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Red Star Under the Baltic: A Soviet Submariner in World War II
- Soviet version of the classic German U-boat story Das Boot - Graphic and humane record of service on a submarine Submarines were uninviting enough, with dank, claustrophobic conditions and little hope of escape if disaster struck, and the relatively shallow waters of the Baltic only compounded the dangers. That's where Soviet submariner Viktor Korzh served, hunting and sinking German shipping. His memoir unfolds as a heart-pounding series of nonstop action, sonar pings, depth-charge concussions, and constant underwater peril. Somehow Korzh and his comrades survived their frightful ordeal and witnessed the victory over the Germans.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Viktor Korzh
4 booksViktor Korzh graduated from the Naval Training College in 1938 as a submariner engineer. His wartime experiences are the subject of this book which was first published as Reserve of Strength in 1966. After the War he remained involved with the Submarine Service as a researcher and instructor, retiring in 1960 as a Captain First Rank. Married with two children, Viktor Korzh died in St Petersburg in 1993.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 26, 2019
Seeing that the book was originally published in 1966 in the Soviet Union, it fringes on being Soviet propaganda. The author lets life under Soviet control seem great and there is too much patriotic dialogue for my liking. If you can over-look all this, then the book does to a certain extent fill a void to cover Russian submarine activities during the Second World War.
April 29, 2015
Red Star Under the Baltic by Viktor Yemelianovich Korzh provided a glimpse into a little known theater of operations of World War II. The Soviet Baltic Fleet made an useful contribution to the war effort despite the severe shortcomings of obsolete equipment, rudimentary support facilities, and inadequate supplies of operational basics – food, fuel and ammo. Captain First Rank Korzh's account was dominated by his creative and persistent efforts to contend with the chronic equipment failures tied to the outdated design and shoddy construction of Soviet warships. American submariners of that era would have been appalled at the gear and conditions aboard S-7 or S-12. A total of forty-five Soviet submarines were lost by the Baltic Fleet during World War II. Considering the handicaps under which they operated, it's surprising any of the fleet submarine force survived to celebrate victory.
Korzh's memoirs provided some insight, but suffered from too “Soviet” a tone and content. It was originally published in the Soviet Union in 1966 under the title Reserve of Strength. It read like a Great Patriotic War account of that era. The translation used some odd English phraseology including many outdated English clichés. It deserved Two and One-Half Stars, but I couldn't justify taking it to Three.
Korzh's memoirs provided some insight, but suffered from too “Soviet” a tone and content. It was originally published in the Soviet Union in 1966 under the title Reserve of Strength. It read like a Great Patriotic War account of that era. The translation used some odd English phraseology including many outdated English clichés. It deserved Two and One-Half Stars, but I couldn't justify taking it to Three.
May 25, 2010
Highly recommended for anyone who has more than a passing interest in WWII submarine warfare.
As James Calvert wrote in his memoirs, in a submarine, many things can go wrong, and it is only he who can rise above the mechanical complexity of this weapon system that can begin to think about war. A submarine is no place to be seeing shadows, as Calvert puts it.
Well, Victor Korzh's memoirs are certainly a tribute to this sort of sayings, because the least one can say is that the life of a soviet submariner -based in Leningrad during the siege- is everything but rosy, and offers a striking contrast with Calvert's book.
Set in a theater of operation I knew nothing about (the Baltic sea), Korzh's memoirs put us in the shoes of a submarine's Chief engineer in three different patrols (aboard S-7, S-21 and K-51 between 1943 and 1945. As such, one does not learn much about the tactical and operational aspect of soviets subs' deployment, but this is largely compensated by the unique perspective of a chief engineer: a very precise knowledge of all systems aboard, and a very quick mind to handle troubles among them, make for a rather thrilling story.
In addition, the author being a soviet, and the book being initially published in 1966 (under the original title Reserve of Strenght), the book also presents a thick layer of "sovietness", for lack of a better word. The story is evidently told according to aesthetic/political correctness values of this particular society. This is even more interesting, since one get to read into a very distinct culture of war reminiscences.
On the other hand, the writing, -or at least, the translation- isn't very articulate nor original, and border on being downright drab at times.
I would recommend reading Calvert and Korzh's books close to one another. It makes for very contrasting and, I believe, quite revealing readings about leadership and social interaction between servicemen of these two nations.
