Thanks to efforts of filmmakers and journalists, a whole series of clichés and stereotypes about the Second World War has been created—ones that don’t hold up to any serious criticism. Aleksey Isaev examines some of the most striking myths about the greatest war in human history: the mechanisms of the “blitzkrieg,” the role of automatic weapons in the armies of different states, the tallies of ace fighters, the combat use of tanks and cavalry, the first steps of jet aviation. Designed for a broad audience interested in military and political history of the 1930s–40s of the last century.