The Most Brutal War in Human History

World War II’s Eastern Front had atrocities that are forever unmatched

The Battle of Leningrad — From John Erickson on the Public Domain

In the European front of World War II, there were almost two separate wars: the Western Front versus the Eastern Front. The Western Front had significantly fewer casualties, and Nazi forces actually surrendered when they lost. The Eastern Front was the site of large-scale atrocities and war crimes, according to Evan Andrews at History. The Eastern Front had both Germans and Soviets flout international law, with Germans often having no reservations about killing civilians while the Nazi Army tried to take over Russia. The Soviets, in the latter stages of the war, were intent on not only matching but even surpassing the atrocities of the Nazis.

World War II’s Eastern Front was the most brutal war in human history.

Historian Samuel Mitchum outlines this contrast vividly — towards the end of the war, when any rational Nazi soldier or officer knew they were going to lose, many would readily surrender to the Allied Forces on the Western Front. On the Eastern Front, however, they knew they were going to be treated horribly and likely die if captured by the Soviets. Nazi soldiers on the Eastern Front, then, largely fought to the death.