Stalin's Commandos
Ukrainian Partisan Forces on the Eastern Front
by Alexander Gogun
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Pub Date 24 Dec 2015 | Archive Date 7 Jan 2016
Description
In this book, Alexander Gogun looks at the forces operating in Ukraine. The Nazi atrocities were often matched by partisan brutality. The author examines the indiscriminate use of scorched-earth tactics by the partisans, the destruction of their own villages, partisan-generated Nazi reprisals against civilians, and the daily incidents of robbery, drunkenness, rape and bloody internal conflicts that were reported to be widespread amongst the red partisans. Gogun also analyses allegations of the use of bacteriological weapons and even instances of cannibalism.
He shows that all these practices were not a product of the culture of warfare nor a spontaneous ‘people’s response’ to the unremitting brutality of Nazi rule but a specific feature of Stalin’s total war strategy.
Advance Praise
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781784531683 |
| PRICE | US$35.00 (USD) |
Average rating from 4 members
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 205352
Shows the true brutality of the war fought behind the Eastern front line.
Alexander Gogun has some nuggets of very interesting detail in this book. He has unearthed in the archives some fascinating and horrific accounts of the activities of Soviet Ukrainian partisans as well as the activities of the Ukrainian Nationalists and Polish AK units.
This book isn't for the faint-hearted and the accounts of partisan terror against innocent civilians paint a different picture to the popular one of the heroic partisan fighter.
As in any war nothing is black and white and this book more than most shows the blurring of lines and true brutality of the war fought behind the Eastern front line.
Worth a look if you have an interest in the Eastern Front.
Travis J, Media/Journalist
With a resurgent Russia acting up now on so many fronts, reading this book will show you how history repeats itself. Many of these stories can seem taken right from your favorite news site, provided that site covers world events. There are a lot of insights to "Uncle Joe's" tactics that show why I have warned that the enemy of my enemy is my friend is not the best outlook; they should at best be viewed as a convenient temporary ally. Stalin's Commandos provides a good detailed look at the beginning of the cold war and what was going on behind the scenes.
