Monday, April 25, 2011
Thirty million Ivans served in the Red Army during World War II. Eight million of these Ivans were killed, far more than American GIs or British Tommies. British historian Catherine Merridale applied to teach some history in Russian schools. She asked her students what it was they wanted to learn. She said that without hesitation, they all said they wanted to learn about the Second World War. During Soviet times there was the “official” version of The Great Patriotic War. At the center of the official version was the Soviet Hero myth. You can find it carved into stone on many a Soviet wartime memorial. It is described in countless wartime songs, in paintings and in epic poetry. The Soviet hero was an ideal everyman. He is simple, healthy, strong and kind, far-sighted, selfless, and unafraid of death. There was no hint of panic, failure, soldiers’ fear, self-mutilation, cowardice, or rape. Soviet accounts mention little of trauma, battle stress, or even depression. So rigid was the adherence to the official Soviet history of the Great Patriotic War that it was not a topic for scholarly research.
It is not surprising to me that tales of individual heroism in the Soviet Red Army are few and far between. Soviet society, and the dictatorship of the proletariat that ruled it, placed more emphasis on the success on the collective rather than the heroic exploits of the individual. If heroism was depicted, it was only in the guise of “this is what OUR state produced.” Genuine stories of death and struggle had been turned into patriotic myth. But in the 20 years since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, people are free to ask new questions. University students of today were not alive are too young to remember the state parades commemorating the victory over Germany. They haven’t had the myths of the Great Patriotic War continually crammed down their throats like their Soviet contemporaries. They’re free to ask new questions, and they’re asking them now.
By the time the war started for the Soviet Union in 1941, the generation that fought the Great Patriotic War had endured violence on an unimaginable scale. There was World War I between 1914-18. A three-year civil war that immediately followed the war brought shortages of everything from heating oil to bread and blankets, epidemic disease, and a new thing Lenin called “class war.” Famine followed in 1921, then Stalin, then an even more cruel famine that claimed seven million victims. Soviet society tore itself apart with many five-year plans for economic growth, peasants uprooted from lands and herded into collective farms. These folks endured a lot. Because of these events that preceded the Second World War, these are but some of the many things that contributed to the citizens’ antipathy toward the Soviet regime when the bombs started dropping on June 22, 1941.
For the first two summers of the war, the Wermacht looked invincible. Their tanks and horses raced eastward over sun-baked ground, encircling entire Soviet divisions at a time while instilling panic in the rest. There was a complete lack of preparedness on behave of the Red Army. To what does Catherine Merridale attribute this lack of preparation? Politics, and the emphasis on it above all else, including the training of an army top do what it was meant to do. In a look at a typical training schedule, Merridale uncovers one of many hours of lecture on politics, followed by working in the fields in order to feed the troops. If there was time left over, recruits trained with wooden rifles and cardboard tanks. Marshal of the Soviet Union Mikhail Tukachevsky had a plan. His plan was a defense in depth of the Soviet Union. Stalin got rid of Tukachevsky and many who thought like him during the purges in 1937. Tukachevsky’s defense doctrine was replaced with one emphasizing the offensive. This emphasis on the offensive had the effect of feeding Soviet troops into a German meat grinder. In Stalin’s mind, the giving up even an inch of ground to be able to construct a decent defensive position was treasonous. Hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops would be captured, sometimes within hours. For instance, in the fight for Kiev, the Soviets lost 750,000 men killed, wounded, or captured. Two and a half million soldiers were captured by the Germans in the first five months of the war. The Germans captured so many prisoners they didn’t know what to do with them. By the end of the war, the Soviet Red Army was destroyed and completely rebuilt three times. We Americans have no concept of how such a thing could happen.
When war started for the Soviet Union in 1941, Soviet troops were poorly trained, poorly armed, and poorly fed. If one has ever seen the movie “The Enemy at the Gates” [about the Battle of Stalingrad], the scene where troops are being forced into battle without rifles is an accurate one. These men were told there was an arms shortage, and if they wanted a weapon, they would have to get one from a dead comrade who fell before them. The Soviet regime imagined how the general population would react to stories of official incompetence, of total disregard for human life, and for not giving their sons [and a lot of times their daughters too] the means to fight their invaders. They were hungry, subsisting on a diet of soup, kasha, bread and tea. Rampant pilfering of army warehouses and supply trucks diverted more desirable food, as well as other war material, to the black market. Soldiers, lacking spades, dug trenches with their helmets, the same helmets in which they boiled potatoes. It’s no wonder that they wanted to keep such stories from the public. Imagine if such things happened in this country – imagine the outrage that would take hold in a free society. It was in the Soviet regime’s best interests to keep such things secret and to build up the Stalin personality cult, with Stalin as the sole architect of victory in the Great Patriotic War.
