Civil War
and the invasion of the USSR by Germany in 1941.
The two decades following the Bolshevik victory over the 'Whites' in the
Russian Civil War saw widespread and fundamental developments for the
Red Army. Nevertheless, these still left it largely unready to face
Germany's Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. Having been reduced in
size and planning for modernization, the Red Army of the 1920s was
employed to ruthlessly crush anti-Bolshevik opposition (real or
suspected) in several regions of the USSR, notably Ukraine and Central
Asia, and to fight a brief border war against Chinese Manchuria.
During the 1930s, Stalin virtually 'beheaded' the army by a needless
series of murderous purges of the officer class; despite this, the Red
Army was victorious in clashes against Imperial Japan in the Nomonhan
region in 1938-39, where General Zhukov earned his spurs.
Simultaneously, the Soviet Union sent instructors and pilots to fight
for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39).
The non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany allowed Stalin to take over
half of Poland in September 1939; but a few months later his 'Winter
War' against Finland demonstrated serious inadequacies in the Red Army's
readiness for modern warfare, which would be shockingly confirmed in the
first days of Operation Barbarossa. Using rare photos and detailed
colour artwork, this study explores the interwar history of the Red
Army, describing its campaigns, organization and uniforms, and focusing
on the 20 years between its victory in the Civil War and the invasion of
the USSR by Germany in 1941.
