The German-Soviet War revises the conflict's generally accepted understanding through case-studies, demonstrating the complexity of the war at the local level. The contributors assembled by Jeff Rutherford and Robert von Maier examine the multiplicity of experiences of individuals caught in this savage war, starting with the German war of annihilation launched against Soviet state and society in June 1941.

This detailed collection demonstrates that the particular nature of the war in the east resulted from an intertwining of military, ideological, and and economic motives. The German-Soviet War puts Germany's murderous policies towards Soviet Jews and prisoners of war, and the justification for these policies and actions within the ranks of the army, into the larger context of battlefield events.

The negelected topic of the devastatingly destructive German scorched earth retreats receives detailed analysis, demonstrating the importance of ideology and economic thinking in the army's war. The difficulty in reconciling economic and ideological considerations also played a prominent role in Soviet attempts to rebuild after the war. The German-Soviet War not only brings attention to these destructive events, but also revises the general narrative of the war.

By internationalizing the conflict through examinations into the various Axis and Allied nations and peoples who participated in the fighting, the volume provides new ways of conceptualizing their motivations, actions, and importance in its eventual outcome.Together, the contributions to The German-Soviet War provide new ways of examining the defining conflict of the Second World War.