Red Road from Stalingrad

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Red Road from Stalingrad
Front cover of Mansur Abdulin "Red Road from Stalingrad", Stackpole edition.jpg
Front cover of the Stackpole Books edition
Author Mansur Abdulin
Country Russia
LanguageRussian
Published1991

Red Road from Stalingrad is a war memoir written by Mansur Abdulin, published in Russian in 1991 and in English in 2004. In it, Abdulin recounts his service in the 293rd Rifle Division, which became the 66th Guards Rifle Division, in 1942-43. Abdulin joined the division while it was rebuilding in Buzuluk in the late summer of 1942, and he served for about a year, until he was severely wounded in action in November 1943, during the Battle of the Dnieper. [1] Abdulin's book is one of the first of many memoirs of ordinary Red Army soldiers (enlisted men and junior officers) that have been published in English since the end of the Cold War, giving English readers a deeper understanding of the Soviet-German War from the Soviet side.

Contents

Creation and inspiration

Abdulin was severely wounded by a shell fragment in his left buttock on 28 November 1943. This wound would eventually lead to his being invalided from the Red Army in 1944, [2] but while in hospital he encountered another wounded comrade, Vasili Shamrai. The two had fought together on what they called the "Island of Death" during the Dnieper crossing.

Vasili was sad only about one thing: he regretted that there wasn't a writer who could describe what really happened on the 'Island of Death'. I could only console him by saying that someone after the war would surely write about our island, as well as about our other bloody battles.

Thirty-five years after Victory Day I will again meet Vasili Shamrai and he will ask me: "Did anyone write about the 'Island of Death?'" "No, no one did." I myself would wait for a long time, hoping that one of our comrades-in-arms would do it...

My friend Vasili Shamrai, during our next meeting in Kremenchug in December, 1981, asked me again: "Has anyone written yet?" I understood what he meant. But I did not dare disclose my secret: I had begun to write a book about us guardsmen. I wasn't sure what the result would be. [3]

Over the following few years, Abdulin worked to complete his memoir while at least some of his comrades, such as Shamrai, were still alive to read it. Some years after its Russian publication in 1991, Artem Drabkin, a Russian popular historian of the Soviet-German War, found a copy and realized it could find an English-speaking audience. He tracked Abdulin down in the town of Novotroitsk, and suggested an English edition. Abdulin's reply was "Why not? Let's give it a try..." The English edition was published in 2004. [4]

Synopsis

The memoir begins in early November 1942, as Abdulin arrives at the front for the first time, in the Kletskaya bridgehead on the west bank of the Don River to the north-west of Stalingrad. He is serving as the gun-layer of an 82mm mortar crew in the 1034th Rifle Regiment.

After introducing the other men of his crew, he recounts his early life in Siberia. His parents were both members of the Communist Party, educated, and somewhat outsiders in the village of Sukhoi, but valued for their literacy. In his late teens, in 1940, Abdulin left school to join his father in the Miasski gold mines. As a miner he was exempt from military service, but soon after the German invasion he and three of his friends managed to persuade local officials to allow them to enlist. Of the four, only Abdulin would survive the war.

After being sent to a military academy for officer candidates and getting very good grades, he had to use several stratagems to get sent to the front as a regular soldier with his comrades, where he also served as the komsorg (leader of the Komsomols of his company). He then recounts his first "kill" of a German soldier, while acting as a sniper, on 6 Nov.. In recognition of this, he was invited to join the Communist Party, to serve as the partorg (leader of the Communists of his company), and also received the "For Courage" medal. [5]

Abdulin next describes the reconnaissance-in-force staged by the 1034th Rifle Regiment on 14 Nov against the German and Romanian lines; at a cost of 106 dead and 277 wounded or shell-shocked, this attack uncovered the entire enemy fire plan in preparation for the main offensive and made a marked impression on the author. The main offensive began on the 19th, and the following two chapters give his impressions of the breakthrough, exploitation and encirclement of the enemy forces, including a serious friendly-fire incident as the encirclement closed. [6]

In the following three chapters the author recounts various incidents during Operation Koltso, the campaign to reduce the encircled enemy forces. During this time, the 293rd was operating under command of Don Front. In January, the division first liberates Pitomnik and then Gumrak airfield on the night of 21–22 Jan., which brought the German airlift to an end, abandoning thousands of wounded men. Abdulin summarizes the accomplishments of his division in this operation on page 69, and then celebrates the order that raised the division to Guards status on the 21st. [7]

With his regiment now renumbered as the 193rd Guards Rifle Reg't., Abdulin writes of the German surrender in Stalingrad and the mopping-up operations before he and his comrades are railed northwest to become part of the 32nd Guards Rifle Corps of 5th Guards Army to the east of Kursk in Steppe Front. After the spring offensive comes to a halt, he describes the preparations for the German summer offensive. Steppe Front is in deep reserve, but has to be committed to back up Voronezh Front during the Battle of Kursk. In chapter 8 he recounts the regiment's actions in that battle, and in the next chapter the following offensive through Belgorod and into Ukraine (the Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive). Chapter 10 gives Abdulin's first-hand impressions of the storming of a bridge over the Vorskla River and the subsequent liberation of Poltava on 23 Sept.. [8]

