Through the Maelstrom

"A work that not only brings to life the daily experiences of a Soviet soldier on the Eastern Front, but also provides a window into Soviet society during the struggle to defend the Motherland. Masterful. and balanced . . . A must-read for scholars of the Eastern Front and those interested in the role of the Communist Party in the Red Army during World War II."—Army History

"While no memoir can satisfy everyone, this one goes a long way towards answering the questions most historians would pose if given the chance to interview a veteran of the fighting in the east. . . . [This is] one of the best memoirs available because it addresses so many issues. . . . The descriptions of the various battles, of which the battle for Rzhev forms the bulk of the book, are worthy of being read by both specialists and the general readers."—Journal of Military History

"There are numerous works which examine the Second World War but few have the candour, emotion, and sincerity of Boris Gorbachevsky’s unique account. His lively and vivid memoir provides us with a range of accounts of Red Army practices and operations, largely unknown to historians of the war. The author describes what it was like, for example, to be part of a human-wave assault against German forces and to be treated by the Red Army’s combat medical services after being wounded. . . . This is an important and engrossing book and is a moving testament to the millions of soldiers who fought and died on the Eastern Front during the Great Patriotic War."—New Zealand Slavonic Journal

"Gorbachevsky’s memoir reveals much abut the life of a soldier in the Red Army during World War II. He provides us with a keen understanding of the trials and tribulations endured by Red army soldiers from the ground up. . . . For too long, German accounts have dominated this literature and, sadly, shaped Western popular perceptions of the Russian soldier who appears as a tough individual but often driven by primitive emotions. Gorbachevsky now gives us real men, actually youths, forced into the cauldron of war fighting to save their country from annihilation."—Russian Review

"A compelling account that rings with authenticity . . . Gorbachevsky reminds us that the Soviet soldier was not just an abstraction, part of the brown mass. Rather, he was an individual acted upon by the great forces of history, who also sought to influence his situation, whether through escape or by meting out revenge to his tormentors. . . . In the end, Gorbachevsky suggests, all he and other soldiers can do is attempt to cut through the myth and cliches and give an honest account of what happened. This he has done in admirable fashion."—H-Net Reviews

“This extraordinary memoir represents a veritable final testament to the countless millions of Soviet soldiers who fought and often perished in cruel anonymity. Gorbachevsky describes the tactical fighting in which he took part and the personalities and command styles of his superior commanders, all with a tailor’s keen eye for preserving detail and refreshing candor regarding the real conditions that Red Army soldiers endured. . . . A superb literary work that is far more accurate and comprehensive than Guy Sajer’s bestselling memoir, The Forgotten Soldier.”—David Glantz, author of Zhukov’s Greatest Defeat: The Red Army’s Epic Disaster in Operation Mars, 1942