Part 3. TEN DAYS OF SUMMER 1941 TUESDAY, 17 JUNE That fearsome year, day of 17 June was a Tuesday. Usual summer work day. Headers of the central Soviet newspapers breathed with serenity quite close to boredom. The editorial in “Izvestiya” was entitled: “On Kolkhoz consumer goods and local initiative”.

FOREWORD Late in the 1930’s the Soviet Union was living in the expectation of a war — the war unavoidable and close. 24 February 1939, to the next anniversary of the Red Army creation, the main governmental newspaper “Izvestiya” published a large article remarkably entitled “Wars fair and unfair”. ......

Part 2. THE PEACE IS WAR AGREEMENT ABOUT PEACE OR «PACE PAUSE»? 29 March 1940, speaking at a session of the USSR Supreme Council , head of the USSR government and Narkom of foreign affairs V.M.Molotov finished his report to the «top organ of legislative authority» in the section devoted to war with Finland, by the following word....

At dawn of 22 June, 1941 troops of Hitler’s Germany invaded the USSR. Three weeks thereafter, German generals could state that a first task set in the plan “Barbarossa” («Major Russian land forces deployed in the Western Russia must be destroyed in bold operations by way of deep rapid advance of tank spearheads. The retreat of battle-capable enemy forces into the wide expanses of the Russian territory must be prevented…») was mostly accomplished.