Stating that this book is not meant to be a history of WWII in the USSR and will include little scholarly apparatus, such as references, but rather a series of portraits of individual citizens who served, Turbett then proceeds with a long chapter on Soviet military history during the war that includes material that really does need to be cited, even for general readers. Following that, there is a long litany of short biographies of those who served in or were touched by the war and its political aftermath. Turbett has access to what seems to be quite an archive of materials, including letters and photographs. But the letters are simply reproduced whole cloth, without much context or interpretation, and the photographs are given little context, with in-photo texts and credits going untranslated. What commentary there is often repeats mealy-mouthed platitudes reminiscent of Soviet newspaper pieces. Ultimately, readers are supposed to accept the idea that millions of Soviet citizens and soldiers were happy to serve their country despite any hardships, and for those who did, clearly suffer, Turbett tries to create uplift for them through his own addendums on their lives: that at least ta person lived close to their daughter, that surely their past moments of glory were a comfort to them, etc. The end result is a dishonest book.

4.5 Although an unusual way to begin a book review, I would like to start by saying what this book is not. It is not an academic history. As the author makes clear in the opening pages this book is intended for a general audience, and so one should not expect to find copious footnotes throughout the text. The author, however, does include an extensive list of sources at the end that the reader can use to explore topics covered at greater length, This monograph is also not a military history. Although the author certainly mentions specific battles, he provides no lengthy descriptions of troop movements or battle strategies. Instead the author focuses on the experiences of everyday Soviet citizens who sacrificed their livelihoods and their lives to defeat the Nazis on the Eastern Front. In short, this is the story of the Soviet Union's "greatest generation" -- a story, which against the backdrop of Cold War rivalries, largely disappeared from most histories of World War II aimed at a general audience published in the West,

To overcome this omission and capture the humanity of those who fought and died for the Soviet Union, the author includes a vast array of contemporaneous photos, excerpts from letters by combatants to loved ones at home, and individual stories of heroism. In telling these individual stories of suffering, sacrifice, and triumph, the author is careful to distinguish between myths and facts (as well as noting those places where the line between the two remains unclear). In addition, the author situates these portraits of the contributions of individual Soviet citizens in the broader context of the Soviet War effort. For example, the author notes how Stalin's purges in the 1930s had decimated military leadership, leaving the nation ill-equipped initially to confront the Nazi war machine.

Although the vast majority of the book focuses on the Soviet Union's "greatest generation" during the war years, it also tracks the fate of this generation in the years after the war, noting how they were first ignored and later idolized as cracks in the Soviet system became more apparent. Here too, the book is at its best when it focuses on the stories of individual citizens, who having survived the war, must now sacrifice yet more to rebuild the nation. A fascinating read that powerfully reminds the reader in the West of the humanity and immense sacrifices made by the Soviet people without which the war would have ended in failure.

Living in the US I've read a lot of books that detail battles of WW2, both in Europe and in the Pacific Theaters. This book tells the stories of (mostly) forgotten Russians that fought, and often died, in the brutal fighting against Nazi Germany after they were invaded in 1941. Often poignant and heartbreaking, the excerpts of letters and photos show ordinary people that were separated from their families for years (leave was almost never possible, even if near the home of the soldier). Add to that the stress of the danger that civilians faced with the invasion and brutality of the Nazis of the most industrial and agriculturally productive parts of the Soviet Union. Unlike in the West, both men and women served in combat roles, although the women faced discrimination and sexual assault from the men they served with. For me the most heartbreaking stories involve children, sometimes toddlers, that were adopted by military units. These children were one of the real tragedies of the war, orphaned or separated from family with little hope of being reunited. The other tragedy highlighted in these stories is the frequent lack of recognition for the sacrifice and bravery of most ordinary soldiers. After the war was over in 1945 it took decades for some to gain the acknowledgment of their extraordinary service by the generations coming afterwards. In the West, we call the men and women that lived and served during WW2 The Greatest Generation, in the Soviet Union they could be considered The Forgotten Generation. This book works to prevent them being forgotten.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.