Women Interned in World War Two Sumatra

Women Interned in World War Two Sumatra written by Barbara Coombes
and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 272

Thousands of women and children were among those who struggled to leave

Singapore just before capitulation on February 15 1942; their hope was to reach

safety. For many that hope was never realised; countless numbers drowned as

ships were bombed and sunk on their way to ‘safety’. The ‘lucky’ ones who

survived the onslaught of the ships would become guests of the Japanese; many

of these would not live to see the end of the war.

Two very different women fleeing on those last ships and subsequently interned in

camps throughout Sumatra were Margaret Dryburgh, a missionary and teacher, and

Shelagh Brown, a secretary at the Singapore Naval Base. Their paths crossed briefly

prior to the catastrophic events of 1942 and met again in internment. The ‘Captives

Hymn’ composed by Margaret Dryburgh was initially sung by herself along with

Shelagh Brown and friend Dorothy MacLeod on 5 July 1942. It has since been sung

at services throughout internment and continues to be sung at services all over the

world. Music and faith were fundamental to both their lives and Margaret’s creative

talents lifted the spirits of everyone during those dark and difficult days.

In a remarkable partnership, when the women were struggling to find something new

that would lift their flagging spirits, Margaret and fellow internee Norah Chambers

produced a ‘Vocal Orchestra’ using women’s voices in place of instruments. The

first performance stunned the entire camp; they had never heard anything so

beautiful and momentarily made them feel that they were free and floating away

with the music.

This true account, using personal diaries and family documents traces Margaret

Dryburgh and Shelagh Brown’s journey from childhood through to adulthood and

internment. Early life shapes adult life and perhaps contributed to their response to

captivity which showed courage, tenacity, perseverance and surprisingly, given the

appalling conditions, a good deal of humour.

Women Interned in World War Two Sumatra follows the story of two women
from Singapore that had been living there but were trying to flee when the
Japanese invaded in 1942. The story follows Margaret Dryburgh and Shelagh
Brown, two quite different women bought together by harsh circumstances.
We see how the two women try to keep their spirits up during a time of
confinement, we learn how the two women grew up from children and how
they became strong women and what they had to go through from primary
sources and personal accounts. I found this book/story to be quite a moving
one, and if you want to learn what life is like as a prisoner in a camp in a
foreign country, this book is certainly up there with the best of them. It has
certainly been quite a moving book to read.

Land Craft 11: Pakwagen SDKFZ 234/3 and 234/4 Heavy Armoured Cars German Army, Waffen-SS and Luftwaffe Units - Western and Eastern Fronts, 1944–1945

Land Craft 11: Pakwagen SDKFZ 234/3 and 234/4 Heavy Armoured Cars

German Army, Waffen-SS and Luftwaffe Units - Western and Eastern Fronts,

1944–1945 written by Dennis Oliver and published by Pen & Sword Books -

£16.99 - Softcover - Pages 64

Experience in the Polish and French campaigns had convinced the German high

command of the value of fast-moving, armed reconnaissance vehicles. But it was

realised that many of the early designs were too lightly-armed and development

of a heavy eight-wheeled prototype resulted in the Sdkfz 234 series of armoured

cars, the first of which entered service in late 1943. Built by the firm of Büssing-NAG,

these sturdy and reliable vehicles were gradually up-armed and served in the

infantry support role and eventually as tank killers, largely as the result of Hitler's

desperation to arm as many vehicles as possible with anti-tank weapons.

Drawing on official documentation and unit histories Dennis investigates the

formations that operated these vehicles and uses archive photos and extensively

researched colour illustrations to examine the markings, camouflage and technical

aspects of the Sdkfz 234/2, 234/3 and 234/4 armoured cars that served on the

Western and Eastern Fronts in the last months of the war. A key section of his book

displays available model kits and aftermarket products, complemented by a gallery

of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales. Technical details

as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also

examined, providing everything the modeller needs to recreate an accurate

representation of these historic vehicles.

