Frederic’s Reviews > Stalingrad > Status Update

" "Fuck it all!" Filyashkin yelled in a sudden fury. "I'm a commander and there are commands to be given." "

As the Germans besiege the train station, the key Soviet holdout in Stalingrad, a comissar observes to his commanding officer:

"It's good that Shvedkov will be with them. He's a true Communist."

Way to add value in a desperate situation, Vlad.

So many references to the Russians using mortars, which are short range, high trajectory weapons of limited use against anything that moves fast, like tanks or motorized infantry used by the German invaders.

"The German axe was raised high in the air, suspended not only over the city of Stalingrad but also over the dream of justice, over devotion to freedom, over man's joy in labour, over maternal feeling..."

Justice, freedom and joy in labour all immediately come to mind when we think of Stalin's USSR.

As if to say, "Stalin's not a monster. Never!....Well, at least he's OUR monster."

The Soviets wanted Grossman to become their Tolstoy. There are elements of "War and Peace" here, with a large cast of characters, many of whom are quite emotional and impulsive. Interesting reading.

Clearly, this book was written in the Communist era. Grossman describes the horrors of invasion by Hitler's Fascist hordes, contrasted with the glorious societal unity and freedom of Soviet life... under Stalin.

Yikes.