Mikhail Ilyich Kazakov - one of the veterans of the Soviet Armed Forces, a participant in the civil and Great Patriotic Wars. During the Patriotic War, he was the chief of staff of the front, commanded the 69th and then the 10th Guards armies. All this allowed him to accumulate many interesting observations, which he shares with readers. The focus of the author of the book is the best representatives of creative military thought, outstanding Soviet commanders. Of particular interest are the sharp, fundamental disputes reproduced here about the ways of building and strengthening our army, taking place in the Kremlin and in the General Staff on the eve of the war - in late 1940 - early 1941. The chapters on the difficult situation in the Voronezh direction in 1942 make a vivid impression, about the Kharkov operation in February - March 1943, about a radical turning point during the war, successful actions of the Steppe Front and the offensive of the Bryansk Front from Desna to the Dnieper.