This book follows the same format as all the previous books, which I must state is an excellent format. Although I might not be a huge modeller fan, I build a few a year. But I love reading these books, you get a history run-through, drawings in various stages and design, camouflage designs dependent on the theatre of war, various photos of the machine in real life, photos of the models in various scenarios and then you get detailed information/tables about the numbers and where they were allocated. These are really first-class books, and if I find them incredibly helpful the avid modeller must love them. 

This particular book looks at the rarely mentioned Pakwagen from the German army, now I can see these as being an asset in North Africa or wide open space terrains like you would find on the Eastern front because you need vehicles to be quick and agile. In my opinion, it looks like a beefed-up Land Rover/Jeep with a big gun, so I can see its benefits in certain battles and landscapes. But I can see them being taken out quite quickly. I’ve really enjoyed this book and certainly one for the avid modeller.

Baldur von Schirach - Nazi Leader and Head of the Hitler Youth

Baldur von Schirach - Nazi Leader and Head of the Hitler Youth written by

Oliver Rathkolb published by Frontline Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 240

Hitler made the eighteen-year-old Baldur von Schirach the offer he was hoping for, telling him

the party needed young men like him. The young man snapped up Hitler’s invitation and

enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks of the National Socialist Party, marrying Henriette

Hoffmann, the daughter of Hitler’s personal photographer Heinrich Hoffmann.

In 1930 he was appointed “Reich” youth leader, and as Hitler’s loyal servant he harnessed the Hitler Youth for the ‘brown revolution’. He dreamt of a fascist Europe under German leadership and as Gauleiter of Vienna he had the city’s Jewish population deported to the death camps while enriching himself with looted Jewish art collections. But his independence of mind and artistic ideals led to tensions between Berlin and Vienna.

In 1946, Baldur von Schirach stood trial at Nuremberg, where he offered a crafty defence, confessing his role in the rise of National Socialist ideology and attacking Adolf Hitler but denying involvement in the murder of Jews. As a result, he escaped execution and was sentenced to twenty years in prison for crimes against humanity.

In the 1960s, he emerged from Spandau prison to great media attention, but he would later die in obscurity. In this critical biography, Oliver Rathkolb uses previously untapped archive material to examine a controversial figure who used his keen media savvy to paint a favourable picture of himself after the war. The book traces how this key figure in the National Socialist propaganda machine was shaped by the German political milieu – before going on to shape German youth.

Baldur von Schirach was the ‘Reich’ youth leader, a somewhat suspicious character and someone you wouldn’t necessarily trust. Schirach was a young man, only 18 when he was given a position of power and I think his ability to get on with what he wanted gave him a chance to have the power but also allowed him to keep himself at arms length which would come out after the war ended. This after all was a devious and racist person, but like lots of people of this kind, they’re happy to do the crime but will happily do anything to avoid the time. After the war, he got away with only prison time, which shows how some people got away with a lot. His time leaving prison was one he thought he could exploit, but he ended up dying in obscurity, while this might sound good, at the end of the day he got away with murder. A fascinating read into someone who doesn’t get much attention.

Save the Last Bullet - Memoir of a Boy Soldier in Hitler's Army

Save the Last Bullet - Memoir of a Boy Soldier in Hitler's Army written by

Wilhelm Langbein & Heidi Langbein-Allen and published by Pen & Sword Books

- £20 - Hardback - Pages 192

Willi Langbein was just thirteen when the Nazis took him away from his parents under

the pretence of protecting him. Their real reason was to turn him into cannon-fodder for

use against Hitler’s enemies. Deployed to the collapsing Eastern Front in the last days

of the war, Willi, now aged fourteen, and his schoolmates were ordered to stave off the

relentless Russian advance. None were expected to return alive from the final battles

of the Third Reich.

