1944 went down in the history of the Patriotic War as the year of “ten Stalinist blows” and “decisive victories.” It’s always nice to remember victories. Therefore, they talked, wrote, and filmed willingly and a lot about the 1944 campaign: about the genius of Soviet commanders, about the heroism of the Red Army, which single-handedly saved Europe, and the treachery of the allies, who put a spoke in the wheels, about the peoples who joyfully greeted the liberators. This is the ceremonial side of the coin, which is on display for public viewing and the education of younger generations. However, there was another, flip side to the medal: even in the “victorious 44th” there were enough failed operations that are not usually remembered, and mediocre generals, and glaring mistakes, and senseless losses: “The losses of the Red Army in 1944 amounted to , according to incomplete data, 6.5 million soldiers and officers were killed and wounded, that is, as in previous years, the active army was “expended” by 100 percent. Surpassing the Third Reich in human resources by two and a half times, the USSR began conscripting seventeen-year-old boys at the same time as Germany. Wehrmacht losses on all fronts during the same period amounted to 1.6 million people..." A new book by a popular author is the bitter truth about the Great Patriotic War, a reminder of the terrible price of the victorious 1944 and the bloody underbelly of Stalin's triumphs.