I have seen a million memes and comments about how in WWII Russia just threw bodies and resources at the Germans and won only because they sacrificed millions of lives, tanks, planes, etc... (the implication being that Russia only won because of sacrificing their own citizens). Is any of that true?

by Spam4119

Was a war of attrition like this part of the Russian leadership's plan? Did they view and treat their soldiers as expendable like that?

If so, please provide sources as to the overarching strategy they were trying to employ... If not... where did this idea that Russia just used their service members as bullet sponges come from? And why is this narrative so prevalent even today?

AdmiralAkbar1

This may not be a perfect answer to your question, but here's an old post by /u/FreeCapone which goes in-depth on the nature of Soviet battle strategy, and how it was way more than simple human waves.