While the battalion was engaged in the Battle of the Bulge, its braver

A is using double negatives - not unlike... doesn't that make it the "not to be preferred choice"? Between A and E, I chose E.

Hi

when we are comparing two nouns, here bravery of two set of people, we should use like and not AS..
As is used for comparison of ACTIONS..

Double negation is OK. Not unlike and like mean slightly different..
degree of similarity may be more in usage of LIKE as compared to Not unlike..

Irrespective of this minute difference, it is better to use not unlike than use as incorrectly..

not unlike = like
bravery was like that (bravery) of Russians.
A looks good
B - compares bravery of the battalion with Russians. not good
C - same mistake
D - for fighting - A looks better.
E - incorrect usage of "as" in comparison.

A is the answer.

(A)not unlike that of its Russian counterparts, who fought
(B)not like its Russian counterparts, who fought ( wrong comparison)
(C)like its Russian counterparts and their fight (wrong comparison)
(D)like that of its Russian counterparts for fighting
(E)as that of its Russian counterparts, who fought

E is incorrect, since it uses ‘as’ to compare nouns.
B is very wrong. It completely reverses the meaning of the sentence.
C compares ‘bravery’ to ‘its Russian counterparts’.
D is correct but ‘for fighting’ seems awkward.
A is the better choice.

daagh sir. Evereything is okay, but is not the "while" creating contrast? Please explain.

Prakhar
does it always? While I eat my breakfast, I take tea. What is the contrast here?
It is simply a declarative word meaning 'when', a marker of simultaneity
A true contrast will reflect one positive and one negative factor such as in 1. While A is good, B is bad, 'While I take whiskey normally, my brother takes only the Vodka".
--While A is good, B is good -- doesn't show any contrast.
Similarly, in the battalion case, its bravery is not in contrast to those of Russian counterparts. One is as much as those of others.

Hope this helps.

Official Explanation:
Read the Original Sentence Carefully, Looking for Errors:
The word "unlike" tells us that this sentence is creating a comparison. When two items are being compared, make sure they are logically similar and in parallel form. The sentence as written compares the battalion's bravery to the bravery ("that of") its Russian counterparts, which meets the requirements of a proper comparison. Presume (A) is the right choice, but look through the other choices to confirm that are no other errors that were overlooked.
Scan and Group the Answer Choices:
(B) and (C) create an invalid comparison between the battalion's bravery and its Russian counterparts, and may be eliminated immediately. It is illogical to compare bravery to people. (A), (D), and (E) all retain the correct phrase to compare the battalion's bravery to “that of its Russian counterparts” and should therefore be examined more closely.
Eliminate Wrong Answer Choices:
The phrase “for fighting” in (D) is ambiguous; exactly who fought off the Germans? Additionally, "like that of..." is stronger than the original "not unlike that.." and therefore changes the meaning of the sentence slightly. (E) uses an incorrect construction to make the comparison. It's correct to say "was like that of" or, in this case, "was not unlike that of"; it's never correct to say "was as that of."
(A) is correct.
TAKEAWAY: Comparisons are often tested on the GMAT. Look out for them, and take a moment to be clear on what exactly is being compared. Make sure the comparison is between logically similar items, and that the items are described in parallel form.

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