x In the end, Stalin chose to sign a nonaggression treaty with Germany
that included secret provisions carving up Poland between them and
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after the agreement was signed, German tanks rolled into Poland,
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x A main reason why Stalin choose to side with Hitler, especially when
there were signs that Hitler would eventually turn against Russia, was
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Hitler were negotiating. Stalin viewed Japan as a perennial threat on
his eastern frontier and feared a two-front war against Japan in the
east and Germany in the west. Khalkhin Gol therefore played a key
role in initiating World War II in Western Europe.
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that stripped the Russian military of almost all its experienced
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nonaggression treaty and invaded Russia in June 1941, these purges
had left the Russian army ill-prepared to resist.
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were dispatched to the western front, where they had a major part
in stopping Hitler’s invading armies: the troops who had fought at
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his success at Khalkhin Gol, he was appointed Chief of the General
Staff, and in that role, he applied his experience and knowledge of
integrated massed infantry, tanks, artillery, and aircraft to rally the
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x The eastern troops and equipment were essential, as well. Khalkhin
Gol provided a testing ground for many new weapons, particularly
tanks. At Khalkhin Gol, the Russians were able to try out some of
their new designs for armored vehicles and to learn to install in
their tanks large cannon and hatches that could be locked from the
inside. When the Germans invaded, the nastiest surprise was the