After the collapse of Soviet communism, scholars were given access to millions of documents that the Soviets had kept classified. In these records the author found bundles of soldiers’ letters the reports of the military and secret police, the army’s own notes about troop morale. Soldiers had been forbidden to keep diaries, but many did anyway. The author traveled to battle sites, to Kursk, to Sevastopol, Kerch, Kiev, Smolensk and in each place, she tried to find out who had fought, what they did, what the local people saw. She interviewed over two hundred veterans. She was able to look at archives that until then were kept secret from the public. She looked at the forbidden diaries and field reports. Theses soldiers came to understand what happened to their loved ones at the hands of the Germans in occupied territory. Until 1944, most of the Great Patriotic War was fought on Soviet soil. She describes an army fueled by rage and vodka, whipped into a frenzy by its political officers. In practice, this meant rape, pillage and plunder on a scale that has yet to be recognized. The Red Army, Ms. Merridale writes, embarked "on an orgy of war crimes." Yet in none of the interviewers, none of the Soviet veterans cop to taking part in any such activity.
At war’s end, Ivan didn’t reap any of the benefits like a GI Bill, no postwar prosperity. To relive such memories [besides the ones the state created for them], the shock and distress they witnessed in combat, were too painful for them.. Their wartime experiences manifested themselves in the postwar period in the forms of heart disease, hypertension, and gastric disorders. Ms. Merridale describes this as part of the hidden story of the Great Patriotic War. They came home to a country that needed rebuilding. They also came home to a county still controlled by a paranoid madman who imagined there were enemies everywhere. As Merridale writes, “the motherland was never conquered, but it enslaved itself.”
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Day 01 - your favorite song – Help! by The Beatles. That hasn't changed since 1965. One of the first songs I remember - I got it from my Beatlemaniac sister. Help!
Day 02 - your least favorite song – this might be the toughest question of all of these because I loathe and despise so many songs, especially if they’re rap.
Day 03 - a song that makes you happy - I just happen to have two such songs. I often play them back-to-back. They’re both from the Allman Brothers Band. The first is Blue Sky; the second is Jessica. Both songs together make for one long happy vibe. Blue Sky Jessica
Day 04 - a song that makes you sad – John Lennon’s Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy). What makes me sad about this song is that whenever I hear it, I can’t help but think of a man who had all the hopes of seeing his young son grow up, only to have it all taken away in one tragic instant. Another song that evokes feelings of sadness is King Crimson’s Epitaph. It has that Mellotron sound that Pete Townshend once described as “a siren wailing in a canyon.” Ian McDonald’s woodwind work, Greg Lake’s impeccable singing, Robert Fripp’s acoustic accompaniment all makes for compelling listening. Beautiful Boy [Darling Boy] Epitaph
Day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone – Warren Zevon's Keep Me In Your Heart reminds me of my late brother-in-law, Roger Warr. This song kept playing through my head while I attended his funeral. It reminds me of my nieces, Mikayla and Auburn Warr, Roger's daughters, whom I know keep their dad in their hearts. Keep Me In Your Heart
Day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere – It Doesn’t Matter by Stephen Stills & Manassas. This song reminds me of Fort Collins, Colorado. While Carol and I were still dating, she had to move back home to Fort Collins. I got to see her one weekend every month. On one of those trips to see her I was introduced to Finest Records, a great record store that sadly is no longer with us. I found a copy of a Stephen Stills “greatest hits” album, and this song was on it. When I got it back to Carol’s apartment I heard this song for the very first time. Every time I’ve heard it since I think of those great weekends in Fort Collins with Carol. It Doesn't Matter
Day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event – Welcome to the Machine by Pink Floyd. While we were at the hospital awaiting the birth of my first son Greg, the Langley AFB hospital allowed us to bring a boom box into the delivery room. Carol had two requests – Pink Floyd and the Allman Brothers. As fate would have it, during the last push Pink Floyd was on the box. At the very instant Greg was completely out, we heard the words “welcome my son, welcome to the machine.” Welcome to the Machine
Day 08 - a song that you know all the words to – LA Woman by The Doors. Jim Morrison said more about the City of the Angels in one eight-minute song than Don Henley could on the entirety of the Hotel California album. I and a bunch of other drunks sang the whole damn thing to Carol in a bar in Pueblo called “The Rose.” She was highly amused. LA Woman
Day 09 - a song that you can dance to – this one is tough since I’m a white guy with no rhythm and can’t dance to save my life. I'm like the Elaine Benis "full body dry heave." But in going back to my college days, I knew a guy named Pete Scalia who would go crazy whenever he heard Kenny Loggins’ Footloose, so I’ll go with that one. Footloose
Day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep – Carol and I used to sing our boys to sleep. It didn’t matter what the song was because we were so bad they would fall asleep in self-defense. I don’t usually listen to music to make me fall asleep, but when I did, the song that usually did the trick was New Horizons from the Moody Blues’ Seventh Sojourn album. Not because it’s a boring song, but because it was very relaxing. Lost in a Lost World and For My Lady, both also from Seventh Sojourn, had the same effect. Great music. New Horizons Lost in a Lost World For My Lady
Day 11 - a song from your favorite band – Nobody Knows from An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band – First Set. The studio version is from Shades of Two Worlds. I like this one better. It’s about six minutes longer, with Dickey Betts playing probably the best and longest solo I’ve ever heard him play. This one would not be out of place on At Fillmore East.
