ON THE ROADS OF WAR: A Soviet Cavalryman on the Eastern Front

ON THE ROADS OF WAR: A Soviet Cavalryman on the Eastern Front
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With the Red Army and the Red Cavarly on the Eastern Front

A Flower from a Dungheap

Interesting and unusual

ON THE ROADS OF WAR: A Soviet Cavalryman on the Eastern Front
Ivan Yakushin
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Ivan Yakushin survived the Siege of Leningrad, fought at the Battle of Kursk and pursued the retreating German army through Russia, Belorussia, Poland and into Germany itself. This is the story of his war.

He tells the tale in his own words, with remarkable clarity of recall, and gives an authentic insight into what combat on the Eastern Front was like for the ordinary soldier. He also provides a detailed, firsthand record of cavalry operations during a highly mechanized war, and this gives his book its special value.

The war for him began in Leningrad where he endured the terrifying first winter of the German siege. He describes the perils and privations that beset the city during a period in which over half a million civilians who lost their lives. Yet it is his vivid recollections of his experiences as an artillery man, then a cavalry officer on the Eastern Front that are at the heart of this rare memoir.

In the Kursk salient Yakushin was severely wounded in the legs, during the Nevel offensive and Operation Bagration he took part in daring cavalry raids behind the German lines and, as the Soviet army penetrated into East Prussia and Germany itself, he was confronted by increasingly desperate German units struggling to defend their homeland. His descriptions of the merciless fighting during these last months of the war, in particular against the fanatical German Volkssturm, make fascinating reading.

The author, Ivan Yakushin survived the Siege of Leningrad as a teenager, completed an artillery lieutenant's course in 1943 and joined the heavy mortar regiment during the Battle of Kursk. After recovering from a wound he was transferred to the elite 5th

After the war Captain Yakushin came back to Leningrad and worked as an engineer at Admiralty Shipyards, taking part in construction of over 100 ships, until his retirement in 1992. He lives in St Petersburg, has one son and a grandson.

Customer Reviews:

With the Red Army and the Red Cavarly on the Eastern Front.......2006-08-05

This fascinating story, well written and wonderfully told, is one worth reading. It is one in a series of new memoirs by Red Army soldiers, which provide unparalleled insights into the Red Army's war against the Germans.

Horses and cavalry played a huge role in the Second World War, especially on the Eastern Front. On the eve of Hitler's invasion of Soviet Russia, in June 1941, the Red Army order of battle included four cavalry corps and 13 cavalry divisions, numbering some 80,000 men. Each division was authorized almost 20,000 men and more than 16,000 horses, along with hundreds of light tanks, armored cars, artillery pieces and mortars and thousands of vehicles and tractors.

The beginning of the war on the Eastern Front, however, found most of Stalin's cavalry formations understrength and the vast majority were annihilated in the opening months of the war. The Soviet High Command created 82 new cavalry divisions between July and December 1941 and by year's end many of these had been combined into new cavalry corps. This resurrected Red Cavalry proved invaluable in the fighting that followed, especially at the Battle of Moscow and during the Red Army's winter offensive of 1941-42. The Soviet High Command used its mounted horse formations to spearhead offensive operations and conduct deep exploitations into the Wehrmacht's rear areas.

The number of Red Army cavalry formations peaked in February 1942 at 17 cavalry corps, 87 divisions and two separate cavalry regiments. A year later this had been reduced to ten cavalry corps, 30 divisions and three regiments. This was about the time that Ivan Yakushin, a young Russian from Leningrad, joined the cavalry.

"We had a saying that dated back to the times of the Tsarist Army," writes Yakushin: "A dandy serves in the cavalry; An idler - in the artillery; A drunkard serves in the Navy; An idiot - in the infantry." Having survived the Siege of Leningrad, the young artillery officer found himself serving in the III Guards Cavalry Corps, 5th Guards Cavalry Division. The author, who learned to ride and master his mount after a painful experience, fought with his cavalry division at Kursk and pursued the retreating German army through Russia, Belorussia, Poland and into Germany. Throughout the book Yakushin not only records his unit's actions, but also ponders on the nature of the war. Coming upon a Russian soldier, who had been crushed into the surface of the road so that his remains were no thicker than a sheet of paper, the author wonders: "What had happened to this man? Was he a tank rider who got wounded and fell off his tank? Or was he killed?" The author concludes: "The only answer was to fight even harder, take revenge on the Germans for all the grief and misery they had brought to our longsuffering Motherland. We had to avenge the fallen of this holy war."

