#170 Soviet Soldiers and the Red Army in World War II w/ Brandon Schechter

May 4, 2020
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On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched an attack on the USSR that caught Soviet leaders completely off guard. Over the next four years, the Red Army was transformed, as were the lives of more than 34 million men and women who served in its ranks. In this episode, Ben speaks with Brandon Schechter about his new book The Stuff of Soldiers: A History of the Red Army in World War II Through Objects (Cornell University Press, 2019) and how examining the objects used during World War II- from rifles, to shovels, to spoons- can give us a deeper understanding of soldiers’ lives and the war as a whole.

 

schechter book cover.jpgschechter book cover.jpg

 

 Dr. Brandon Schechter is Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Columbia University, where he specializes in the history of the Soviet Union and material culture.

The images discussed in this episode can be seen below.

This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.

Images (in the order they are discussed)

Red Army soldier receiving his weapon (m.1944 Carbine). Source: Mark Markov-Grinberg, The Oath of War © 1943 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.Red Army soldier receiving his weapon (m.1944 Carbine). Source: Mark Markov-Grinberg, The Oath of War © 1943 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Red Army soldier receiving his weapon (m.1944 Carbine). Source: Mark Markov-Grinberg, The Oath of War © 1943 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Sniper Aleksandra Shliakhova, boasting how many Germans she has killed, 1943. Source: Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi arkhiv kinofotodokumentov [RGAKFD] 0-286776. (V.P. Grebnev)Sniper Aleksandra Shliakhova, boasting how many Germans she has killed, 1943. Source: Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi arkhiv kinofotodokumentov [RGAKFD] 0-286776. (V.P. Grebnev)

Sniper Aleksandra Shliakhova, boasting how many Germans she has killed, 1943. Source: Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi arkhiv kinofotodokumentov [RGAKFD] 0-286776. (V.P. Grebnev)

Tanker senior sergeant E.P. Fёdorov eats in his tank, 1942. Source: RGAKFD 0-57505.Tanker senior sergeant E.P. Fёdorov eats in his tank, 1942. Source: RGAKFD 0-57505.

Tanker senior sergeant E.P. Fёdorov eats in his tank, 1942. Source: RGAKFD 0-57505.

Engraved spoons from the Red Army in WWII.Engraved spoons from the Red Army in WWII.

Engraved spoons from the Red Army in WWII.

Red Army Soldier entrenching while observing the enemy, Central Front, 1943. Source: RGAKFD 0-312319.Red Army Soldier entrenching while observing the enemy, Central Front, 1943. Source: RGAKFD 0-312319.

Red Army Soldier entrenching while observing the enemy, Central Front, 1943. Source: RGAKFD 0-312319.

The deepening of a foxhole from lying down to standing: narrow one man foxholes, 1941. Source: RGAKFD 0-94214. (A.S. Shaikhet and Garanin).The deepening of a foxhole from lying down to standing: narrow one man foxholes, 1941. Source: RGAKFD 0-94214. (A.S. Shaikhet and Garanin).

The deepening of a foxhole from lying down to standing: narrow one man foxholes, 1941. Source: RGAKFD 0-94214. (A.S. Shaikhet and Garanin).

The evolution from foxhole to trench. Source: Inzh. P-43 , 27.The evolution from foxhole to trench. Source: Inzh. P-43 , 27.

The evolution from foxhole to trench. Source: Inzh. P-43, 27.

Nikolai Miliutin, linear city plan for Nizhnii Novgorod auto plant, 1930s. Source: N. A, Miliutin . Sotsgorod: The Problem of Building Socialist Cities (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1974).Nikolai Miliutin, linear city plan for Nizhnii Novgorod auto plant, 1930s. Source: N. A, Miliutin . Sotsgorod: The Problem of Building Socialist Cities (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1974).

Nikolai Miliutin, linear city plan for Nizhnii Novgorod auto plant, 1930s. Source: N. A, Miliutin. Sotsgorod: The Problem of Building Socialist Cities (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1974).

Frontline post office, 1942. Source: RGAKFD 0-101371. (Chernov)Frontline post office, 1942. Source: RGAKFD 0-101371. (Chernov)

Frontline post office, 1942. Source: RGAKFD 0-101371. (Chernov)

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