Day 12 - a song from a band you hate – Unskinny Bop from Poison. Tell me again why these posers ever got a recording contract. Quiet Riot’s cover of Slade’s Cum On Feel the Noize is also especially loathsome. I saw those guys open for the Scorpions in 1983. I couldn’t stand them then, and I can’t stand them now. Unskinny Bop Cum on Feel the Noize
Day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure – Abacab from Genesis. I Missed Again by Phil Collins also fits this category. Hell, almost anything from Phil Collins’ first three solo albums [Face Value, Hello, I Must Be Going, and No Jacket Required] fits this description, but definitely NOT Sussudio!!! Abacab I Missed Again
Day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love – The Beach Boys Wouldn’t It Be Nice. This is the lead-off track from Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson’s love letter to his girlfriend about getting married. Brian always sounded great when he sang lead. Wouldn't It Be Nice
Day 15 - a song that describes you – I Am the Walrus from the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour. A strange song for a strange guy – yup, the Walrus was me. I Am the Walrus
Day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate – Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight. Radio ruined this song, and when EC plays it live he plays it too slow. I can honestly say I can go the rest of my life without hearing it again. Layla is the same way. Way, way, WAY too overplayed. Wonderful Tonight
Day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio – I don’t usually listen to the radio because formats are so restricted these days. Disc jockeys are not allowed to play anything they want anymore, so I don’t listen. But when I did, a song I heard on the radio often was Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama.
Day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio – given the sad state of radio today, this would be a very long list. But if I have to pick one, I’ll pick John Entwistle’s I Wonder from Whistle Rhymes, his second solo album. It’s so obscure that if I heard it on the radio I’d probably drive the car into a ditch or something. “I’m so glad that sharks can’t fly…” I Wonder
Day 19 - a song from your favorite album – I Want You [She’s So Heavy] from the Beatles’ Abbey Road. I Want You [She's So Heavy]
Day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry – Not Now John from Pink Floyd. The first line of the song pretty much says it all – “Fuck all that we’ve gotta get on with these!” Not Now John
Day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy – Deep Purple’s Highway Star, the Made In Japan version. Highway Star [from 15 Aug 72 - the 16 Aug 72 version was blocked]
Day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad – Pete Townshend’s Empty Glass. At a time in my life a long time ago, two stanzas from this song pretty much summed up my mood – My life’s a mess I wait for you to pass/ I stand here at the bar I hold an empty glass… and Don’t worry, smile and dance, you just can’t work life out/Don’t let down moods entranse you – take the wine and shout! Empty Glass [cover version that's pretty good]
Day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding – Since I got married at a courthouse we couldn't really play any music. Had I done the traditional wedding thing, I would have chosen A Whiter Shade of Pale from Procol Harum. That's our song to this day. A Whiter Shade of Pale
Day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral – I won’t be actually playing anything at my funeral myself because I’ll be dead. I'm not even planning on having a funeral. Just burn me and scatter me somewhere. But if someone actually wants to have a funeral and play something for me, see Day 5 above.
Day 25 - a song that makes you laugh – AC/DC’s Big Balls. This song is Bon Scott at his most witty. If you’re not expecting it, this song will have you in stitches. Big Balls
Day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument – Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here. I learned it mostly on a six-string guitar, but when I got a twelve-string THAT was the secret. Duane Allman’s Little Martha also fits this category. Be sure to tune your guitar to open E – otherwise you’ll become an alcoholic trying to learn it. Wish You Were Here Little Martha
Day 27 - a song that you wish you could play – A Fool for Your Stockings from ZZ Top’s Degüello. This is ZZ Top at their most bluesy. I’d be happy if I could play anything Billy Gibbons recorded [and sound like him, too]. A Fool for Your Stockings
Day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty – I don’t have one of those, so I’ll choose George Harrison’s Not Guilty. It was a song that was recorded for the White Album but didn’t make it. George revived it and cut it for his eponymous album that came out in 1979. Not Guilty
Day 29 - a song from your childhood – a really crappy song called The Night Chicago Died. It’s a really obnoxious song from a band called Paperlace. There is a level of Hell reserved just for them… The Night Chicago Died
Day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year – Bob Dylan’s High Water [For Charley Patton] from “Love and Theft”. High Water [For Charley Patton]
There you have it. Thank you Susan for inspiring me to write this. I’m always looking for good musical blog material.