Yet, against all odds, Willi does survive but his ordeal is far from over. He returns home to find everything he knows destroyed. Numb and confused, he is mandated to serve one year of forced farm labour. After his release, he gradually realizes that all he was taught to believe in was a lie and he sinks into depression. Eventually, thanks to his friendship with a kind British soldier, he begins to heal. It begins to dawn on him that he can play a part to ensure that the evil he witnessed is never repeated. Ultimately, he succeeds by earning the Medal of European Merit in 1979 for his contribution to the advancement of European democracy.

Willi’s graphic and moving story, told from a Nazi child soldier’s perspective, is an inspiring memoir of lost innocence and despair, but also of determination and hope restored.

I imagine that what is starting to be done in Russia at the moment, is what happened to Wilhelm Langbein, in that he was taken away from his parents by the state and indoctrinated and taught to believe in the military way. A process by which groups of children are taken forcibly by the state and ‘educated’ to believe what the state wants them to believe, for you then to become a soldier declaring undying obedience to that country. Wilhelm would end up being taken and thrown into the war aged 14, where lucky for him, he survived. He would then be forced into working hard labour where he would strike up a friendship with a British soldier who would in a way give him a chance to see the realities of live and people. Wilhelm would go on to campaign for peace and be rewarded. This is a book about courage, strength and perceverance, an excellent book written by Heidi Langbein-Allen who has done her father proud.

Sniper on the Ypres Salient

Sniper on the Ypres Salient written by Sue Boase and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £22 - Hardback - Pages 224

Just after midnight on 22 April 1916 on the Western Front, a sergeant from the 15th

(1st London) Royal Welsh Fusiliers came sliding and stumbling along the dark, mud-filled

trench towards the four men, huddled together and soaked-through, in the shallow dugout.

He was clutching his postbag in which there were four parcels for one of them, William

McCrae, whose twentieth birthday fell on this day.

A hand-written account by William, my grandfather, was found in my mother’s papers, long after his death. This book describes a year of his time fighting in the First World War, from December 1915 to December 1916.

Two months after his birthday, he was marching towards the Somme, where he was to act as a runner during the key Welsh engagement in the Battle of Mametz Wood. Later, he went on to volunteer and train as a sniper. He continued in this role for over a year, becoming a lance corporal in the 38th Divisional Sniping Company while fighting on the Ypres Salient. His words emphasise the key role snipers played in the collecting of intelligence about the enemy, through close observation and careful reporting.

His account stops abruptly in mid-sentence, just at the point where he indicates he is about to reveal more to us about ‘a new, interesting part of the line to be manned by us Snipers’.

Piecing together clues from his sketches, maps and photos, and this book paints a picture of Williams’ time during the rest of the war. In 1917 he returned to England to train as a temporary officer in the 18th Officer Cadet Battalion at Prior Park, Bath. He came back to the Western Front as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment, where he was seconded to the 1/5 Lancashire Fusiliers until the end of the war. During this time, it is likely that his interest and experience as a sniper continued, with evidence that he may have taught at one of the Sniping Schools set up across France.

Sniper on the Ypres Salient is a very admirable, fascinating and decent book,

impressive that the author Sue Boase, granddaughter of William McCrae, who

started his story/WWI as a runner at The Somme, he would then go on to

become a sniper and this book follows a year in his life. Being a sniper he

would have been a well-trained, patient and observant person and this comes

out in the book as there is lots of detail and the book clearly shows how

observant he was as the great detail comes out as he has a lot of say and

needed too as his intelligence would help support future plans and attacks.

The book is written in little chunks like you would get in a diary, but the

information is always of interest, and you really do get an idea of what life

was like as a sniper in those conditions. Excellent work by Sue Boase, and a

thoroughly good read. I also loved the glossary at the back of the book along

with the huge links of websites in the sources section too.

