On May 12, 1942, six Soviet armies advanced unopposed toward German lines.
“We advanced on and on without meeting any resistance. We kept marching and marching, we didn't give much thought to the fact there weren't any Germans around. We thought we were marching towards Berlin. In fact, the Germans were luring us into a trap. We had big losses.”
- Boris Vitman, 671st Artillery Regiment, Red Army
Then the Germans closed in, catching several hundred thousand Soviet soldiers in an immense encirclement. Stalin refused to let his generals pull back once the German plan became clear, and his ambitious offensive ended in catastrophe. As usual, the Soviet leader refused to take responsibility for his mistakes.
