Understanding the history of the Great Patriotic War as the most important element of historical consciousness formation and education improvement (book review: The great bend of the Don. The place of decisive battles of the Great Patriotic War in 1942-1943 [text] / G. G. Matishov, V. I. Afanasenko, E. F. Krinko, M. V. Medvedev. - Rostov-on-Don : Publishing House of SSC RAS, 2016. - 454 p.)

For the first time in the historiography, the problem of armed confrontation between the Red Army and the Wehrmacht is covered systematically and taking into account multiple factors, from the point of view of influence of geographic, political, demographic, social and economic conditions on the course of hostilities. The authors revive the memory of almost forgotten in the national historiography major tank battles of July 1942 on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front and prove that the number of armored vehicles and personnel strength is comparable with the most famous tank battle of Prokhorovka 1943. Assessing Order 227, the authors note that with this Order Stalin rejected the ideology of the “scythian war”, expressed in ideas about the vastness of the territory, unlimitedness of grains, the possibility of luring the enemy deep into the vast country. The book describes in detail the part in the armed struggle Romanian, Italian, Hungarian and other troops on the Soviet-German front. In Eastern Europe their actions in modern historiography are considered to be heroic. The problem of lend-lease on the southern flank of the Soviet-German front via the “Persian corridor” is analyzed by the authors. The book analyzes such components of the General problems of military daily life as a front-line everyday life, organization of health services. Without a comprehensive analysis of all the circumstances, it is impossible to understand the general course of military operations, to explain the reasons of the defeats and victories of the Red Army.