John Kettler Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 This looks to be a must have, especially for the modders. 50 separate studio photos of properly kitted out Red Army personnel from all branches, plus lots of other goodies. Stellar reviews! The Soviet Soldier 1941-1945, Philippe Rio, Hardcover Excerpt from Editorial Review at Amazon (Fair Use) ".There have been few books on the history and uniforms of the World War II Soviet Army. The interested reader will find here a coherent wealth of information on the Red Army's organization and orders of battle, its uniforms and equipment, and its materials (soft skinned vehicles, AFVs, Artillery, Signals...). The various guises of the Soviet soldier, from Barbarossa to the fall of Berlin, have been reproduced in color with more than 50 studio reconstructions of infantrymen, artillerymen, parachutists, tankmen, women soldiers, marines, commissars, etc.A large variety of individual equipment, small arms, personal items, insignia and medals are illustrated in detail. The book also features hundreds of unpublished period photographs, many from the soldiers themselves. A career French Army NCO, Philippe Rio has a passion for the Red Army, from the 1930s to the 1950s. His vast knowledge of the subject has enabled him to contribute many articles to the French Militaria Magazine." Drool! Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC- Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 In Deadly Combat and The Forgotten Soldier are two of my favorite books. About once a year I read them both and will have to agree that they are absolute must reads regardless of any historical qualms about them. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 LC-, There have been repeated tirades on the Forums about the believability of Forgotten Soldier, but if you head over to Amazon, there is quite the review of the book by a GD veteran, a Funker (radioman) who was attached to a sIG-33 unit. Might force some here into a rethink. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76mm Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 dsf, thanks for the tips, I've ordered both Krivosheev's and Goncharov's books. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Anyone up for a free online tanker memoir of Op Bagration? Took a quick gander, and I think it's a winner. http://pkka.narod.ru/intro.htm Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76mm Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Thanks John, took a quick look as well, and it looks good. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 76mm, I've read it. Wish it was longer, but the author of it lived through a lot--in his OT-34! It's more of a booklet than a book, but the information content is outstanding. He tells how the OT-34s were organized and used; what it's like to be in a tank that's hit by an SP and later an ATG; what it's like to hit a mine; what it's like to be hit by spall. We learn what a regimental tank repair platoon could do; the surprising extent to which tanks were kept going; of watching Russian CAS at work; of MOUT and even how the deep operation can yield tremendous results. Highly recommend this altogether too short, but important, book! Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umlaut Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I would like to add two of my favourite books on WW2: "Tankrider" by Bessonov "Tankrider" is a memoir written by a Soviet lieutenant who fought from August '43 till May '45. He and his men were tank riders (tankodesantniki), who in small teams together with T-34 and later IS-2 tanks had to lead the way for the bigger forces that were exploiting the gap after the front was broken. He tells an honest story, mentioning both combat action and more quiet life when his men were given a moment to rest. personally for me it was also interesting to read about their tactics - they had a platoon of tanks (I'm speaking from my memory, it was few years ago when I read this book last time) with tank riders and they had to fight the blocking elements of retreating Germans and pursue them, not giving a chance to regroup and rebuild the defenses. Being always at the spearhead, he was one of the first Soviet soldiers who entered Lvov in '44 A story of a brave soldier who fought for almost two years leading the way. I´ve just finished reading Tank Rider - and I´m not overly impressed. Yes, Bessonov has surely been part of some very interesting and highly dramatic clashes with his tank rider company. Unfortunately, his writing resembles that of a fifth grader - and the english translation certainly hasn´t been made by someone who has english as his first language. In my view this book has some very interesting parts - but it is a clear demonstration of a case where a ghost writer should have been employed. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanir Ausf B Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Tank Rider is a rambling, sometimes incoherent memoir obviously written by someone attempting to remember events decades after they occurred. Nevertheless, I found it interesting in that is gives glimpses into the nature of tactical combat on the East front at the lowest level, while most East front books in English seem to focus more on the operational and strategic picture. For that reason alone I thought it worthwhile. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Rider is dreck, Forgotten is lies, why do people glom onto this stuff? There are plenty of actual good histories. They don't have hollywood glamour and the first person perspective because those things are lies top to bottom to begin with. I just don't get the attraction - is the truth so boring people can't be bothered? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanir Ausf B Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Rider is dreck Are you saying it is poorly written, which is not in dispute, or that it is not factual? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bergerbitz Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Ding! Ding! And in this corner.... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Vanir - of Rider, that it is poorly written. Darn it was cold. Then we found some potatoes. War is cruel. We had to walk uphill to the front both ways. A lot of people got killed. Then we found a little hut and got warm for a little bit. Gosh it was cold. You had to be there. