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Ivan's War

Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945

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Ivan's War

Written by: Catherine Merridale
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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About this listen

A powerful, groundbreaking narrative of the ordinary Russian soldier's experience of the worst war in history, based on newly revealed sources.

Of the 30 million who fought in the eastern front of World War II, 8 million died, driven forward in suicidal charges, shattered by German shells and tanks. They were the men and women of the Red Army, a ragtag mass of soldiers who confronted Europe's most lethal fighting force and by 1945 had defeated it. Sixty years have passed since their epic triumph, but the heart and mind of Ivan - as the ordinary Russian soldier was called-remain a mystery. We know something about how the soldiers died, but nearly nothing about how they lived, how they saw the world, or why they fought.

A tour de force of original research and a gripping history, Ivan's War reveals the singular mixture of courage, patriotism, anger, and fear that made it possible for these underfed, badly led troops to defeat the Nazi army. In the process, Merridale restores to history the invisible millions who sacrificed the most to win the war.

©2006 Catherine Merridale (P)2019 Tantor Military Russia Wars & Conflicts Soviet Life
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I knew a lot about WW2 but not nearly as much about the eastern front. This is a startling account of the battles and lives of ww2 era soviets. Well done.

A stunning account

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