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On the Roads of War: A Soviet Cavalryman on the Eastern Front Kindle Edition

by Ivan Yakushin (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 62 ratings
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A World War II survivor describes his combat experiences as a member of the Red Army’s 5th Guards Cavalry Division in the fight against the Nazi Germany.

Ivan Yakushin survived the Siege of Leningrad, fought at the Battle of Kursk and pursued the retreating German army through Russia, Belorussia, Poland and into Germany itself. This is the story of his war. He tells the tale in his own words, with remarkable clarity of recall, and gives an authentic insight into what combat on the Eastern Front was like for the ordinary soldier. He also provides a detailed, firsthand record of cavalry operations during a highly mechanized war, and this gives his book its special value.

The war for Yakushin began in Leningrad where he endured the terrifying first winter of the German siege. He describes the perils and privations that beset the city during a period in which over half a million civilians lost their lives. Yet it is his vivid recollections of his experiences as an artillery man, then a cavalry officer on the Eastern Front that are at the heart of this rare memoir.

In the Kursk salient Yakushin was severely wounded in the legs, during the Nevel offensive and Operation Bagration he took part in daring cavalry raids behind the German lines and, as the Soviet army penetrated into East Prussia and Germany itself, he was confronted by increasingly desperate German units struggling to defend their homeland. His descriptions of the merciless fighting during these last months of the war, in particular against the fanatical German Volkssturm, make fascinating reading.
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  1. Print length
    222 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Pen & Sword Military
  5. Publication date
    July 19, 2005
  6. File size
    1281 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ivan Yakushin is a World War II veteran who fought on the Eastern Front.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DN5TWTY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Military (July 19, 2005)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 19, 2005
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1281 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 222 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 62 ratings

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Ivan Yakushin

Ivan Yakushin

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
62 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Paul Reska
5.0 out of 5 stars informative read
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2023
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I found that this book provided a very different perspective of the Eastern Front than obviously the German military and civilian especially the Prussian civilians during Operation Bagration.
One person found this helpful
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Extraordinary Gent.
4.0 out of 5 stars On The Roads of War
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2011
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A very informative recounting of life in one of the lesser known but very important components of the Red Army --- The Cavalry.
It is probably best if the reader looks at WW2 cavalry not in terms of swashbuckling but absolutely futile charges against armoured formations or well defended machine gun nests etc, etc but as mounted infantry moving quickly, and usually undetected, between engagements with the enemy, sometimes 50-60, maybe even 100 kilometres apart. This was brought home to me by the passages detailing the method of very rapid dismount and taking up infantry positions on contact with the enemy. The cavalry rode in columns three abreast -- throwing their horse reins to the man in the middle who took all three horses to safety before returning to the fray.
Life in the Cavalry, which made up a considerable portion of the offensive strength of the Red Army is reviewed at great length.
From the attempts at mastering horsemanship, by a raw recruit from Officer School who had never been astride a horse before, to long overnight movements, upto 100 kilometres in strict silence and darkness, that were part of what is known as 'regrouping prior to an offensive' the author takes us through cavalry life from the mundane care of one's mount to the very exciting cavalry charge into the very teeth of enemy positions.
Very informative account by 'one who was there'.
7 people found this helpful
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Gisli Jokull Gislason
5.0 out of 5 stars A joy to read
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2008
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This book was a good memoir and indeed everything I look for in such a book. Ivan Yakushin lived an interesting life during WW2, there are horrors and triumphs, the greatest when he tells how he managed to get to his home with his mother and younger brother after Barbarossa - the German invasion of Russia. His home was in Leningrad and his horrors had just begun. Then there is a very interesting part about how he was sent from Leningrad over Lake Lagoda in winter and how many young men died from their greatest enemy at the time - to much food after starving for so many months. From there he goes to officer school and after being wounded is drafted into the Guards Cavalry. Here to book shines as well for this is the only book I have found that describes this kind of warfare in WW2 but the Russians relied heavily on horse cavalry for breakthrough in this mechanised age.

Recommended reading.
2 people found this helpful
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Herbert Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars A cavalry officer’s experience.
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2018
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Cavalry officer’s experience. Yakushin gives a detailed description of his daily life in the war. Apparently the Guards divisions were more or less adequately supplied. Has no real criticism of anything as he was well treated. Once had to be on a rear guard which could have meant his end, but he does not complain. Always willing to defend his country regardless of the risks. A genuine hero.
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Thomas Reiter
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2016
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I've read quiet a few memoirs from Red Army veterans, and this is a nice addition to the genre, especially because it is the only memoir I'm aware of by a cavalry veteran. The author serves basically from Kursk through the end of the war, although he's wounded several times and spends a fair bit of time in hospitals. Obviously, the main thing that makes this book stand out from the others in this genre is what the author has to say about the cavalry: how many cavalry charges he saw, how their uniforms and organization were different from other troops, etc. If you're interested in these topics, this book is probably a "must buy", but otherwise, even though this is a perfectly fine book, there are better books out there, such as:
 Through the Maelstrom: A Red Army Soldier's War on the Eastern Front, 1942-1945 (Modern War Studies (Paperback))
4 people found this helpful
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ksmith
5.0 out of 5 stars A soldiers story
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2015
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Well written and enlightening. The war in the east is a hobby of mine and it has been difficult to find Soviet versions of the war. Our post war anti communist policy lead to this. Great read.
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skip davis
5.0 out of 5 stars Russian Cavalry
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2018
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Super book on use of Cavalry by Russian Military
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Chuck
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2020
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As Russian memoirs go, it's OK but not as well written and interesting as Vasiliy Krysov, Dimitry Loza and some others. The cavalry exploited gaps in the enemy line, accompanied by the author's horse-drawn artillery. They generally dismounted to fight, but I was amazed to read of instances of cavalry charges with sabers drawn, against weak and disorganized German units! (Heinrich Haape similarly relates in MOSCOW TRAM STOP, how an advance party of his German unit was massacred by a cavalry charge.)
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

AnthonyParis
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but...
Reviewed in France on May 18, 2015
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Gives the feeling of being politically correct and possibly censored. You do not get a good idea of the conditions of the soviet soldier.
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