I knew Hitler was a back stabber but.

[Brian37]

I was just watching a documentary on the sick fuck, not that Stalin was any  better. But I did not know before Hitler invaded Poland he had signed a non aggression pact with Russia/Stalin, only to later stupidly try to invade Russia. It's a good thing assholes are stupid.

[Alexmahone]

It was the Soviet Union, not Russia at the time. The German invasion of the Soviet Union during World War 2 is called Operation Barbarossa.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

For Historiography class at Purdue I did "The Effects of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on Soviet Cinema". (The class was on cinema in history.) It was quite fun.

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BTW, the Soviets got eastern Poland. This pushed back northern Wehrmacht forces. They had farther to go to reach Leningrad, and Zhukhov (iirc) had time to set up defenses for the 900-day siege. 

Claims that it also kept them from taking Moscow are made by people with poor map reading skills.

[Minimalist]

There's a guy with a theory that Stalin was planning to attack Germany from the rear later in the year once they were fully engaged with the Western Allies.  Can't remember his name though.   Certainly the Red Army in 1941 could not have inspired that kind of confidence.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

There's a guy with a theory that Stalin was planning to attack Germany from the rear later in the year once they were fully engaged with the Western Allies.  Can't remember his name though.   Certainly the Red Army in 1941 could not have inspired that kind of confidence.

See it. Weak. Just another conspiracy theory. WW2F.com has records of the discussion on that.

[Brian37]

It was the Soviet Union, not Russia at the time. The German invasion of the Soviet Union during World War 2 is called Operation Barbarossa.

Ok, but considering how big the Russian/Soviet Union was regardless, Hitler was a self absorbed fuckface.

[popeyespappy]

For Historiography class at Purdue I did "The Effects of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on Soviet Cinema". (The class was on cinema in history.) It was quite fun.

[Minimalist]

Stalin ignored all sorts of warnings that the Germans were going to attack.  The most reasonable explanations I have ever seen for that were,

a) He considered it British disinformation in an attempt to get Russia to join them in the war and,

b) Hitler would have had to be crazy to attack Russia while Britain remained undefeated in the West.

Little did Stalin know that Hitler WAS crazy.

[Brian37]

Stalin ignored all sorts of warnings that the Germans were going to attack.  The most reasonable explanations I have ever seen for that were,

a) He considered it British disinformation in an attempt to get Russia to join them in the war and,

b) Hitler would have had to be crazy to attack Russia while Britain remained undefeated in the West.

Little did Stalin know that Hitler WAS crazy.

Stalin calling Hitler crazy would be like Ted Bundy calling Jeffery Dahmer crazy.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Stalin ignored all sorts of warnings that the Germans were going to attack.  The most reasonable explanations I have ever seen for that were,

a) He considered it British disinformation in an attempt to get Russia to join them in the war and,

b) Hitler would have had to be crazy to attack Russia while Britain remained undefeated in the West.

Little did Stalin know that Hitler WAS crazy.

Richard Sorge, Stalin's spymaster in Japan, told him that the Germans were going to attack Mat Rodina and got the date wrong by 48 hours.