The decision to attack the Soviet Union was one of Hitler's most critical, and it changed the world. It resulted, for one thing, in Great Britain and the United states becoming Stalin 's allies. The stubbornness of Hitler on the face of the military disaster, for another thing, resulted in the German high commands becoming the instrument of the fuehrer's megalomania during the last phase of the battle for Moscow. The juxtaposition of events are as reported in the press, with the historical accounts, make fascinating reading. Accounts of Napoleon 's similar disastrous campaign are run side by side for comparison. -- From the book jacket.