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanir Ausf B Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Well, yes. It's a memoir, and a fair amount of it is indeed about the small details of a soldier's life. If you don't find such things interesting then long sections of the book are a waste. But to be fair, there are other details more pertaining to Combat Mission type events. German tanks racing through the streets of a Polish town without a care while Bessonov's company has no anti-tank weaponry. An IS-2 destroying 2 Stugs with a single shot. German tank gunners holding fire on T-34s until the tank riders mounted. How Germans defended against SMG troops, ect. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Vanir - I can honestly say the only thing I learned from the book was that sometimes they transported those Maxim MMGs around on the backs of the T-34s, because it was easier than hauling the suckers. Everything else was either the potatoes and cruelty and cold stuff, or a fish story straight out of Baron Munchausen, or trivial and well known facts that everyone knows, conveyed with an air of authority and inside knowledge. While the book was open, my IQ dropped 30 points. Then I shut the back cover and got them it back (I think...) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76mm Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Vanir - of Rider, that it is poorly written. Darn it was cold. Then we found some potatoes. War is cruel. We had to walk uphill to the front both ways. A lot of people got killed. Then we found a little hut and got warm for a little bit. Gosh it was cold. You had to be there. And you were expecting what exactly? Sure I was disappointed that he didn't quote Nietzche or give his thoughts on the Clausewitzian implications of Tolstoy's accounts of the War of 1812, but was content to get his reminisces about his experiences on the front, which probably did consist of a lot of potatoes and a lot of cold. In any event, there are damn few good Russian soldier-level (or any level for that matter) memiors for the East Front, so I'm glad to get what I can, within reason. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFF Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 I know it's not strictly Eastern Front, but given that I collect Mosins (including an original PU in my collection), I picked up a copy of these recently from Paladin Press: 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canada Guy Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 JasonC, You seem like a very opinionated person. I happened to enjoy Forgotten Soldier. No, not totally accurate. Some would say more of a novel and not a memoir but an enjoyable read. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. I am sure that some parts were accurate. If you want a book that is hard to get through (unless you like talking about panzer tank transmission problems) is Panzer Gunner by Bruno Friesen. Now there is a difficult book to get through. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 CanadaGuy - the baby is bouncing down the stairs, and is not remotely missed. If we are going to just make things up, I am much better at it between my own ears than your favorite authors. 76mm - some actual discussion of tactics or how anything actually worked might be nice. Some realism, even, that wasn't griping on the one hand or boasting in Baron Munchausen manner on the other, or excusing himself on flimsy pretexts ("they did it too" - try that one with St Peter and see what it gets you). It is not like there are no honest or well written memoirs, or histories written by careful and honest men who interviewed the men who were there, including any number of careful unit histories. But the fictional and personal spew junk gets all the copy for some reason. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76mm Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Jason, it's been several years since I've read the book, but I seem to recall plenty of descriptions of combat in the book, if not tactics, and don't recall anything particularly unrealistic. I don't think I've found many memoirs from the East Front in which someone in the front lines discusses tactics extensively ..maybe Tigers in the Mud...otherwise there are some German unit histories, but not much for the Sovs. Jason Mark's Island of Fire is pretty awesome... But I'm not sure that I'd agree that there are a lot of "honest or well written memoirs or histories" of tactical combat on the Eastern Front, in fact I'd say there are precious few, and not many have been pointed out in this thread, so if you're aware of some Jason, please share. Operational/strategic level stuff is a different matter of course, there's much more at that level. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFF Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Geez, I guess I'm also a fool for liking The Forgotten Soldier, and on that note I'll just keep my list of favorite Eastern Front books to myself, in case they don't pass the muster of our more esteemed members here. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wodin Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Whether it's true or not it's still a great read. Geez, I guess I'm also a fool for liking The Forgotten Soldier, and on that note I'll just keep my list of favorite Eastern Front books to myself, in case they don't pass the muster of our more esteemed members here. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ssnake51 Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Whether it's true or not it's still a great read. Not surprising given the fact that the author was a comics writer. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Death of the Leaping Horseman, the unit history of the 24th Panzer division, immediately springs to mind. Not all good histories are first hand accounts, and not all good first hand accounts are of WW II in the east (Goodbye Darkness immediately springs to mind, WW II Pacific, if you want a standard for personal). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akd Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Ah, so to better understand the experience of a soldier in the Soviet Army during WWII, we should read American memoirs of the Pacific War and German unit histories? p.s. Goodbye, Darkness is great, but also part fiction, so a rather strange standard given your criticism of The Forgotten Soldier. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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