08-06-2006, 04:40 PM
subtilted "Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945" by Catherine Merridale.
Copyright 2006.
A Brief review from Amazon:
"This is an excellent book to read in order to understand (in general) what life was like for the average Russian soldier in WWII. The author drew from recently de-classified Russian sources as well as numerous personal interviews with veterans of the Soviet Army.
I was struck many times by the wretched conditions that the Soviets fought in - whether by poor supplies to the front lines (Soviet soldiers were never issued socks, but instead had long "Ace Bandage" type linens that they had to wrap their feet up in), to an uncaring opportunistic Communist bureaucracy that would award a medal as soon as declare you a criminal or simply shoot you. Of course there were many stories from and about the ubiquitous political officers and their attempts at propaganda.
The one thing missing, as has been noted, are the stories of individual actions and "fire-fights". The author attempted to address this as a universal unwillingness of veterans to discuss these aspects with here or simply state that they couldn't remember. I believe her, as the book reveals that WWII on the eastern front was so very brutal, with 1) scorched earth tactics and genocides on both sides, 2) almost no opportunity to escape from the exteme weather conditions, and 3) the ruthless use of manpower by the Russians (some sources state that 15 Soviet soldiers were killed for every 1 German soldier) that fighting was mostly conducted with an animal-like fury that no one wishes to remember."
And my comments:
While not a page-turner it's a nice look at the average Soviet 'grunt' back in the day. So much has been written about the Wehrmacht soldier in Russia it's nice to read about the Red Army soldiers. Some interesting stuff in the book, especially the chapter entitled "Despoil The Corpse" which is all about the Red Army on German soil (in 45). Brutal. Also, a paragraph or two concerning medals.
Copyright 2006.
A Brief review from Amazon:
"This is an excellent book to read in order to understand (in general) what life was like for the average Russian soldier in WWII. The author drew from recently de-classified Russian sources as well as numerous personal interviews with veterans of the Soviet Army.
I was struck many times by the wretched conditions that the Soviets fought in - whether by poor supplies to the front lines (Soviet soldiers were never issued socks, but instead had long "Ace Bandage" type linens that they had to wrap their feet up in), to an uncaring opportunistic Communist bureaucracy that would award a medal as soon as declare you a criminal or simply shoot you. Of course there were many stories from and about the ubiquitous political officers and their attempts at propaganda.
The one thing missing, as has been noted, are the stories of individual actions and "fire-fights". The author attempted to address this as a universal unwillingness of veterans to discuss these aspects with here or simply state that they couldn't remember. I believe her, as the book reveals that WWII on the eastern front was so very brutal, with 1) scorched earth tactics and genocides on both sides, 2) almost no opportunity to escape from the exteme weather conditions, and 3) the ruthless use of manpower by the Russians (some sources state that 15 Soviet soldiers were killed for every 1 German soldier) that fighting was mostly conducted with an animal-like fury that no one wishes to remember."
And my comments:
While not a page-turner it's a nice look at the average Soviet 'grunt' back in the day. So much has been written about the Wehrmacht soldier in Russia it's nice to read about the Red Army soldiers. Some interesting stuff in the book, especially the chapter entitled "Despoil The Corpse" which is all about the Red Army on German soil (in 45). Brutal. Also, a paragraph or two concerning medals.
"patina imparts character" - PJS
A wise man said: 'you should not pay a premium for what you want beyond your comfort level, and always ensure there is a mutually agreeable return policy.'
A wise man said: 'you should not pay a premium for what you want beyond your comfort level, and always ensure there is a mutually agreeable return policy.'