In the following chapter Abdulin tells of the remaining stages of the race to the Dniepr. His division entered Kremenchug on 29 Sep, and soon after reached the river near the village of Vlasovka, and began crossing to a sandspit island in the river on 5 Oct.. This island, partly occupied by German forces, is later referred to as the "Island of Death" in the memoir. A mixed Soviet force manages to hold their positions in the face of heavy losses until the Germans evacuate on 12 Oct.. Following this, the survivors recross to the east bank to find that the entire operation had been a successful feint attack as part of the overall offensive plan. [9]

The final chapter has Abdulin finally crossing the Dniepr with his unit in November. On the 28th he is severely wounded in action after killing a German officer, as with his first "kill" using an SVT-40 semi-automatic rifle. Coming under enemy shellfire, he is hit by a fragment in his left buttock, cutting the sciatic nerve. This crippling injury leads to his evacuation from the battlefield, long stays in hospitals, and his eventual discharge from the Red Army. In an epilogue he recounts his post-war life, mainly his work back in the gold mines, marriage, and family. [10]

The book ends with three appendices, written by other writers, as they refer to Abdulin in the third person. The first is a brief recounting of the structure and the history of the 293rd and later 66th Guards Rifle Divisions. The second is a set of brief historical notes on the major battlefields Abdulin fought over. The third is a timeline of major events of the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War. The book also has an index. [11]

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Mansur Gizatulovich Abdulin was a Soviet memoirist and soldier who was decorated for his efforts during World War II.

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The 300th Rifle Division began service as a standard Red Army rifle division shortly after the German invasion, and fought in the southwestern part of the Soviet-German front for nearly two years following. It was able to escape the encirclement east of Kiev in September 1941, and then fought to defend, and later to try to liberate, the city of Kharkov during 1941-42. After falling back under the weight of the German 1942 summer offensive, the division began distinguish itself during Operation Uranus in late 1942, when it helped defeat the German attempt to relieve Sixth Army and later in the pursuit of the defeated Axis forces and the second liberation of Rostov-na-Donu. In recognition of these successes it was raised to Guards status as the 87th Guards Rifle Division. A second 300th Rifle Division was raised a few months later and fought briefly but very successfully against the Japanese in Manchuria in August 1945. The second formation became the 3rd Tank Division in the Far East postwar and was redesignated as the 46th Tank Division in 1957 before disbanding in 1959.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">293rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)</span> Military unit

The 293rd Rifle Division began service as a standard Red Army rifle division shortly after the German invasion. It served in the defense of Kiev, and managed to escape encirclement, spending the winter along the front near Kursk. It fought in the unsuccessful Soviet offensive on Kharkov in May 1942. In the early summer the division fought along the Don River against the German offensive, and after rebuilding in the Battle of Stalingrad, where it played a leading role in the encirclement and destruction of German Sixth Army, for which it was raised to Guards status as the 66th Guards Rifle Division as the battle was still ongoing. A second 293rd was raised a few months later and won distinction against the Japanese in Manchuria in August 1945.

The 169th Rifle Division was formed as an infantry division of the Red Army beginning in late August 1939, as part of the pre-war Soviet military build-up. It saw service in the occupation force in western Ukraine in September. The German invasion found it still in Ukraine, fighting back to the Dniepr until it was nearly destroyed. The partly-rebuilt division fought again at Kharkov, then was pulled back into reserve and sent deep into the Caucasus where it fought south of Stalingrad throughout that battle. Following another major redeployment the division helped in the liberation of Oryol, and the following race to the Dniepr. In 1944 and 1945 it was in 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts, participating successfully in the offensives that liberated Belarus, Poland, and conquered eastern Germany. It ended the war on the Elbe River.

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The 41st Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in August 1942, based on the 1st formation of the 10th Airborne Corps, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It was the last of a series of ten Guards rifle divisions formed from airborne corps during the spring and summer of 1942. It was briefly assigned to the 1st Guards Army in Stalingrad Front, then to the 24th Army in Don Front, and suffered heavy casualties north of Stalingrad before being withdrawn to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for a substantial rebuilding. Returning to 1st Guards Army in Southwestern Front in November it took part in Operation Little Saturn as part of 4th Guards Rifle Corps and then advanced into the Donbass where it was caught up in the German counteroffensive in the spring of 1943. During the summer and fall the division fought its way through eastern Ukraine as part of the 6th, and later the 57th Army under several corps commands. It would remain in the southern part of the front for the duration of the war. By February 1944 it was in the 7th Guards Army and took part in the battle for the Korsun Pocket, winning its first battle honor in the process. Shortly after it was transferred to the 4th Guards Army, where it would remain for the duration, still moving through several corps headquarters. The 41st Guards saw limited service in the first Jassy-Kishinev offensive in the spring, but considerably more in August's second offensive and several of its subunits received battle honors or decorations. The division itself won a second honorific during the offensive into Hungary in January 1945 and was later decorated for its role in the capture of Budapest. After the fall of Vienna in April it did garrison duty in the city for a short time before being directed west into lower Austria where it linked up with U.S. forces in the last days of the war. In October, while still in Austria, it was converted to the 18th Guards Mechanized Division.