Operation Hoss - The Deportation of Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz, May–July 1944

Operation Hoss - The Deportation of Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz,

May–July 1944 written by Ian Baxter and published by Pen & Sword

Books - £14.99 - Softcover - Pages 144

Operation Höss or Aktion Höss was the codename for the mass deportation of Hungarian Jews and their murder in the gas chambers of Birkenau extermination camp. Between 14 May and 9 July 1944, 420,000 Jews were sent to Auschwitz from Hungary, or about 12,000 per day. On arrival some twenty-five percent were selected for forced labour while the remainder were immediately gassed. The name of this atrocity came from Rudolf Höss, who returned as the commandant of Auschwitz to increase the killing capacity and ensure the smooth running of the operation. The specially built railway line into Birkenau from Auschwitz made transports to the camp more efficient enabling the SS to increase the daily killing capacity. After the war, SS Adolf Eichmann, who had organised the deportations from Hungary, boasted that Operation Höss was an achievement never matched before or since.

This shocking book tells the story of this inhuman venture from its conception and planning, and though to the bitter, tragic end.

This book is insane as it shows the utter depravity of Nazi Germany attempting to destroy a huge number of Hungarian Jews at the german concentration camps of Auschwitz & Birkenau in a two-month period (420.000). What makes it even worse is the Germans wanted to concentrate on how to make the whole process quicker and more efficient. The pictures throughout the book not only show the people being lined up to be gassed but being separated into groups where those ‘lucky’ enough could be sectioned off to perform slave labour whilst the rest were killed. Whilst the book is well written, in quite a few cases there is no need for words, a picture tells the story, which I guess is the point of the book. Another great book for the series.

Hitler’s Father - Hidden Letters: Why the Son Became a Dictator

Hitler’s Father - Hidden Letters: Why the Son Became a Dictator written by

Roman Sandgruber and published by Frontline Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 272

The bundle of 31 letters, the pages of which had long yellowed with age, had lain

hidden in the attic where they were found for over a century. Only when the razor-

sharp script was examined further did historians discover just who had written them

– and that person, Alois, was Adolf Hitler’s father.

Born Alois Schicklgruber on 7 June 1837, the identity of his biological father still undisclosed, Alois eventually became a civil servant in the Austrian customs service. At around the age of 40, Alois changed his family name from Schicklgruber to Hitler – his infamous son being born some eleven years later.

The contents of the re-discovered letters have allowed the renowned historian and author Roman Sandgruber to reassess the image that we have of Alois, offering the world a completely new and authentic impression of the man. In Hitler’s Father, Sandgruber re-examines Alois’ personality and how he significantly shaped the young Adolf.

The letters also shed further light onto the everyday life of the Hitler family as whole, a story which is often characterized by myths, inventions and assumptions. They have given the author the opportunity to recount the childhood and youth of the future dictator, painting a dramatic picture of the ‘Führer’ growing up.

These letters also help answer the question that is so often asked: How could a child from an Upper Austrian province, seemingly a failure and self-taught, rise to a position of such power? Indeed, Adolf Hitler’s father and ‘the province’ seemingly lay heavily on him until his suicide in the Führerbunker in 1945. The author examines how the young Hitler’s lowly upbringing may have affected him in the years that followed – years which shaped the history of the whole world. 

I reviewed another book recently called Lucky Hitler’s Big Mistakes, a really good book that looks at the rise and fall of Hitler and how much of it was his own fault. This book has similar aims in that it wants to look at the background of Hitler and how he became the person he was by looking at how he grew up mainly through the guidance of his father, Alois Hitler. This is often a question asked in the circles of history buffs, trying to find out why Hitler became who he was, and in many ways, by looking at this father this can be seen and answers a few questions and dispels a few myths too. It was a fascinating and interesting read, or I certainly thought so, and I have my own opinions about this subject but then maybe I should write a book about it. This is certainly a really good book and if you are interested in finding out about what’s behind the mask, this book will help. The notes and bibliography at the back of this book are excellent, I didn’t realise so many books had been written on this subject previously.

