The lies of defeated Nazi generals helped give many in the Western military a view of the Red Army as a massive horde overwhelming its enemies with sheer numbers. In reality, the Soviets fielded some very good formations every bit as skilled as any other army's elite. But when numbers were required to carry out a mission, the Red Army was willing and able to put them in the field.

The nature of democratic and communist societies has bred a number of misconceptions amid the things the "everyone knows." The Red Army was not totally heedless of casualties, but willing to suffer them in pursuit of victory when necessary. It only had to satisfy its authoritarian leaders, who could demand sacrifice well past any rational point if they so chose. The U.S. Army, conversely, was not afraid to bleed as it proved repeatedly in World War II and in Korea and Vietnam. But as the armed instrument of a democratic society, it had to be ready to justify the cost to the American people. When the cost could not be justified, the war would be lost, no matter what the opinion of the country's leaders.