The 50th Guards Rifle Division was an elite infantry division of the Red Army during World War II that continued as part of the Soviet Army during the early period of the Cold War. Converted into the 50th Guards Motor Rifle Division in the late 1950s, the division was based in Brest, Belarus. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the division became part of the Belarusian Ground Forces and was reduced to a brigade and then a storage base before being disbanded in 2006.

The 68th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in February 1943, based on the 1st formation of the 96th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It originally served in the Stalingrad Group of Forces, mopping up in the ruins of that city after the Axis surrender there before eventually being assigned to the 4th Guards Army and moving north to the Kursk area in the Steppe Military District. It entered combat with its Army during the Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive in August and continued fighting toward the Dniepr River and Kiev during the autumn and early winter. From late September until early November it was involved in the fighting around the Bukrin bridgeheads which ultimately ended in a stalemate. The 68th Guards was part of 1st Ukrainian Front until September, 1944 but was subordinated to numerous army and corps commands during this period and won an honorific in western Ukraine during March; subsequently it was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its part in the liberation of Lvov. After being removed to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command for much-needed rebuilding its combat path shifted into the Balkans. While rebuilding its antitank battalion had its towed pieces replaced with self-propelled guns and at the beginning of November the entire division was temporarily motorized to take part in an unsuccessful attempt to seize the city of Budapest via a mechanized thrust. The 68th Guards spent the remainder of the war fighting in Hungary and Austria; its regiments would all receive recognition for their roles in the battles for Budapest. The division was finally assigned to the 30th Rifle Corps of 26th Army in January, 1945 and remained under these headquarters for the duration of the war. Despite a solid record of service the 68th Guards was disbanded within two years.

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The 96th Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in May 1943, based on the 2nd formation of the 258th Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. It would become one of the more highly decorated rifle divisions of the Red Army.

The 109th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in July 1943, based on the 6th Guards Rifle Brigade and the 9th Guards Rifle Brigade and was the second of a small series of Guards divisions formed on a similar basis. It was considered a "sister" to the 108th Guards Rifle Division and they fought along much the same combat paths until the spring of 1945.

The 110th Guards Rifle Division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army from July into September 1943, based on the 5th Guards Rifle Brigade and the 7th Guards Rifle Brigade and was the third of a small series of Guards divisions formed on a similar basis. It would follow a very similar combat path to the 108th and 109th Guards Rifle Divisions and would serve well into the postwar era.

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The 214th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed in the months just before the start of the German invasion, based on the shtat of September 13, 1939. It was moved to the fighting front to join 22nd Army in late June and took part in the fighting between Vitebsk and Nevel in early July, escaping from encirclement in the process, and then played a significant role in the liberation of Velikiye Luki, the first Soviet city to be retaken from the invading armies. In October it was again encircled near Vyasma during Operation Typhoon and was soon destroyed.

The 230th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed as one of the first reserve rifle divisions following the German invasion of the USSR. After being hastily organized, it joined the fighting front along the lower Dniepr River as part of 6th Army. After the German victory east of Kyiv, it retreated into the Donbas as part of 12th Army and spent the winter in the fighting around Rostov-on-Don. When the German 1942 summer offensive began, it was driven back, now as part of 37th Army, and largely encircled near Millerovo. While not destroyed, by late August it was so depleted that it was disbanded.

The 233rd Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, originally formed in the months just before the start of the German invasion, based on the shtat of September 13, 1939. As part of 20th Army it was moved from the Moscow Military District to the front west of Orsha by July 2. Serving under Western Front the 20th was soon pocketed in the Smolensk region and although remnants of the 233rd were able to escape the division was no longer combat-effective and was broken up for replacements in early August.

References

  1. ↑ Abdulin, Mansur (31 December 1990). Red Road From Stalingrad: Recollections of a Soviet Infantryman. Pen and Sword. ISBN   9781844151455.
  2. ↑ Abdulin, pp 146-47
  3. ↑ Abdulin, pp 151-52
  4. ↑ Drabkin's preface to Abdulin, pp vii-viii
  5. ↑ Abdulin, pp 1-13
  6. ↑ Abdulin, ch 2-3
  7. ↑ Abdulin, ch 4-6
  8. ↑ Abdulin, ch 8-10
  9. ↑ Abdulin, ch 11
  10. ↑ Abdulin, ch 12, Epilogue
  11. ↑ Abdulin, pp 166-195
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