In 1933, as Hitler gained power, the Soviet government decided to increase the size of their armed forces. By 1935 it had grown to 1,300,000 men along with 10,000 tanks and 5,000 planes. After Lenin died and it was decided that the old Russian army was to be disarmed. It was reformed into the Red Army. Many officers of the former Russian army were reassigned to the Red Army due to the need of experienced officers. During WWII Russia trained and used more snipers than any other army. Snipers were invaluable in the Battle of Stalingrad. The ruined buildings and collapsed frames gave great cover and protection from being spotted. By 1941 the Red Army was 3,000,000 men strong. Before 1942 Germany began their invasion. The attack had three groups. One was to go north to Leningrad, the second to Moscow, and the third to head south to the Ukraine. Stalin executed any officer that he deemed incompetent to lead. At its peak in WWII the Red Army had 12.5 million women serve in the Red Army. Many were snipers. Close to 20 million citizens of Russia served World War II.  |
Cited from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdLhNomQQS8  |
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