Hitler’s Traitors Dissent, Espionage and the Hunt For Dissenters

Hitler’s Traitors Dissent, Espionage and the Hunt For Dissenters compiled by

Edward Harrison and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 248

This collection of vivid essays examines some of the most fascinating aspects of the German

resistance to Hitler. It includes the first translations into English of pioneering studies on the

role of a leading Nazi in the July Plot, the flight of Rudolf Hess to Britain and the vigorous

controversy over Hugh Trevor-Roper’s investigation of Hitler’s death. The book also explores

vociferous Catholic dissent in Franconia and the conspiracies against the Third Reich of the

revolutionary New Beginning movement. Through the study of important personalities and

dramatic events this book explores the possibilities and challenges faced by Germans in

attempts to frustrate and defy Hitler’s tyranny.

I would like to say that I enjoyed the 6 different essays compiled in this book, on Rudolph

Hess, Count Wolf Heinrich von Helldorf, the Monasteries and two reports about Hugh

Trevor Roper. Whilst I can see the first two fitting in well with the title of the book, I find the

essays about the monasteries and the two about Hugh Trevor Roper don’t really fit the

title well, it’s as if the book goes off on a slightly different tangent. But as I say they are all

perfectly good essays, maybe it’s me and I haven’t grasped this book properly.

Lucky Hitler’s Big Mistakes

Lucky Hitler’s Big Mistakes written by Paul Ballard-Whyte and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 336

Adolf Hitler’s Great War military experiences in no way qualified him for supreme command. Yet by July 1940, under his personal leadership the Third Reich’s armed forces had defeated Poland, Czechoslovakia, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium and France. The invasion of Great Britain was a distinct reality following Dunkirk. Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania had become allies along with the acquiescent military powers of Mussolini’s Italy and Franco’s Spain. These achievements prompted Field Marshal Willem Keitel, the Wehrmacht’s Chief of Staff, to pronounce Hitler to be ‘the Greatest Commander of all time’.

Storm clouds were gathering, most notably the disastrous decision to tear up the treaty with the Soviet Union and launch Operation Barbarossa in 1941. As described in this meticulously researched and highly readable book, Hitler’s blind ideology, racist hatred and single-mindedness led him and his allies inexorably to devastating defeat. How far was it good luck that gave Hitler his sensational early political and military successes? Certainly fortune played a major role in his survival from many assassination attempts and sex scandals. The author concludes, from 1941 onwards, the Fuhrer’s downfall was entirely attributable to military misjudgements that he alone made.

Lucky Hitler’s Big Mistakes exposes the enigmatic Dictator for what he really was – incredibly lucky and militarily incompetent.

The subject of this book is a question that often dominates military history message boards, in how Hitler rose to power from such a lowly position. The author of this book Paul Ballard-Whyte spends the first half of this book looking at how Hitler got to his position through a number of events that would help him get to the top of his ladder, such as the Munich Beer Hall Putsch, The Reichstag Fire and the Night of the Long Knives to name a few. Then in the second half of the book, he then looks at when Hitler was in his ultimate position he then failed a good number of times that would see his quest fail, such as Failure to Invade Britain, North Africa and Declaring War on the US. All the points in the book are nicely argued leaving the reader to decide their thoughts. I really enjoyed this book mainly because it was very well written and researched and it’s a subject I have often looked at over the years. An excellent book, especially if you like WW2 history and how it occurred.

In the Service of the Emperor - The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire 1931-1945

In the Service of the Emperor - The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire 1931-1945

written by Brig N S Nash CBE and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 -

Hardback - Pages 344

The expansion of the Japanese Empire between 1931 until its defeat in 1945 is one of the most extraordinary yet shocking episodes in human history. Extraordinary in that a relatively non-industrialised island nation was prepared to go to war, concurrently, with China, the most populous country, Great Britain with its world-wide empire and the USA, the wealthiest and most powerful country on earth. Shocking, as those 'in the service of the Emperor’ practiced persistent and unrestrained brutality as they conquered and occupied swathes of South East Asia. But, as this superbly researched work reveals, there is no denying their fighting and logistical expertise.

The author examines the political, economic and strategic effects of the rapid Japanese expansion and explores the cult of deity that surrounded the Emperor. The contribution of the Allied forces and their leadership is given due attention.