As James Calvert wrote in his memoirs, in a submarine, many things can go wrong, and it is only he who can rise above the mechanical complexity of this weapon system that can begin to think about war. A submarine is no place to be seeing shadows, as Calvert puts it.
Well, Victor Korzh's memoirs are certainly a tribute to this sort of sayings, because the least one can say is that the life of a soviet submariner -based in Leningrad during the siege- is everything but rosy, and offers a striking contrast with Calvert's book.
Set in a theater of operation I knew nothing about (the Baltic sea), Korzh's memoirs put us in the shoes of a submarine's Chief engineer in three different patrols (aboard S-7, S-21 and K-51 between 1943 and 1945. As such, one does not learn much about the tactical and operational aspect of soviets subs' deployment, but this is largely compensated by the unique perspective of a chief engineer: a very precise knowledge of all systems aboard, and a very quick mind to handle troubles among them, make for a rather thrilling story.
In addition, the author being a soviet, and the book being initially published in 1966 (under the original title Reserve of Strenght), the book also presents a thick layer of "sovietness", for lack of a better word. The story is evidently told according to aesthetic/political correctness values of this particular society. This is even more interesting, since one get to read into a very distinct culture of war reminiscences.
On the other hand, the writing, -or at least, the translation- isn't very articulate nor original, and border on being downright drab at times.
I would recommend reading Calvert and Korzh's books close to one another. It makes for very contrasting and, I believe, quite revealing readings about leadership and social interaction between servicemen of these two nations.
February 19, 2016
When it comes to submarine warfare in World War II, the majority of the books out there deal with the American and German efforts. There are a few British and Japanese ones as well, but very few on the Russian side (I only know of one other besides this one). Thus, it was nice to find this book which details three separate patrols by a Russian submariner against the Germans. One of the best things about this book is the translation--it was originally written in Russian, but the translation was so good it was hard to tell the book wasn't originally written in English.
The book gives a vivid description of life about a Russian submarine and its many hazards, not all of them caused by the enemy. Sailing in such an unforgiving area as the Baltic Sea presented many problems for Russian subs, and at times it seemed as if the author experienced them all. The book also provides a glimpse into life in Leningrad during the early parts of the Nazi siege as that's where the author was stationed. One of the more interesting aspects of the book is the role of the Communist Party political officers on the subs. They act as a second captain in some ways and at times I felt as if they're more in charge of the boat than the actual captain.
The book could have used some maps to give the reader a better understanding of where the author went on his patrols, so bone up on your Russian and Finnish geography. Overall, a good read about an area of World War II which has received very little ink.
The book gives a vivid description of life about a Russian submarine and its many hazards, not all of them caused by the enemy. Sailing in such an unforgiving area as the Baltic Sea presented many problems for Russian subs, and at times it seemed as if the author experienced them all. The book also provides a glimpse into life in Leningrad during the early parts of the Nazi siege as that's where the author was stationed. One of the more interesting aspects of the book is the role of the Communist Party political officers on the subs. They act as a second captain in some ways and at times I felt as if they're more in charge of the boat than the actual captain.
The book could have used some maps to give the reader a better understanding of where the author went on his patrols, so bone up on your Russian and Finnish geography. Overall, a good read about an area of World War II which has received very little ink.
February 9, 2017
An excellent account of life on Soviet submarines during WWII. I'd go as far as calling it a must read for anyone interested in tales of sub warfare. Be warned, Korzh was an engineer, he covers in great detail the nuts-and-bolts of his many engineering adventures while tales of torpedo runs are often only a sentence or two long. But those trials ... imagine living aboard a submarine made with the craftsmanship of the Soviet Union. He also tends to go a bit overboard in naming every character who appears in his tale, complete with five word official title and middle names.
But these are minor quibbles, quibbles that keep the book from being a 5/5, but issues that editing for a Western audience should have culled.
Regardless, a great book for anyone interested in stories of life aboard a wartime submarine.
But these are minor quibbles, quibbles that keep the book from being a 5/5, but issues that editing for a Western audience should have culled.
Regardless, a great book for anyone interested in stories of life aboard a wartime submarine.
April 10, 2017
Read my review here: https://historyjournal.org/2012/01/22...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews