# What If Stalin attacked Hitler First?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-stalin-attacked-hitler-first/630612>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [August 6, 2012, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-stalin-attacked-hitler-first/630612 "2012-08-06T13:33:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-stalin-attacked-hitler-first/630612/41 "2012-08-12T01:14:21Z")

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> [@Cicero](#):
>
> Of course the Red Army was spread out over the frontier. How else was it supposed to stop the German Army? It was not the surprise that imagined in some quarters that there was not to be an attack by the Germans. Are you going to group them and allow the Germans to encircle you extremely easily?
> 
> As for the Red Army not bringing up reserves- do you have a cite for this?
> 
> If you read this under “Secret Deployments” you will find ample evidence of Soviet mobilization. Whether you agree with Suvorov or not, it is clear that there was movement of Soviet Forces. Whether or not that was for invasion or to deflect an expected attack is arguable but it does not support your unsubstantiated post.

I’m not 100% sure what you’re saying. So excuse me if I don’t address your concerns.

I’m not disputing that the Soviets were mobilizing in 1941. Nor do I dispute they were bringing up reserves (what I wrote was they weren’t bringing up _transportation_ reserves).

My point is that there is one way an army gets ready to attack and a different way an army gets ready to defend against an attack. (My previous post outlined some of the details of this.) The Red Army in the summer of 1941 was doing the latter - it was getting ready to defend itself against a German attack not launch an attack against the Germans.

I’ve read Suvorov’s book. I join the consensus of most historians in feeling he didn’t make his case - at least the critical portion of it. Nobody disputes that Stalin was evil and nobody disputes that Stalin was getting ready for a war in 1941. But the critical difference where Suvorov differs from almost all other historians is his claim that Stalin was getting ready for an offensive war. And Suvorov doesn’t provide anywhere near enough evidence to support this (and he ignores evidence to the contrary).

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