Guns Against the Reich : Memoirs of an Artillery Officer on the Eastern Front

In three years of war on the Eastern Front-from the desperate defense of Moscow, through the epic struggles at Stalingrad and Kursk to the final offensives in central Europe-artillery-man Petr Mikhin experienced the full horror of battle. In this vivid memoir he recalls distant but deadly duels with German guns, close-quarter hand-to-hand combat, and murderous mortar and tank attacks, and he remembers the pity of defeat and the grief that accompanied victories that cost thousands of lives. He was wounded and shell-shocked, he saw his comrades killed and was nearly captured, and he was threatened with the disgrace of a court martial. For years he lived with the constant strain of combat and the ever-present possibility of death. Mikhin recalls his experiences with a candor and an immediacy that brings the war on the Eastern Front-a war of immense scale and intensity-dramatically to life. REVIEWS "Absorbing and easy to read...written with humor." Soldier Magazine, 08/2010"...a very valuable picture of life in the Red Army during four years of intense non-stop fighting against a determined and skilled enemy." History of War.org, 08/05/2010 “[A] powerful autobiography from a Russian veteran of Stalingrad, Kursk and numerous other battles... as he fought his way from Moscow to Vienna.” —Military Illustrated In three years of war on the Eastern Front—from the desperate defense of Moscow, through the epic struggles at Stalingrad and Kursk to the final offensives in central Europe—artillery-man Petr Mikhin experienced the full horror of battle. In this vivid memoir he recalls distant but deadly duels with German guns, close-quarter hand-to-hand combat, and murderous mortar and tank attacks, and he remembers the pity of defeat and the grief that accompanied victories that cost thousands of lives. He was wounded and shell-shocked, he saw his comrades killed and was nearly captured, and he was threatened with the disgrace of a court martial. For years he lived with the constant strain of combat and the ever-present possibility of death. Mikhin recalls his experiences with a candor and an immediacy that brings the war on the Eastern Front—a war of immense scale and intensity—dramatically to life.“Mikhin's memoirs give us a very valuable picture of life in the Red Army during four years of intense non-stop fighting against a determined and skilled enemy. This allows us to follow the evolution of the Red Army from the nearly defeated force of 1941 to the skilled military machine of 1945, and helps illuminate the price that the Soviet soldiers paid for victory.” —History of War“A fast-paced, interesting read that recounts stories of courage under fire and dedication to duty... I highly recommend this book.” —Military Review "In three years of war on the Eastern Front -- from the desperate defence of Moscow, through the epic struggles at Stalingrad and Kursk to the final offensives in central Europe -- artilleryman Petr Mikhin experienced the full horror of battle. In this vivid memoir, he recalls distant but deadly duels with German guns, close-quarter hand-to-hand combat, and murderous mortar and tank attacks, and he remembers the pity of defeat and the grief that accompanied victories that cost of thousands of lives. He was wounded and shell-shocked, he saw his comrades killed and was nearly captured, and he was threatened with the disgrace of a court martial. For years, he lived with the constant strain of combat and the ever-present possibility of death. And he recalls his experiences with a candour and an immediacy that brings the war on the Eastern Front -- a war of immense scale and intensity -- dramatically to life"--Jacket Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 Part One: The Rzhev Meat-Grinder 10 Prologue: Training is hard 12 Chapter One: Rzhev 20 Chapter Two: Die, but Don’t Retreat! 30 Chapter Three: The Slaughter at Rzhev 40 Part Two: From Stalingrad to the Western Border 58 Chapter Four: From Starobelsk to the Donbas 59 Chapter Five: Encircled! 68 Chapter Six: Kursk 76 Chapter Seven: On the Heels of the Enemy 84 Chapter Eight: On Defense along the Ingulets River 94 Chapter Nine: The Spring Offensive 117 Chapter Ten: Bridgehead on the Dnestr 134 Chapter Eleven: Despair 144 Chapter Twelve: My Heroic Crews! 151 Part Three: Here it is, Eastern Europe! 158 Chapter Thirteen: Romania – Bulgaria – Yugoslavia 159 Chapter Fourteen: Command Problems 173 Chapter Fifteen: The Liberation of Hungary 197 Chapter Sixteen: Austria and Czechoslovakia 221 Index 228