When retribution duly came, it was focussed on the military leadership responsible for unspeakable atrocities on their military and civilian victims—the physical perpetrators remaining largely unpunished. Japan, today, has still not acknowledged its wartime guilt.

The result is an authoritative, balanced and highly readable account of a chapter of world history that must never be forgotten.

I would like to say before I start that Japanese history is certainly not my strong point with regard to knowledge. So I have to say I have learnt an awful lot from this book, so much so I have started rereading it, because it is so comprehensive and detailed in information, for me this has been a fascinating read. The book first looks at the politics and economics of a fast-growing Japanese nation, a country that was fast-growing in population and personality. The book also looks at having an emperor and being run by a military leader and the difference that has on a nation and its mindset.

I found this book very educational and I have learned a lot, there is a lot of information and detail written in an informed way, and I’m rereading it mainly to help get more used to the names, places and personalities involved in the book. The book contains much text, information, graphs and tables, along with a steady flow of informative pictures and there also seems to be a good bibliography at the back.

Eyewitness at Dieppe - The Only First-Hand Account of WWII's Most Disastrous Raid

Eyewitness at Dieppe - The Only First-Hand Account of WWII's Most Disastrous

Raid written by Ross Reyburn and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 -

Hardcover - Pages 192

In August 1942, Allied forces mounted an attack on the German-held port of Dieppe; titled Operation Jubilee, it represented a rehearsal for invasion. The amphibious attack saw over 6,000 infantrymen, predominantly Canadian, put ashore, tasked with destroying German structures and gathering intelligence.

The doomed raid was an abject failure and became Canada’s worst military disaster.

Eyewitness at Dieppe is a long-overdue reissue of New Zealand-born writer Wallace Reyburn’s dramatic account of the raid. He was with the first soldiers clambering ashore, and aboard the last ship returning to England after six hours of carnage.

Awarded an OBE as the only war correspondent to witness the street fighting first-hand, Reyburn was fortunate not to be numbered among Dieppe’s dead, suffering just a minor wound inflicted by mortar shell fragments. His book, Rehearsal for Invasion was a wartime bestseller.

Accompanied by freelance journalist Ross Reyburn’s new foreword on his father’s account, this new edition tells us more about Wallace’s intriguing life and details the shortcomings of his father’s book, dictated by wartime censorship corrected in the post-war years through a withering condemnation of raid’s mastermind Lord Mountbatten.

Eyewitness to Dieppe is another very good book as it gives the first-hand opinions of someone who was there to experience the attack. The book is put together by Ross Reyburn, the son of journalist or war correspondent Wallace Reyburn, it’s put together using his written accounts at the time, his opinions about how things went and in quite a few parts he gives his take on certain events that happened. It is good to have accounts of what happened but it should be remembered that Wallace Reyburn wrote his accounts whilst in the thick of the action so his opinions are of what he experienced at the time, where we have since learned some of the events might have been slightly different when you look at all the information as a whole. Reyburn is quite rightly proud of the way the predominantly Canadian troops behaved and fought, but when you look at the action as a whole there were big mistakes made by those in charge, something Rayburn is not afraid to talk about in the book.

Ross Reyburn has done a good job of putting this book together and it’s nice to read an

account of someone on the ground, interesting to see how another side of a story can

differ from another. A very good book and I enjoyed this more personal account of an event.

Battle - Understanding Conflict from Hastings to Helmand

Battle - Understanding Conflict from Hastings to Helmand written by Graeme

Callister & Rachael Whitbread published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 -

Hardback - Pages 288

What are the critical factors that determine the outcome of battles? Which is more decisive in a

clash of arms: armies or the societies they represent? How important is the leadership of the

commanders, the terrain over which the armies fight, the weapons they use and the supplies

they depend on? And what about the rules of war and the strategic thinking and tactics of the

time? These are among the questions Graeme Callister and Rachael Whitbread seek to answer

as they demonstrate the breadth of factors that need to be taken into account to truly understand

battle.

