World Battlefronts: BATTLE OF RUSSIA: Meat of History

In the morning, Red tankmen chipped ice off the treads and gun barrels. Their breath was cotton-thick in the chill air; their polushubki (half-coats) were stiff with frost. The cold had come late. But now, in some sectors, this was the harshest winter in a century.

The tanks, mobile guns, trucks rolled forward again, across the flatlands and icebound marshes. With blank eyes the men watched the burning enemy tanks, the sidings lined with freight cars from France, Poland, Belgium, Holland, the black-and-yellow posts marked Deutschland, planted on Russian soil by the confident...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!