Moscow 1941

A City and Its People at War

By: Rodric Braithwaite

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

The 1941 Battle of Moscow, unquestionably one of the most decisive battles of World War II, marked the first strategic defeat of the German armed forces in their seemingly unstoppable march across Europe. The Soviets lost many more people in this one battle than the British and Americans lost in the whole of the Second World War. Now, with authority and narrative power, Rodric Braithwaite tells the story in large part through the individual experiences of ordinary Russian men and women.

The narrative is set firmly against the background of Moscow and its people, beginning in early 1941, when the Soviet Union was still untouched by the war raging to the west. We hear how, despite a mass of secret intelligence, the breaching of the border by the Wehrmacht in June took the country by surprise, and how, when the Germans pushed to Moscow in November, the Red Army and the capital's inhabitants undertook to defend their city. Finally, in the winter of 1941-1942, they turned the Germans back on the city's very outskirts. Braithwaite's dramatic, richly illustrated narrative of the military action offers telling portraits of Stalin and his generals. By interweaving the personal remembrances of soldiers, politicians, writers, artists, workers, and schoolchildren, he gives us an unprecedented understanding of how the war affected the daily life of Moscow, and of the extraordinary bravery, endurance, and sacrifice, both voluntary and involuntary, that was required of its citizens.

This is a brilliantly researched and realized history, and an essential addition to the literature of World War II.

©2006 Rodric Braithwaite (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Braithwaite delivers a tragically human Moscow of 1941." (Booklist)
"This is an absorbing contribution to what [Braithwaite] considers WWII's turning point." (Publishers Weekly)

A different view of the German invasion of Russia

This book is a very different look at the first 6 months of the German invasion of Russia, specifically that part of the invasion that was targeted at Moscow. It is different in several ways from all other books I have read concerning this part of World War II. First, it concentrates on the actions of individual citizens rather than on the military and the battles. Second, it is much more sympathetic toward the actions of the Soviet government than I have usually seen in other books. And Third, because its focus is different, it covers topics that have almost always been left out of other books. The book is largely the tale of the people involved and their actions, good, bad and indifferent, and why they fought for a regime that many of them felt was oppressive.

The book covers topics like the volunteer detachments that were formed, both for fighting and for defense construction, the Punishment and Blocking Battalions, covered in much more detail than I have previously seen, how the government handled the organization and call ups of civilians, how the rationing system worked, how individual working groups, like actors, writers and other intellectuals formed their own groups of volunteers, the October Panic in Moscow as the Germans approached and many other topics, and all of this was done by a concentration on the individual stories of civilians.

All in all I found this book interesting and very, very informative. There are some reviews that say that the book is "slow" and, if you are looking for details about the battles, this may not your book. But it is a fascinating look at how Russians reacted to the German invasion and how those reactions affected the war effort.

The narration is excellent. As for me, the only adverse comment I could make is that the names of the people involved, bring Russian, were hard for me to remember and so the epilogue at the end, where the fates of the people discussed in the book is covered, lost much of its impact as I could not remember which person did what earlier in the book.

Still I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Eastern European Theater of World War II.

Get this book

This is an excellent telling of one of the most dramatic and heart breaking time in history. This book gives the story from several perspectives. Full of no-win situations that turn regular people into heroes or monsters.

Incredible. Wish I could give it 6 stars.

You do t have to be a history scholar or academic to be touched by this story.

details

a lot of detailed information about many individuals involved in the conflicts of the time. interesting to learn about the various viewpoints.

So far so good, but….

Just wish pronunciation of russian names would be better.
Native speaker from snowy chi town.

Wonderful history of a pivotal period of world war 2

Excellent social history of soviet experiences of the attack on Moscow. Very insightful account of personal and wide ranging Russian war experiences - from factory workers, to artists, to nurses, to musicians - afforded this a breath of insight that few other war histories have managed. The width of it really gives you a sense of how all Muscovites experienced the war, from the front lines, to the schools and factories.

The book is more a social, and not military history, so those a bit more militarily inclined will be disappointed. Nevertheless, the narration was faultless and I finished the book with profound feeling of gladness that I had found it.

Riveting

A grabbing listen that is hard to "put down". Narration is superb.

As a native Russian speaker who grew up in Moscow, I appreciated usage of some of Russian terms...However, for a non-Russian speaker, I wonder whether the Russian lingo would make this a litter harder to enjoy. As a result, this is 5 stars for current/former Moscovites/Russians and 4 stars for non-Russian speakers.

Good read from a Russian citizen perspective...

Not a lot of military commentary, especially from a German perspective. More about everyday life prewar and during the battle.

A source of Russian pride

I absolutely loved it! if only the volume was loser then it would be even closer to perfection.

Interesting

I still can’t fathom an entire country (I know not all) let ONE lunatic, among many, plunge the entire world into a war. The German people must still feel some National shame for their past.

As an amateur World War II historian this is a good book from them Russian point of view and situation that first winter when Moscow was threatened as well as the entire Eastern Front situation from Barbarossa through to Berlin.

The narrator does not have a grating nor annoying voice and I was able to relax while listening. His pronunciations of the Russian and German languages was spot on with no struggling or stuttering. Good listen for those interested in “Operation Typhoon” Battle of Moscow.