redarmylivinghistory

Over the last month I ploughed through three books, all of which I can recommend even though two of them are from the fascist point of view.

First Red star against the swastika, A sturmovik pilots memoires, Joining a guards regiment in 42, it recounts his prewar and wartime adventures. Written in a very patriotic soviet sort of a way, with a touch of biggles, His stories bound along and draw you in. The trivia and detail he recalls, add depth and you end with a real sence of soviet patriotic pride.

Second Sniper on the Eastern Front. A german mountain troops account of war on the Eastern front. It is the most graphic depiction of war on the Eastern front I've read. It holds nothing back in its description of combat and attrocity. The account demonises the enemy and it is truly gut renching in some places. Shockingly it draws you into the snipers world and leaves you with a real vision of the horror of war.

Third An artilleryman at Stalingrad. The account of a German lieutenant of Artillery from Barborrossa to Stalingrad. Lots of personal photos accompany the text and flesh out personal descriptions of people and places, as his horsedrawn company, with the help of t34 prime movers advance accross the steppes. Very much like tank rider, it deals with the politics of his position and his moans and gripes with superiors. The action is sparce, but brutal as it drifts to the banks of the Volga. The writing is precise understated and undramitised.

All an easy read and finished in a couple of days

They sound good Martin. I like reading memoires.
I've just finished Chris Bellamy's Absolute War. A good read but not as good as Erickson. It does have a lot of up to date information and decent maps though.
I'm currenntly reading Jonathan Bastable's Voices from Stalingrad. Stunning first-hand accounts of the bitter fighting from German and Soviet diaries and letters etc.

I would recommend Voices from Stalingrad as well- it describes the history of the battle in general terms and uses first hand accounts to illustrate wht it was like for the participants.

I have also just read 'Out of Nowhere'- a recently published book on the history of sniping (which BobHr leant me). Very good, with interesting chapters on WW2 Russian sniperism, and cold war and modern Russian stuff too. It covers most major and limited conflicts for the past 150 years, concentrating heavily on WW2, WW1, Indo China, and Afganistan.
It gets quite technical, and is very good for serious gun buffs.

I'm now reading Wings Of War Airborne Warfare 1918-1945 by Peter Harclerode.
There are 2 chapters about Soviet airborne operations, about 100 pages, plenty of detail and it is considerably cheaper than the David Glantz books.

Nice to have a book thread! Lets keep this one alive!

Thanks Comrades!

I've just finished reading Feast of Bones, a fictional story of a recon desantnik captain in Grenada, Afghanistan, and wnding up with the brilliant finish in Moscow. A surprisingly accurate and detailed account of the friction between KGB and Army troops, considering it was written by an American in the late 80s. A great source of "the language of the peoples," and all-round good fun.

Just started with The Hidden War another Afghan story, but this time it's an account from a real Russian journalist. Will post a real review once I've finished it.

Just finished 'Vassily Grossman, A Writer at War' by Antony Beevor. Quite interesting insights into the Soviet way of war in places but by their very nature, disjointed. There's a feeling of having to wade through a lot of porridge to get at the good stuff. Get this one out of the library or off a second hand stall if you can, rather than paying top price.

Eagerly awaiting a copy of Adam Zamoyski's new book, Warsaw 1920. The Russian Civil War is another interest of mine, and while I don't anticipate the RKKA being given fair coverage from a Pole, at least the quality of writing will be good.

Abdulin Mansur's Red Road From Stalingrad, Recollections of a Soviet Infantryman.
Very Good read - enjoyed this more than Bessanov's Tank Rider.
Mansur is much more positive about his experiences than Bessanov and his belief in the Communist Party is strong. Even at the end he believes it represents everything good. However, like Bessanov he discusses the unfair distribution of awards.

Some interesting insights into a 'typical' rifle division.

Makeup of the 293rd Rifle division (later 66th Guards) on 24/10/1942:
Russians 4523
Kazakhs 2280
Other Central Asians 2119
Ukrainians and Byelorussians 1225
Jews 269
Balts 3
Chechen 1
Ages: Half between the age of 25-40, a third younger than 23.

Weapons: Before going into action at both Kursk and at the Dnepr crossing more men in Mansur's regiment were eqiupped with the PPsH than with Mosin-Nagants. At the Dnepr there were more officers and sergeants than rank and file. On more than one occasion they were in action with less than 4,000 men in the division.

Starshiiy Rob wrote:Eagerly awaiting a copy of Adam Zamoyski's new book, Warsaw 1920. The Russian Civil War is another interest of mine, and while I don't anticipate the RKKA being given fair coverage from a Pole, at least the quality of writing will be good.

Just finished reading this and a bit disappointed. Very interesting subject and well written but only 138 pages. Can't help feeling it could have been a lot better if longer with more detail. There are parts which just seem to be skimmed over.

Includes the following marvel of historical research:
"The Red Army recycled the more up-to-date British and French arms captured from the Whites, but its basic weapon, the Lebel rifle, was of home production. Stocks had been inherited from the Imperial Army, and these were supplemented by a steady trickle from two factories. It was a straightforward, sturdy weapon ideally suited to the treatment it received."

Excellent quote from Lenin though when Kamenev protested that the Red Army reserves weren't ready after the Polish Vistula offensive:
"I don't care if they have to fight in their underpants, but fight they must!"

Red Partisan by Nikolai I. Obryn'Ba
Just finished this can't praise it enough, excellent. The swings between brutality and compassion are astounding. If you want to know what captured Red Army soldiers went through in German captivity and then with the partisans if they were lucky enough to escape then this is the book to read.