Part 8/10:
No discussion about the Soviet-German conflict in World War II is complete without considering the human element — the soldiers' motivations and the fierce resistance exhibited by Soviet forces serve as critical components of the narrative. The resilience of Soviet soldiers, propelled by a fight for survival against a genocidal adversary, was a powerful motivator during the conflict. The knowledge that capture equated to death galvanized the fighting spirit among Soviet troops— turning them into tenacious defenders of their homeland. This stark contrast to earlier Russian military defeats, such as during World War I, suggests that human factors played a crucial role alongside structural and strategic considerations in shaping outcomes.