Yakushin describes a Red cavalry regiment in the attack, sabers drawn, against massed German infantry: "The riders were slashing at the fleeing Germans right and left. The experienced riders were doing this very professionally, cleaving heads in half. The younger men, mounted on smaller Mongolian ponies, were not so effective, but still I saw Germans fall from their blows as well. Fewer and fewer Fritzes were left standing on the field. Those slashed and slitted by sabers never again rose from the wet boggy earth." Later, the author's regiment surprised an enemy tank formation in the forest, the Germans dismounted as they refueled their panzers. Those not killed or wounded were captured.

Entering Eastern Prussia, the commanding officer of the 24th Guards Cavalry Regiment informed his officers that any Red Army soldier wishing to take his revenge upon the Germans should be allowed to do so without interference. "The Germans had brought such grief, death and destruction to our land - there were men in our regiment whose entire families had been killed - that many wanted to take revenge," admits Yakushin. "Thus when we entered East Prussia, atrocities were committed by Red Army troops - cases of revenge. But this did not last long, as official orders came to treat the local population well."

Yakushin's homecoming is something out of "The Forgotten Soldier": "I walked up to my home, climbed the stairs, and rang the doorbell. A strange woman opened the door and asked me: 'who are you?' She was our new neighbor, who did not know me. I heard the familiar steps of my mother behind her back. my brother also walked up to the door. It was an indescribable meeting. We all wept with joy, hugged and kissed each other. All the neighbors ran to the hall to see a living frontovik [front line soldier].

Wounded three times and decorated for his actions in Germany in April and May 1945, Ivan Yakusin returned to Leningrad after the war, retiring in 1992. He now lives in Germany.

A Flower from a Dungheap.......2006-04-27

This is an honest and convincingly objective record of, improbably, living through a hideous nightmare. Yakushin is no Tolstoy, nor even a Grossman, and this memoir is a far cry from "literature", great or otherwise.

But, the reader cannot help gaining a realistic picture of what it was like to be a small man helping with and surviving a great achievement--defeating, with inferior resources and a less than stellar organization, the greatest military machine ever assembled, itself committed to fighting to the death for perhaps the most evil cause in human history.

If for no other reason than to provide counterpoint to the many German writings on this struggle that emphasize Nazi heroics and betrayals and their bravery in slaughtering the "Asiatic hordes", this is a valuable record. At least the reader doesn't finish the book wondering who won.

Interesting and unusual.......2005-07-18

This is an unusual book, one that only two or three years ago I would not have dreamed of being able to read: a personal memoir by a Soviet subaltern in a Guards Cavalry Division. Personal memoirs of low-ranking WW2 Red Army soldiers are hard to come by in English - personal memoirs of Soviet anti-tank cavalrymen must be about as rare as rocking-horse poo in English if not in Russian, and in fact I think this is the only one. Great thanks go to the publisher Pen & Sword in the UK for taking on this very unusual and interesting subject matter.

Ivan Yakushin's book can be divided in three sections - the start of the war when he lived in Leningrad, where he had to endure the siege and consequent famine in the city. This is a very interesting testimony in itself. The second section deals with his training as an artillery officer and initial posting to command a heavy mortar platoon in an infantry regiment during the defense against German operation ZITADELLE at Kursk where he is wounded. The third section begins when he is posted to 5th Guards Cavalry Division following recovery. Here he takes command of a 45mm ATG platoon (later 57mm), and enters combat during operation BAGRATION. He then fights on through Poland and to the north of Berlin.

The book contains vivid descriptions of the live in a cavalry regiment, the importance of horses, the way the Red Army dealt with disciplinary issues at the lowest level, combat, fear, and death. It is a great source of information for those wanting to find out a bit more about how the Red Army worked from the position of a lieutenant and platoon commander.

Comparing it to Sydney Jary's famous '18 Platoon' makes clear that this book was not so much written with the military, but with the general reader in mind. While it is a shame that we had to wait for so long to see this book, it is of benefit that the author wrote it after the fall of the Communist regime, and after emigrating to Germany, thus sparing us the odes to the party and the important work of the commissar that make earlier Red War memoirs such a drag to read.

The book contains some pictures of Yakushin and his friends and family. It would greatly have benefited from some maps. Hence only 4 out of 5.

Anyone who seriously would like to find out something more about the working of the Red Army, and especially how its elite cavalry formations saw themselves, should get this book.

Highly recommended.

