Thread by @chessninja

The 2010 Russian WWII documentary, "Soviet Storm: World War II in the East" mentions near the start, if briefly, that "Stalin and Hitler had been allies" and "had reached an agreement." Both statements would be close to illegal in Russia now.

Of course they don't mention what the agreement was, nothing re dividing up Poland. No mention of the names Molotov or Ribbentrop. But Hitler and Stalin having been allies until Hitler invaded is an uncomfortable truth that Putin has been trying to re-bury for years.

I bet that line is gone if it's still available in Russia at all. Too tired for screencaps, but there are some excellent mustaches on some of the reenactment actors. And some of the documentary footage is probably Soviet archive exclusive.

It's also pretty straight about Stalin executing various Soviet military leaders after the war, several of whom had been captured early in the first Nazi offensive and had been POW for years. Nothing in-depth, but not the rehab Stalin has been enjoying in recent years.

No coincidence this doc starts with the German invasion of the USSR in June 1941. Obv a huge turning point, but also conveniently avoids mention of Stalin's invasion of Poland & Baltics, Finland, the Katyn massacre, etc. in 1940.

These days in Russia you'd think WWII started in June 1941, the way Americans think Dec 7, 1941. But at least Pearl Harbor really was the start of direct US participation. The Red Army had been fighting-as an aggressor, allied with Hitler-for almost 2 years before Barbarossa.

It's only December 1941 and I've already lost count of how many Soviet commanders were "arrested and later shot" for dereliction of duty, cowardice, suspected of collaboration, etc. Who were the highest ranking Allied officers to suffer such a fate? Court-martialed? Any?

In his book Deserters, Charles Glass estimated that "150,000 - 100,000 British and 50,000 Americans" deserted during WWII, which shocked me mostly because it had never occurred to me. Not an aspect of war that gets covered in most history books or by Hollywood.

Similarly, how many Soviet officers killed themselves instead of being captured by the Nazis. I guess if you knew that the Nazis would torture you and Stalin would kill you if you survived, might just get it over with.

This doc, after mentioning Stalin sent thanks to Lukin for the defense of Moscow after he was freed from a Nazi prison camp in 1945: "Stalin was not always so generous with those who had surrendered to the Germans." Yeah, not always.