Ivans War, Catherine Merridale
Ivans War, Catherine Merridale
2 Rating(s)
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Ivan's War
Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945

Author: Catherine Merridale

Narrator: Derek Perkins

Unabridged: 16 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/06/2019


Synopsis

A powerful, groundbreaking narrative of the ordinary Russian soldier's experience of the worst war in history, based on newly revealed sources.

Of the thirty million who fought in the eastern front of World War II, eight million died, driven forward in suicidal charges, shattered by German shells and tanks. They were the men and women of the Red Army, a ragtag mass of soldiers who confronted Europe's most lethal fighting force and by 1945 had defeated it. Sixty years have passed since their epic triumph, but the heart and mind of Ivan—as the ordinary Russian soldier was called—remain a mystery. We know something about how the soldiers died, but nearly nothing about how they lived, how they saw the world, or why they fought.

A tour de force of original research and a gripping history, Ivan's War reveals the singular mixture of courage, patriotism, anger, and fear that made it possible for these underfed, badly led troops to defeat the Nazi army. In the process Merridale restores to history the invisible millions who sacrificed the most to win the war.

About Catherine Merridale

Catherine Merridale is the author of the critically acclaimed Night of Stone, winner of Britain's Heinemann Award for Literature. A professor of contemporary history at the University of London, she also writes for the London Review of Books, the New Statesman, and the Independent and regularly presents history features for the BBC.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Scott on August 13, 2016

Before reading Ivan’s War I thought I knew a bit about how tough life in the Red Army could be. I’ve read Antony Beevor’s Stalingrad, and watched Jude Law run into the same city on screen, armed only with a handful of bullets and his steely desire to become an A-list action hero. As I knew it, Russi......more

Goodreads review by 'Aussie Rick' on August 11, 2011

In this book the author attempts to look at the life of the Russian soldier of WW2 fame – ‘Ivan’. We get to see the Russian soldier fighting his way from the terrible early days of 1941 to the end of the war, not a pretty sight! The author uses numerous first-hand accounts to tell her story, overall......more

Goodreads review by Arthur on August 04, 2022

A 16 hour unabridged audiobook. Easily worth 4 stars, almost a 5. What did Soviet soldiers eat, wear, think about, dream of, etc. This book captures that expertly. It was a pleasure to listen to.......more

Goodreads review by Dj on March 16, 2023

For me, this was a truly unique read on the Russian Front. Very few works on the Eastern Front take a close look at the soldiers that fought it. There are a number of reasons for this, not the least of which was the lack of access to such individuals. This work shows the divisions of the Soviet Army......more