Through the Maelstrom: A Red Army Soldier's War on the Eastern Front, 1942-1945

Modern War Studies

by Boris Gorbachevsky, Stuart Britton (Editor), David M. Glantz (editor)

The monumental battles of World War II's Eastern Front Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk are etched into the historical record. But there is another, hidden history of that war that has too often been ignored in official accounts.
Boris Gorbachevsky was a junior officer in the 31st Army who first saw front-line duty as a rifleman in the 30th Army. Through the Maelstrom recounts his three harrowing years on some of the war's grimmest but forgotten battlefields: the campaign for Rzhev, the bloody struggle to retake Belorussia, and the bitter final fighting in East Prussia. As he traces his experiences from his initial training, through the maelstrom, to final victory, he provides one of the richest and most detailed memoirs of life and warfare on the Eastern Front.
Gorbachevsky's panoramic account takes us from infantry specialist school to the front lines to rear services areas and his whirlwind romances in wartime Moscow. He recalls the shriek of Katiusha rockets flying overhead toward the enemy and the unforgettable howl of Stukas divebombing Soviet tanks. And he conveys horrors of brutal fighting not recorded previously in English, including his own participation in a human wave assault that decimated his regiment at Rzhev, with piles of corpses growing the closer they got to the German trenches.
Gorbachevsky also records the sufferings of the starving citizens of Leningrad, the savage execution of a Russian scout who turned in false information, the killing of an innocent German trying to welcome the Soviet troops, and a chilling campfire discussion by four Russian soldiers as they compared notes about the women they'd raped. His memoir brims with rich descriptions of daily army life, the challenges of maintaining morale, and relationships between soldiers. It also includes candid exposes of the many problems the Red Army faced: the influence of political officers, the stubbornness of senior commanders, the attrition through desertions, and the initial months of occupation in postwar Germany.
"Through the Maelstrom" features the swiftly moving narrative and rich dialogue associated with the grand style of great Russian literature. Ultimately, it provides a fitting and final testament to soldiers who fought and died in anonymity."

Genres: History, World War II, Military Fiction, War, Russia, Nonfiction, Military History

476 pages, Hardcover

First published November 19, 2008

Reviews

[Bradley Brincka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorbachevsky’s World War II memoir sadly does not receive the attention it deserves. His account of his service in the Red Army from 1942-45 is an entertaining and remarkable window into the time period. The memoir is wide-ranging, covering everything from life at the front to his literary habits to the brutality and incompetence of the Soviet system under Joseph Stalin. As a Jewish officer (Jews were regarded as a separate “nationality” like Ukrainians and Kazakhs), his commentary on social relations within the military and later interactions with the conquered German population is fascinating.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book with some interesting takes on religion, communism, Russian strategy and, strangely enough, romance. Still, despite the incredible human disaster that was the Eastern Front, I didn't really get a feel for the "maelstrom".

[Nick Caminiti · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say never trust first hand accounts. Tho first hand account are all we have to truly engross ourselves in history’s most intense moments. Riveting book that at least give a glance into the psychological and physical turmoil’s experienced by a single red army soldier

[Elliot Gates · Rating 4 out of 5]

One soldiers raw (and uncensored) account of The Battles of Rzhev.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and readable so far. Not too dry at all. Dan Carlin talked about this book on his podcast “Hardcore History” so far into chapter 5 it’s great

[James]

A personal account by a nineteen year old Red Army soldier of his three years of horrendous conditions fighting from Russia to Prussia and in particular the long, costly battle for Rzhev, known as the 'Meat Grinder' with Germans in front and 'blocking brigades' behind to eliminate retreat. The survivors were indeed very, very lucky. An astounding memoir of camaraderie and savage brutality.