Russia at War, 1941–1945

A History

De: Alexander Werth, Nicolas Werth - foreword

Narrado por: Derek Perkins

In 1941, Russian-born British journalist Alexander Werth observed the unfolding of the Soviet-German conflict with his own eyes. What followed was the widely acclaimed book, Russia at War, first printed in 1964. At once a history of facts, a collection of interviews, and a document of the human condition, Russia at War is a stunning, modern classic that chronicles the savagery and struggles on Russian soil during the most incredible military conflict in modern history.

As a behind-the-scenes eyewitness to the pivotal, shattering events as they occurred, Werth chronicles with vivid detail the hardships of everyday citizens, massive military operations, and the political movements toward diplomacy as the world tried to reckon with what they had created. Despite its sheer historical scope, Werth tells the story of a country at war in startlingly human terms, drawing from his daily interviews and conversations with generals, soldiers, peasants, and other working class civilians. The result is a unique and expansive work with immeasurable breadth and depth, built on lucid and engaging prose, that captures every aspect of a terrible moment in human history.

©1964 Alexander Werth; Foreword copyright 2011 by Nicolas Werth; English translation of foreword copyright 2017 by Skyhorse Publishing (P)2021 Tantor

Mass

You would only say Mass if your from Mass. you from Mass would know this.

Eye opener

Detailed, balanced eye witness account and thorough analysis from someone who lived in Russia through the war.

The canonical WWII eastern front book

Long and detailed. Written by firsthand observer - a British journalist embedded in Russia. This book is an expansion of his realtime notes and reporting. Includes an entire chapter on the relocation of industry.

One of the better WW2 books following the Eastern Front. if you enjoy this I suggest any book by author Prit Buttar

One of the better WW2 books following the Eastern Front. if you enjoy this I suggest any book by author Prit Buttar.

A Cold War Masterpiece

I think it's important to recall the date of publication for this book and thus its mindset before coming to conclusions about its relevance today. Taken for its time and its publication in the Soviet Union, it's undeniably a great history, throwing open many a locked door for the Soviet public that had lived through the war, fought in it, suffered in it, but probably never had any objective lens with which to see it from an overhead perspective. This must have been a real hard blast of reality when it first appeared. I find there are many sections within it that are fresh and unvarnished ground level views of the war in the east, reading it today.

Is it objective and bias free? You're asking the wrong questions. Those are obsessions of today's political mieliu where every piece of news is examined according to subjective standards of the news consumer. If it doesn't accord with their political viewpoints, they will claim it's biased. No, Werth was born in Leningrad and his parents emigrated to the UK. He came back to the USSR with the British military mission in 1942 sailing with the PQ16 convoy and he remained in the Soviet Union for the course of the war. For a ground level "And I was there" viewpoint, of a semi foreigner who doesn't have to spew the Party line, it's phenomenal. He sees Leningrad after its siege is broken, he's in Stalingrad shortly after the German defeat, even going to the dog and pony show of the German generals in captivity and its short Q and A session. He interviews Chuikov after Stalingrad, so on and so forth, and he strives to cover the totality of the miltiary action of the war across the entire front line of the conflict, a monumental task, without the story being just tanks moving up and artillery barrages.

The diplomatic and political sections, the close ups on particular moments and cities, the occasional view from the Western Allies perspective, it all adds up to Hall of Fame stuff. And in this it sets itself apart also; this really is the war from the Soviet point of view almost all the time, something of a rare animal in Western histories of the War in the East. And for that along it's not to be missed despite its age and constraints.

Is he honest about everything? No, absolutely not. There are points past which he won't go. Katyn he leaves up in the air. Cannibalism in Leningrad, or anywhere else for that matter, does not exist. Execution of Soviet soldiers for cowardice and desertion at Stalingrad? Not a whisper. As for Stalin, he takes a very uneven tone throughout, sometimes in obvious disapproval, sometimes in grudging admiration and sometimes, unmitigated applause, perhaps reminding us Stalin may been a psycho/sociopath, but he was far more complex a person than simply staring at his murder statistics might suggest.

He does wobble at the finale, ascribing Cold War Soviet propaganda to the American use of atomic bombs on Japan, certainly buying into the suspicions of the time and place, but that can be quickly forgotten. If you have any interest in the Eastern Front you should not miss out on this one, despite is gargantuan length. The narrator is up to the task. This is large scale survey history at its best.