Vintage 1985 Soviet Book: Great Patriotic War Handbook (1941–1945) | Tsar to Soviet Books

Classic 1985 Soviet Military Encyclopedia: "The Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"

For military historians, collectors of Eastern Front publications, and researchers of Soviet archival documentation, this 1985 original Soviet hardcover encyclopedia is a foundational single-volume reference. Published in Moscow by Politizdat (Издательство политической литературы), The Great Patriotic War 1941–1945: Dictionary-Handbook (Великая Отечественная война 1941–1945: Словарь-справочник) was compiled to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Victory in Europe under the general editorship of Lieutenant General M. M. Kiryan.

Bound in textured light-grey boards featuring bold red and black constructivist "41–45" cover graphics, this 528+ page double-column volume brings together over 2,000 detailed entries on every dimension of the Soviet war effort.

Battle Operations, Red Army Biographies & Home-Front War Industry This volume serves as an exhaustive historical compendium of the 1941–1945 war on the Eastern Front:

• Tactical & Strategic Operations: Comprehensive alphabetical entries covering major ground offenses, naval landings, and defensive operations, including the Battle of Moscow, the Defense of Sevastopol, Stalingrad, the Kursk Salient, Operation Bagration, and the Battle of Berlin.

• Military Leadership & Heroism: Biographical sketches of frontline marshals (Zhukov, Vasilevsky, Rokossovsky), army commanders, partisan leaders, and decorated soldiers, pilots, and intelligence operatives.

• Rear-Guard Industrial Mobilization: Specialized corporate and factory entries documenting the evacuation and production output of Soviet industrial plants, including the Krasnoye Sormovo tank works, Factory No. 92 artillery foundries, and aviation complexes producing Il-2 and Yak fighters.

• Documentary Appendices: Includes an extensive chronological table tracing pivotal wartime resolutions by the State Defense Committee (ГКО), diplomatic exchanges among Allied powers (USA, UK, USSR), and frontline communiqués from June 22, 1941 through September 2, 1945.

Complete Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Великая Отечественная война 1941–1945: Словарь-справочник (The Great Patriotic War 1941–1945: Dictionary-Handbook)

• General Editor: Lt. Gen. M. M. Kiryan, Dr. of Military Sciences (генерал-лейтенант М. М. Кирьян)

• Editorial Board: A. I. Kotelenets, L. G. Belyaeva, N. S. Gudkova, Yu. I. Kharchenko

• Publisher: "Politizdat" (Издательство политической литературы, Moscow; printed by Красный пролетарий)

• Publication Date: 1985 (Moscow, USSR)

• Language: Russian

• Binding: Original publisher's graphic textured hardcover

• Page Count: 528+ pages (double-column encyclopedic layout) with chronological chronology and bibliography

• Classification: Soviet Military History / World War II & Eastern Front / Reference Dictionaries