Review of "800 Days on The Eastern Front: A Russian Soldier Remembers World War II," by Nikolai Litvin

 Review of

800 Days on The Eastern Front: A Russian Soldier Remembers World War II, by Nikolai Litvin, ISBN 9780700615179

Five out of five stars

Basically, a diary

The author served in the Soviet Red Army in the Second World War, facing the German Wehrmacht and their allies. Unlike other militaries, the Red Army generally did not grant leave, so once on the front, the individual soldier stayed there. Since there were lulls in the fighting for rest and refit, there were times when there were few, if any, bullets flying.

 This book is essentially a diary of the experiences of a common soldier in the Red Army, Therefore, the descriptions of the action are in general the events in his immediate vicinity. There are some statements of the broad tactics employed by the commanders, there are many times when the discussion is about the weather and the quality of food and shelter.

 There are no real major revelations of information that is not otherwise known. Yet, it is interesting to read about the experiences of the common soldier in the Red Army in World War II. The one resource that the Soviets had over the Germans was manpower, and it is informative to read about the actions of one of millions.

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