# Russian tale from World War 2? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340 "2011-06-21T20:39:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dingbang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/1 "2011-06-21T20:39:25Z")
I’m looking for a good World War 2 story involving the Russians, to tell primarily from the Russian viewpoint. As we in the West know a lot of American-centric stories but not a lot of Russian tales, I’m inquiring with you folks to point me in the right direction. The ultimate goal would be a feature film. I’ve been asked by a fairly prominent director to find a story of this type for him. Ideally I’d like to find a good dramatic story that involves some personal story lines, and which can be researched reasonably well from the United States. Bonus points if it is relatively obscure and hasn’t already been told in a number of books and movies. Super bonus points if it has some real historical significance or import but for some reason has not been widely told. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/2 "2011-06-21T20:41:31Z")
Russian Female Fighter Aces? ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/3 "2011-06-21T20:58:06Z")
read [Enemy at the Gates](http://www.amazon.com/Enemy-at-Gates-Battle-Stalingrad/dp/1568523688) and [900 Days](http://www.amazon.com/900-Days-Siege-Leningrad/dp/0306812983). ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/4 "2011-06-21T21:05:33Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > read [Enemy at the Gates](http://www.amazon.com/Enemy-at-Gates-Battle-Stalingrad/dp/1568523688) and [900 Days](http://www.amazon.com/900-Days-Siege-Leningrad/dp/0306812983). Hasn’t _Enemy at the Gates_ already been made into a movie? ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/5 "2011-06-21T21:14:34Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > Hasn’t _Enemy at the Gates_ already been made into a movie? Yes, exact title match, 2001. (US/UK film, Russian viewpoint.) “Stalingrad” is a title match for a German 1993 movie (but from the German viewpoint). ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/6 "2011-06-21T21:24:30Z")
Must it be a war-centric story? How about a ‘Russian’ home front story (I presume the story should be overcoming impossible odds to achieve goals…like most stories I guess). I’m afraid I don’t have the exact issue handy, but the National Geographic did at least one story in 1943 about Magnitogorsk in the Soviet Union, how an entire city was constructed to support a major steel producing. It included many personal stories, coping with shortages, extreme weather, untrained peasents becoming skilled tradesman and workers, other hardships, against the background of the Soviet Union’s very survival (the story I think was written at a time when at least to the civilian population the outcome of the war was still in doubt), so that in the end the mills began turning out the hardware Russia needed to fight against Germany. Yeah, the article (all Nat Geo articles of the time) has a "Soviet Union - our best buddies " feel about it, but hey, they were our allies at the time. From searching on-line, it looks like the article may be “Magnetic City, (Magnitogorsk) Core of Valiant Russia’s Industrial Might” National Geographic Vol. 83 No. 5 (May 1943), pp. 525-56" I’m sure any compentent screenwriter & director could concoct a movie out of that concept that would be interesting, gritty, exciting and yet NOT have a Soviet propaganda slant (that the Nat Geo was rather guilty of during those years). It could be worth a shot, and a bit different angle than the typical Leningrad Siege/Battle of Kursk/March to Berlin stories that float around… ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/7 "2011-06-21T21:38:22Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > Hasn’t _Enemy at the Gates_ already been made into a movie? The movie was so inaccurate that Russian veterans protested to the Duma that it be banned. Holywood simply will not produce anything true to history, not even once. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/8 "2011-06-21T21:40:07Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > Hasn’t _Enemy at the Gates_ already been made into a movie? Actually no. The title “Enemy at the Gates” was used for a movie, but the movie was actually based more on the book _War of the Rats_ which is fiction, very loosely inspired by some real snipers in Stalingrad. I believe the book _Enemy at the Gates_ is more of a broad historical account of the battle, not focusing (for long) on any one story. ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/9 "2011-06-21T21:51:18Z")
There was a novel in English about Stalingrad which was reasonably true to history. I am afraid I cannot find it after a quicke google search. I will do some more looking and post it here if I do find it. Edit: _War of the Rats_ is what I was looking for; title supplied in previous post. Herman Wouk’s _Winds of War_ had some excellent sections dealing with the Eastern Front, from the point of view of both the common soldier and the leadership. Alas, not enough!- and it is too bad because the Eastern Front has been given short shrift in English fiction, and the only decent translated work I have read are by German authors Willi Heinrich and Theodore Pliever. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/10 "2011-06-21T22:01:13Z")
_[Dynamo: Triumph and Tragedy in Nazi-Occupied Kiev](http://www.amazon.com/Dynamo-Triumph-Tragedy-Nazi-Occupied-Kiev/dp/1592284671/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308693574&sr=1-1)_ by Andy Dougan. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/11 "2011-06-21T22:01:14Z")
There’s a brief interlude in _Russian Ark_ that shows the Hermitage Museum being used as a morgue during the siege of Leningrad. I always thought a story revolving around the caretakers of of this fabulous palace during such a miserable time in the city’s history would be fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/12 "2011-06-21T22:18:56Z")
I cannot recommend [City of Thieves by David Benioff](http://www.amazon.com/City-Thieves-Novel-David-Benioff/dp/0670018708) enough. It is a fantastic book about 2 Russian men in the middle of the Siege of Leningrad in the dead of winter who need to find a dozen eggs for a birthday cake. Sometimes funny, sometimes horrific, it’s a great story with vivid imagery. We’ve read almost 20 books for our book club and this remains the unanimous favorite. But don’t take my word for it, read the Amazon reviews. ---
