The Claws of the Bear
By Brian Moynahan
In this vivid account of the Soviet military, acclaimed historian Brian Moynahan reveals the truth about the world’s most powerful army.
From its beginnings as the Red Army after the Russian Revolution of 1917 to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, The Claws of the Bear digs deep into the history of this military colossus, its hardware, the ethos of its officers, and its strategies and ambitions. Covering the greatest battles of the Second World War, communism, Gorbachev’s sacking of senior officers, the Great Purge of the late 1930s and the evolution of the army under Joseph Stalin, this astonishing book is the most comprehensive ever written on the Soviet Army.
Analysing the invasion of Afghanistan and Russia’s strained relationship with Czechoslovakia, Moynahan explores the realities of the USSR at the peak of its powers, while the menacing figures of Trotsky, Stalin, Beria, Khrushchev et al haunting the pages of Moynahan’s compelling popular history.
Brian Moynahan (1941-2018) was a historian and the European editor of the Sunday Times. As a foreign correspondent, he covered many modern crisis points first hand. He graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in History.