Their book traces the evolution of warfare over time, exploring the changing influence of the social, political, technological and physical landscape on the field of battle itself. They examine how the motivation of the combatants and their methods of fighting have changed, and they illustrate their conclusions with vivid, carefully chosen examples from across a range of Western European military history, including the Norman Conquest, the Hundred Years War, the Wars of Religion, the Napoleonic Wars and the world wars, and beyond.

By exploring the wide range of interconnected factors that influence the results of battles, the authors broaden the study of this aspect of military history from a narrow focus on isolated episodes of conflict. Their original and thought-provoking writing will be fascinating reading for all students of warfare.

This is a very fascinating book indeed that looks at warfare and the reasons why we have

warfare from 1066 right up to modern-day warfare. Each chapter in this book looks are

various battles and explains one of the most prominent reasons for that battle or why it

was fought. For example, just from the first three chapters, cover Society, Grand Strategy

and Leadership and how these all played a major part in particular battles. We also have

chapters on Landscapes, Tactics and Logistics to name a few more. Some of the reasons

are explained and open up new aspects to various battles that some might not have

thought about before, but they also explain a good number of other factors. I must admit

that I really enjoyed this book and it made for a really fascinating read. It reminded me of

books on military history at university where the answers aren’t always clear to see on the

surface, certainly a book for those that like to think more deeply into the subject of military

history. I would like to see another similar book like this, looking at a wider number of

battles or maybe battles involving fighting in the air or on sea. An excellent book. 

Voices of Russian Snipers: Eyewitness Red Army Accounts from World War II

Voices of Russian Snipers: Eyewitness Red Army Accounts from World War II

- written by Artem Drabkin & Andrey Ulanov and published by Greenhill Books

- £25 - Hardback - Pages 288 

‘Wiped out three Nazis in a shallow trench. But only got out by a miracle. The Germans

apparently guessed where my lair was and unleashed a hurricane of mortar fire … the

company had as good as buried me. Somebody saw a direct mortar hit on my lair.’

- Fyodor Dyachenko

‘The German snipers on the other side also engaged in stalking, especially stalking us women. They had no female snipers, just men’ - Antonina Kotlyarova

‘Dreadful death cries could be heard from the German trenches, where the enemy were bayonetting those of our wounded who had remained behind there’ - Klavdia Kalugina

‘Before firing I managed to get a good look at him through my sights. He was a young officer. He seemed to be looking straight at me and I shot him. But it was a human being! Then my feelings dulled and I went on killing the way we were supposed to’ - Antonina Kotlyarova

‘When we learnt on May 9th that the war was over, our joy knew no bounds […] I felt enormous relief when I heard the news of victory – now I wouldn’t need to kill anymore’ - Maria Bondarenko

With a wealth of first-hand testimonies, collected by Artem Drabkin, this is a unique collection of eyewitness accounts from the Second World War. The reminiscences of the Red Army snipers reveal fascinating details of life in Russia before the war, as well as the surprising commonality of the privation and unforgiving experience of frontline combat and the day-to-day starkness of sharpshooting.

The book includes testimony from celebrated snipers such as Fyodor Dyachenko, Alexander Romanyenko, Klavdia Kalugina, Antonina Kotlyarova and Maria Bondarenko.

This was a surprising book in that it was very informative about life in Red Army during the Second World War. I initially made the mistake of thinking it was one long account, but the book is a collection of first-hand accounts of various Russian snipers. Life in the was army, conditions, fighting in war, training and what I liked was the thought processed that was instilled in Russian snipers. I did think while reading this book that with current events going on the state of the Russian army does seem to have declined in recent decades. Also in one of the chapters, there is a ‘Best of the Best’ in terms of Russian snipers and how many kills are attributed to them. I enjoyed this book, and although I knew quite a bit about life as a soldier in the Red army, it was nice to read so many differing accounts, which was nice and refreshing with each chapter. Fans of the Eastern Front will enjoy this book.