This second volume of The Living and the Dead trilogy, shifts its focus away from constant frontline combat and toward the social, political, and institutional consequences of war. Although battles remain present and vividly written, Simonov is more concerned with how the war reshapes Soviet society and the Red Army itself.
At this stage of the conflict, the novel depicts the gradual reintegration of Red Army officers who had previously been purged and sent to the Gulags. General Serpilin, imprisoned in Kolyma, embodies this process. Through his recollections, Simonov reveals that many capable officers were never reinstated, often due to unresolved political accusations. Even for those who returned, the consequences of the purges were profound: Serpilin’s son, for example, renounced his paternity to avoid being associated with a supposed “deviationist.” These episodes expose the deep and lasting damage caused by Stalinist repression, even as the state begins to rely once again on professional military leadership.
This return of experienced commanders coincides with a broader improvement in the Red Army’s conduct of the war. Reinforcements are no longer immediately thrown into battle without training, as they were at the beginning of the invasion, when unprepared soldiers suffered catastrophic losses. Combined with strict disciplinary measures—such as penal units and executions for retreat—these changes mark a grim but effective learning process. The effects become visible during the preparations for the Battle of Stalingrad, where Soviet artillery now bombards German positions only a few kilometers from the city. In contrast to earlier disasters like Kharkov, where rivers carried burning fuel and human remains, it is now the Germans who bear the weight of overwhelming firepower.