The rise of the Third Reich was one of history's most terrifying events. Less than twenty years after Germany's defeat in World War I, and despite the humiliating restrictions imposed by the Versailles treaty, German military might arose out of the chaos of the Weimar Republic to threaten the world again. How was Fascist Germany able to arm itself so quickly and to escape detection by the outside world?

In this new book, based on once secret archives of the former Soviet Union, the revival of the German armed forces - known as the Wehrmacht - is shown to have depended largely on the assistance of the Soviet Union. Russian historians Dyakov and Bushuyeva publish here for the first time Soviet documents that detail the training of German forces and the building of new equipment, such as tanks and airplanes, in a shroud of secrecy on Soviet territory.

The documents reveal that the foundation of Hitler's army was put together with the cooperation of the upper echelon of the Red Army and the Soviet Politburo, including Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin. This unspoken alliance, which changed the course of world history, has remained a secret - until now. The authors make a convincing case that had it not been for Soviet aid, Hitler's military buildup would not have been possible and World War II may well have been averted.