The late John Erickson was based at the University of Edinburgh where he was Professor Emeritus and Honorary Fellow in Defence Studies. He was an internationally renowned lecturer, writer and broadcaster on Russian and German history. Among his books are Stalin's War with Germany (two volumes: The Road to Stalingrad and The Road to Berlin), a groundbreaking addition to military history that has not been out of print since its first publication in the UK more than twenty years ago. Ljubica Erickson spent many years acting in concert with her husband researching Russian military affairs, in particular the Soviet Army and the Soviet - German war. Her knowledge of the Russian language has greatly facilitated this work. She co-wrote The Soviet Armed Forces 1918-1992: A Research Guide to Soviet Sources (1996, Greenwood Press) with John.

Foreword; 1939-1941 Dangerous Deceptions; 1941 Catastrophe; 1942 Recovery; 1943 The Turning Point; 1944 Liberation, Conquest; 1945 Joy and Sorrow; Index; Acknowledgements.