The Road to Barbarossa Soviet-German Relations 1917-1941

The Road to Barbarossa Soviet-German Relations 1917-1941 written by

Norman Ridley and published by Frontline Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 320

From the chaos of the First World War, during which Germany and Russia had fought each other to a standstill, there emerged two societies whose diametrically opposed ideologies of communism and fascism represented the opposite extremes of the political spectrum. Despite this, in time the governments and military establishments in both countries were able to create an environment where political expediency led to both cooperation and an eventual alliance.

Western democracies found both systems repellent but the two countries, Germany and the Soviet Union, embodied vast resources of, in the case of the Soviets, raw materials and, in the case of Germany, huge intellectual, scientific and industrial expertise. Both offered massive opportunities for trade, but neither made comfortable partners. Britain, whose sympathies lay more with the Germans, and France, whose history tied them more to Eastern Europe, tended to treat both Germany and the Soviet Union as outcast states. 

Whilst animosity was rampant on a political level, both countries, now having equal pariah status in the eyes of the Western allies, began to see huge benefits in military and economic cooperation. Collaborative ventures for covert armament production and training facilities were initiated in 1921. These schemes would continue, with varying degrees of success, for more than a decade until the rise of Nazism in Germany put an end to it.

The Spanish Civil War saw not only thee two rival political philosophies but opposing military doctrines also being tested against each other on the field of battle. It is remarkable, therefore, that these two nations emerged from this maelstrom to re-discover the ‘spirit of Rapallo’. It was a spirit which culminated in the signing of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in August 1939. Within weeks, both sides would display their unity as they fell together with ruthless efficiency upon the hopless Poland.

This book looks at how these two ‘strange bedfellows’ dealt with western hostility and found ways to accommodate each other in a bid to recover from the economic devastation and dismantling of their historic territorial boundaries. The extent to which cooperation was achieved is unusual given the circumstances, especially as they had to contend with the machinations of the Western Powers. 

I really looked forward to reading this book, and I can say I wasn’t disappointed. I think I was just looking forward to the fact that it was about the Eastern Front, but it was giving the reader that extra dimension of concentrating more on the political/relations/pre-war part of the Eastern Front. Whilst there is nothing wrong with the battles or military side of things, it’s just nice to get the added story and depth that the political part brings to the story, a bit like getting more of the story. The book covers fascinating part of relations such as The Bolshevik Revolution, The Lorcarno Treaties, The Rise of Nazism, The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and more. The book is well written and Ridley is an excellent writer in making the information easy to understand with all the various personalities involved. The book contains excellent sources and notes, and definitely a good book if you prefer reading more about the paperwork side of war. Highly Recommended.

On the Eastern Front at Seventeen

On the Eastern Front at Seventeen written by Sergey Drobyazko and published

by Greenhill Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 240

This is the true story of a young Red Army soldier during the Second World War,

told in his own words. Recruited into the army aged just seventeen, Sergei

Drobyazko’s introduction to battle is a violent one: forced to retreat from his home

city of Krasnodar after it is set ablaze by German forces. Later, Drobyazko is

captured by the Germans and placed in a concentration camp, where prisoners

are reduced to eating scavenged rubbish and bathing battle wounds in urine.

After a daring escape from the camp, he enters service once more, rising to the rank of sergeant in an infantry regiment. During this time, he witnesses the execution of deserters and the routine ill-treatment of German prisoners of war by vengeful Soviet troops. After surviving an attack that decimates his detachment, Drobyazko is almost court-martialled. Seriously wounded in 1944, he retrains as a radio operator, but he never returns to the war front.

In this gripping memoir, Drobyazko sets down his experience of the war as it unfolded around him. He claims to have consulted no historical sources and to have simply relied on his own memory, making this a deeply personal account. Translated into English for the first time, this unique account will be enjoyed by readers with an interest in military history.

These diaries/personal accounts from former Russian soldiers come up every so often and some are translated very well and still capture the imagination, and this is one of them. There does seem to be common threads that run through all of these books and that is how harsh the treatment and daily life is being a Russian soldier at most levels of command. It’s no wonder that so many of them try to desert or end up being captured because the training is almost negligent or non-existent. The equipment and conditions are usually very basic and there is certainly no respect or pride in the everyday soldiers, they’re almost treated like cannon fodder right from the start. Sergey was actually captured by the Germans, I’m not sure which situation would have been better really. I really enjoyed this book, one of the better personal accounts of Russian soldiers, well worth a read, and quite interesting.

The Battle of Halbe 1945

The Battle of Halbe 1945 written by Eberhard Baumgart and published by

Greenhill Books - £20.00 - Hardback - Pages 208

In April 1945, German troops withdrawing from the Seelow Heights were encircled by the Soviet Army near the small town of Halbe, south-east of Berlin. Rather than surrender, their orders were to attempt to break out, westward, and join up with the German 12th Army. A brutal battle ensued, with an estimated 30,000 German and 20,000 Russian soldiers killed, along with thousands of civilians.

This collection of first-hand accounts tells the story of the battle and its aftermath from the German perspective. It is an eclectic mix, containing the recollections of ordinary soldiers, SS-men and men of the Panzer Divisions, as well as civilians caught up in the battle as they attempted to flee ahead of the advancing armies. It brings to life the grim realities of this one-sided engagement, revealing the brutal vengeance of the Soviets and the desperation to escape the slaughter.

This book reveals the story of German troops being forced to withdraw from advancing Russian troops who had almost encircled them at the small town of Halbe in 1945. The battle was colossal and the number of soldiers who died was around 30,000 Germans & 20,000 Russians, and on top of that were thousands of German civilian casualties. This book which has been translated into English for the first time gives an excellent if harrowing retelling of events that occurred. With the writer relying on a number of accounts from men who were there. This was a fascinating read, of a story I had never really heard about before. The fighting and stories were staggering and I found it astonishing that I had not heard of this before. The story was a well written but easy to read the story, and there is a good number of photographs dotted throughout the book. I would highly recommend this book in which the Germans suffer an enormous onslaught from a Russian army.