Are there any WW2 documentaries, movies or books worth watching/reading that picture the war from Russian perspective?

by Funny-Valentine
ady159

Soviet Storm in the East. (Link to Every Episode.)

It is a Russian production translated into English. It is in my opinion very balanced.

Here are the Episode titles.


Operation Barbarossa

The Battle of Kiev

The Defence of Sevastopol

The Battle of Moscow

The Siege of Leningrad

The Rzhev Meat-Grinder

Stalingrad

The Battle of the Caucasus

The Battle of Kursk

The Liberation of Ukraine

Operation Bagration

The Air War

The War at Sea

The Partisan War

The Secret War

The Battle for Germany

The Battle of Berlin

War against Japan

Suck_It_Trebek

17 Moments of Spring -- a Soviet television miniseries about a Soviet spy sent to disrupt Operation Sunrise (negotiations between the Western Allies and Nazi Germany to end the Western war). Quite engaging, but I cannot comment on historical accuracy. This may be apocryphal, but my Russian Language teacher (herself a resident of Moscow) said that when it aired in 1973, everybody would stop working and crowd around televisions -- factory floors and farm fields would empty until each episode was over.

AimHere

I can't give you a comprehensive answer (I do have a small mental shopping list of Russian films I've yet to get around to seeing) but I can give you a quick nod towards Come and See, a 1985 Soviet war film about a kid trying to join the partisans in occupied Belarus. It's a pretty gruelling watch, while being a critically lauded art movie - think of it as a film the Soviets made that fills a similar spot to the likes of Apocalypse Now.

treebalamb

I'd have to recommend Ivan's War by Catherine Merridale. It's a striking account of the ordinary Russian soldiers, and it's meticulously sourced. She says in her acknowledgements that "I have worn out a passport and two pairs of boots in pursuit of Russia's war..." and it shows, it truly is a fantastic book. The fact that it's from multiple sources, including both written and oral accounts, certainly helps it as well.

maximinus-thrax

Vasily Grossman: A Writer At War

Grossman was a Russian journalist notable for being in Stalingrad for the majority of the fighting. His writing is excellent and certainly conveys the feeling of being at the front line.

Mazius

Check out David M. Glantz works.

nlcund

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan's_Childhood

A (fictional) narrative film, but focused on the war.

barrett51bmg

As a followup, I have hopes for the movie Stalingrad, which is out in theaters now. Has anybody here seen it, and if so, what did you think?

stibster98

The book "800 days on the eastern front:a Russian soldier remembers WWII" is a good one. Its about soviet soldier Nikolai Litvin, who spent 3 years on the eastern front. He got wounded 3 times and was at Kursk. I would definitely recommend reading it if you have the chance.

Georgy_K_Zhukov

I'm a big fan of Antony Beevor, who wrote two books on the subject "The Fall of Berlin 1945" and "Stalingrad". He also edited "Vasily Grossman: A Writer At War" which has already been mentioned.

Geoffrey Roberts wrote a pretty good biography on Georgy Zhukov called "Stalin's General" which you might want to check out.

I would also second /u/treebalamb on "Ivan's War" if you want the soldier's view.