The West: Encounters & Transformations, Volume B (1300-1815) (2nd Edition) (MyHistoryLab Series)
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The West: Encounters & Transformations, Volume B (1300-1815) (2nd Edition) (MyHistoryLab Series)
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The West: Encounters & Transformations takes a new approach to telling the story of Western Civilization. Rather than looking at Western Civilization only as the history of Europe from ancient times to the present, this groundbreaking book examines the changing nature of the West–how the definition of the West has evolved and transformed throughout history.

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Making of the West 2e Volume B & Social Dimension of Western Civilization 5e V1
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A very good book.......2000-10-15

I used this book for my survey course in European history, and it was excellent. It is very descriptive and very interesting to read. It can be a little dense at times, but it is well worth the price.

A very good book.......2000-10-15

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The Flight of the Iguana: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature
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Interesting Collection of Essays- A must for natural science lovers!

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What is YOUR view of nature?

Great Book

QUAMMEN IN KING-

The Flight of the Iguana: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature
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Interesting Collection of Essays- A must for natural science lovers!.......2007-05-16

I was introduced to David Quammen by a student of mine and this is so far my favorite of his unique perspectives on the natural world. This is a good read even if science is not your life (as it is mine, for I am a high school science teacher)and it is a REALLY good read for those of you who live and breath the subject. The essays are short enough to be a light break when necessary and engaging enough to keep you occupied for an afternoon when the opportunity presents itself.

good.......2002-04-10

i had to read this book for my ecology class in college. it was probably the first text outside of literature class that i actually enjoyed reading; it didn't seem like homework. it made me laugh too. i don't even like science that much, but i really enjoyed reading this.

What is YOUR view of nature?.......2001-02-12

David Quammen's Song of the Dodo led me in search of his other writings. The first reward of that quest was this book. A collection of essays from an illustrious writer with keen perception, Quammen casts his perceptive eye on a range of topics from arachnids to zoology. While an anthology lacks Song's comprehensive view, these articles are timeless. Quammen's writing evokes many levels of emotional and intellectual response.

The Introduction sets the tone: "A Mouse Is Miracle Enough". From this opening we tour the wonders of nature, with a couple of side trips to observe that strangest of animals, Homo sapiens. Quammen's gaze never ceases surveying the landscape in presenting us with things we didn't know or aspects of viewing we've not considered. While the very squeamish may balk at close examination of black widow spiders, spoon worms or scorpions, Quammen is adept at taking us gently to these confrontations. As he does, he asks us to reconsider our viewpoint of these and other creatures. We must learn to deal with "faces unlike ours" and shed prejudices even if shedding the fears is more difficult. Changing fear into respect is the first step in acknowledging our sharing this planet with other creatures and stepping back from the destructive role we've adopted.

Respect for life is the underlying theme of all Quammen's nature writings. His "sidelong view of nature" takes us along remote jungle and desert paths to watch and record life's activities. While we like to set ourselves apart from the rest of life, Quammen, with facile pressure, pulls us along with him to observe our cousins. And ourselves. Deserts, it seems, are a haven for more than scorpions and Beaded Lizards. Among the many nocturnal animals hiding from the desert sun is a bipedal hominid. In this instance, the animals are groups of refugees seeking sanctuary in a hostile environment. Quammen's account of Guatemalan refugees and their mentors, also intelligent chimpanzees risk much to support and succor them. It's not a pleasant story, nor one any American can read without remorse. Quammen has made a sharp turn here from his usual investigations of nature's secrets. Refugee running is every bit as much a secret as nature offers, but with what humans are pleased to call a "moral issue". Quammen relates how well we've addressed that issue.

Great Book.......2000-08-20

These personal essays are a delight to read. Quammen takes some serious scientific information and then filters it through his humorous perspective and draws some interesting conclusions. All the essays are short but they are provocative and well written. Gee, how come I never had a biology teacher like this!

QUAMMEN IN KING-.......2000-03-24

Technical, yet understandable to anyone; Informative, yet wild and entertaining. That is how I would describe Flight of The Igauna. A friend gave this book to me in Glacier National Park last summer and I never got the chance to thank her for it. Dave Quammen takes takes the reader to his journey through the Okefenokee Swamp to a description of the interesting mating rituals by African bedbugs. He has a cynical voice but a compassionate heart. Nature is so fragile, complex, beautiful. We humans must realize this. A great book. You'll love it, a I did! Promise!

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The Flight of the Iguana

Manufacturer: Delacorte Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I5MZ1E

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Flight of the Iguana
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ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Flight of the Iguana

Manufacturer: SIMON & SCHUSTER
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GM1S30

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