Radio War Nerd EP 534 — Stalin's Officer Purges & Decapitation Strikes, feat. Annibale

What this episode covers

Guest: AnnibaleRecorded: July 3, 2025 Annibale returns to RWN to weigh in on the effect of Stalin's purges of the Soviet senior officer command on the USSR's military capabilities and its early disastrous response to Operation Barbarossa. We ask if "decapitation strikes" really work as advertised, and along the way, we rate mammals vs dinosaurs. Books mentioned:- Russia's War , by Richard Overy- The Labyrinth : Memoirs of Walter Schellenberg, Hitler's Chief of Counterintelligence More listening on WWII:- Annibale's Battle of Kursk series- Annibale's Operation Bagration series- Annibale's Italy on the Eastern Front series Total time: 1:20:34Direct link to this episode's mp3 here * Subscribe to Radio War Nerd at patreon.com/radiowarnerd Sound production by Telescope Audio Check out the Radio War Nerd Merch store here ! Order your print or ebook of John Dolan's new book Erdogan Pizza: Dispatches from a Violent & Grotesque World

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