>>50156
This thread was posted when this board was more lively, we had some users, all quite knowledgeable with their unique perspective. They give breddy gud opinions, worth a read me thinks.

>>50149
>Soviet Union's incompetence and Hitler's insanity
Both are frequently stated but both seems like topoi. Nor the SU was incompetent, neither Hitler insane.
Yes, the SU on all levels did fuckups but they adapted quick, they had vision, and breddy gud ideas.
Yes Hitler's health deteriorated by the end of the war, but he never was insane. Not like Stalin, who was a megalomaniac psychopath without a question.
>massively advantageous
Sure, but free land for a country which had nothing but lands is 20th grade in importance. But yes there were many advantages.
>They were still using the preWW1 playbook.
No. They were after Khalkhin-Gol, check that battle out. The Soviets were thinking in mobile warfare, with combined arms action. All their units were motorized at least, and large formations mechanized. Their infantry and artillery used trucks to get around (when not traveling thousands of kms on rails) meanwhile most German infantry was still tramping on foot, and their guns and howitzers were towed by horses.
They payed large price in Finland because the terrain and Finnish defense use of the terrain denied the mobility and the actual combined use of the arms. The fortified lines of the Finns were very similar to the Stalin line, except was less grandiose.
>Russian Generals are aggressive idiots.
Nod really. They beat the Whites and the Intervention. The stance in geostrategy changed. They built up large military, successfully beat Japan (which defeated the Tsarist Russia them at the beginning of the century), Stalin felt it's was time to go on the offensive everywhere.