**Author:** ![wei\_ji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wei\_ji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wei_ji)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/13 "2011-06-21T23:48:38Z")
A friend of mine in Alaska is trying to find out some information from the Russian government on the fate of two young Americans whose father was sympathetic to the Russian Revolution and moved his family from Alaska to Russia prior to WW II. Both boys (young men by then) were taken into the Red Army and fought in the war, one prior to the German invasion. Both were killed, and other members of the family returned to Alaska at some point, where I gather some of them or their descendents live today. During the war, Russian records were sketchy, given the surprise, violence and chaos of the German invasion. Details of the deaths and even the exact final resting places of these two young men are unclear, as I understand it from my friend, who is a local journalist. Today, relatives are trying to find out the exact fate and final resting place of these two young Americans who died fighting for Russia. All my friend knows is that one was killed early in the war at a fortress not far from the border. I believe the Russians have made a recent movie about this epic battle (I’ll have to go back into my old emails to my friend in Alaska to find the title). This story of two young American from Alaska fighting, and dying, with details unclear to the family, for Russia might make a good story for a movie. It’s pretty typical of the Russian experience in the war. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/14 "2011-06-22T02:11:02Z")
Can we get some love for [Lyudmila Pavlichenko](http://www.badassoftheweek.com/pavlichenko.html)? She was one of the most amazing heroes of the war, she proved that women can be warriors, and was a [mediagenic](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGYPnYfymEU&NR=1), much loved, much feared figure. Not only that, she had a US connection: She toured 40 American cities and made friends with Eleanor Roosevelt; she was the first Soviet citizen to be invited to dinner at the White House. Woody Guthrie sang “[Miss Pavlichenko](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHKjOl9ocR0)” in honor of her. Her final kill count was 309, including over 100 officers and 36 enemy snipers. Statistically she’s one of the highest scoring snipers of all time, regardless of gender. She trained 1,000 more female snipers who made 12,000 more kills during the war. She was awarded Hero of the Soviet Union, the equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/15 "2011-06-22T08:35:46Z")
> [@Dingbang](#): > > I’m looking for a good World War 2 story involving the Russians, to tell primarily from the Russian viewpoint. As we in the West know a lot of American-centric stories but not a lot of Russian tales, I’m inquiring with you folks to point me in the right direction. > > The ultimate goal would be a feature film. I’ve been asked by a fairly prominent director to find a story of this type for him. Browse the list of Russian-language films available at your local library, film museum, online store, or online rental/streaming service, and you’ll probably find that the majority of them are “good World War II stories involving the Russians, told primarily from the Russian viewpoint”. Them Russians love their WWII flicks. Over the last 70 years Russian cinema has mined that war for stories to utter exhaustion. So you can probably give up on the prospect of finding anything new, but as long as this director doesn’t mind redoing a story that’s already been told, I could advise you to watch some of these Russian films for ideas. ---
**Author:** ![jinty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jinty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jinty)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/16 "2011-06-22T13:24:40Z")
> [@Dingbang](#): > > I’m looking for a good World War 2 story involving the Russians, to tell primarily from the Russian viewpoint. As we in the West know a lot of American-centric stories but not a lot of Russian tales, I’m inquiring with you folks to point me in the right direction. > > The ultimate goal would be a feature film. I’ve been asked by a fairly prominent director to find a story of this type for him. I’d recommend the film [Come and See](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_and_See). It’s about a Byelorussian youth who joins a partisan unit operating behind German lines. The unit gets into a brutal fight with a German anti-partisan EinsatzKommando group, and the youth ends up seeing much more of war than he bargained for. It’s one of the most effective war (i.e. anti-war) films I’ve ever seen. The leaders of both the Nazi and Partisan units come across as grim dehumanised killers, brutalised by what they’ve done and seen - genuinely frightening figures without any redeeming features. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/17 "2011-06-22T13:37:30Z")
I would love to see a story about the Russian invasion of Poland, which seems almost entirely lost to history. Hitler and Stalin carved up Poland between them as part of their non-aggression pact, and the Russians moved in to take over their half within weeks of the German invasion that started the whole WWII thing rolling. I find it really interesting that, while France and England had pledged to support Poland, and went so far as to declare war on Germany after the first invasion in September, AFAIK they never raised any serious objections to the second invasion shortly after. And of course they ended up buddies with Stalin. Go figure. I wish I could point you at some source material, but I don’t know any. All I’ve seen are a few paragraphs about it here and there in histories focusing on other aspects of the war. ---
**Author:** ![Dingbang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/18 "2011-06-22T13:52:55Z")
Thanks, everybody. Great suggestions so far. I particularly like the ones about the Hermitage being used as a morgue and the two Americans fighting for Russia. If you have more on those topics, please pass it on. One clarification: I made it sound like the ideal find would be a feature film of this nature. I meant that I’m looking for this type of story so that the director in question can turn it into a feature film. Keep 'em coming. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/19 "2011-06-22T14:20:18Z")
I’d pay to see a good biopic of Georgy Zhukov, arguably the best Soviet general of the war: [Georgy Zhukov - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhukov) Joe Haldeman’s _Tool of the Trade_ is a very cool Cold War sf espionage thriller about a Soviet sleeper agent in the U.S.; as a child he survived the Siege of Leningrad. There are some harrowing flashback scenes set during WWII. It’s one of my favorite books; could make a very cool movie: [Tool of the Trade - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool_of_the_Trade) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340/20 "2011-06-22T15:21:39Z")
> [@Dingbang](#): > > Thanks, everybody. Great suggestions so far. I particularly like the ones about the Hermitage being used as a morgue and the two Americans fighting for Russia. If you have more on those topics, please pass it on. [Ordeal of the Hermitage: The Siege of Leningrad 1941-1944](http://www.amazon.com/Ordeal-Hermitage-Siege-Leningrad-1941-1944/dp/0810914069) I haven’t read it and the review doesn’t appear overly enthusiastic, but if there are more anecdotes like the one about boiling up joiner’s glue for food, it might be worthwhile. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-tale-from-world-war-2/586340.md?page=2)