My Just War: The Memoir of a Jewish Red Army Soldier in World War II

by Gabriel Temkin

A Jewish soldier recalls his service in the Red Army during World War II

Genres: History, War, World War II, Memoir, Russia

272 pages, Hardcover

First published November 18, 1997

Reviews

[Brett Bosley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good memoir, and a rarity being from a Red Army soldier (much less a Polish Jew). More detail would have been welcome, though what there is is tantalizing, esp. WRT life in occupied Soviet territory. Familiarity with the Eastern Front is helpful to place the events recalled.

[Matt Gallant · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is very refreshing to read a memoir of a soldier in the Red Army, especially with his rather strange background. Great book.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're interested in the details of fighting for the Soviets in WWII, this memoir will be valuable and interesting. You get to find out about the importance of wrapping your feet properly if you don't have socks (a soldier is only as good as his feet) and even the difficulty of fighting without underwear (so valuable that the author's were stolen by another soldier).

Dr. Temkin's memory of the day to day of fighting is prodigious and I'm going to guess that he was able to remember so much because he read histories of the Soviet Army in WWII that triggered his memory. This memoir maintains an air of emotional detachment throughout. It's mostly a just the facts approach to describing what it was like to be a soldier. The author is very honest about his own shortcomings and stays away from self pity at the tragedies than unfold for him and his family.

While the story here is on the surface a grim one, there are comic elements and maybe because the end result is a happy one - the Soviets crush the Germans; the author and his wife survive and thrive - there is a spirit of joy and lightheartedness throughout. I'd recommend this book highly for WWII buffs and fiction writers who want to tell the story of WWII from the Soviet side.

[Emil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is primarily interesting because of who the author was - a Polish Jew, from Poland. Technically a foreign volunteer in the Soviet Army. Otherwise, as an overall WWII Soviet Army memoir, this particular one is not outstanding.