In The Shadow of the Red Banner: Soviet Jews In the War Against Nazi Germany

Over 500,000 Jews fought under the Soviet banner in the Second World War, of which an estimated 40 percent gave their lives – the highest casualty rate of any group in the Soviet Union or any other nation. Yet this history was systematically concealed by the Soviet government. Dr. Arad now sets the record straight on the immense contribution of Soviet Jewry in the battle against Nazi Germany. After outlining the military progress of the war, the book documents the contributions of Soviet Jewry on the battlefronts and in the weapons development industry, in the ghetto undergrounds and in partisan warfare. In addition, the book records the Soviet government’s deliberate attempts to downplay the Jewish effort and the anti-Semitism that Jewish soldiers and partisan groups suffered at the hands of the Soviet establishment, even while giving their lives for their country. Replete with the stories of individual heroes of all ranks, the book repays a debt of gratitude to those who paid the ultimate price to achieve our victory.