The world of books about the Great Patriotic War was replenished with a unique publication: the famous historian V. V. Pokhlebkin compiled a military and foreign policy reference book "The Great War and the Failed Peace 1941 - 1945 - 1994", which is published by the publishing house Art-Business Center. This handbook is undoubtedly of great interest to both professional historians and war veterans, as well as to the modern generation of Russians.It will serve as a good help to anyone who is interested in Russian history. But it is very annoying that it contains omissions, inaccuracies and even gross distortions of the historical truth along with valuable and often unique factual material. In order not to be unfounded, I would like to give a number of examples. Speaking, for example, about the events of the Battle of Stalingrad, V. V. Pokhlebkin never mentioned the date of the beginning of this grandiose battle - July 17, 1942. Covering the question of the creation by the Supreme Command Headquarters of two shock groups of Soviet troops-one (the first) to the north-west of Stalingrad, and the other (the second) to the south of it-the author did not indicate that the first group included the South-Western Front in addition to the Don (p.46). The author described the transition of the Red Army to the counteroffensive at Stalingrad as follows :" At 8: 50 a.m. on November 19, after a powerful... After artillery preparation, both shock groups of Soviet troops quickly broke through the defenses of the Romanian armies (operating on the flanks of the 6th German Army - F. T.) and, heading for the city of Kalach, by November 22 they had completely closed the ring" (p. 47). There are a number of inaccuracies in this passage. On the specified day, only the first shock group of Soviet troops - the Don and South-Western Fronts-went on the offensive, and consequently, artillery preparation on that day was carried out only by the artillery of these fronts. As for the second shoc ... Read more