Nazi Germany threw men and equipment against Russia in unprecedented numbers in World War II. This is the story of the ordinary and extraordinary men and women soldiers of Russia: the snipers who engaged in duels in No Man's Land; Cossack cavalry regiments crossing the ice at night to raid ammunition dumps; pilots out of ammunition using their propellers to cut off the tailplanes of enemy aircraft; and more. Using interviews and primary evidence collected in Russia, Albert Axell tells the story of the Eastern Front as it unfolded, interweaving his accounts of individual exploits with the progress of the war itself.