Ed. David Stone
“Women,” in
The Soviet Union at War 1941-1945
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 978-1848840522
Publication date: 2010
Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 precipitated a massive clash of arms that gave rise to destruction and suffering on an unprecedented scale. The outcome of this ruthless struggle on the Eastern Front was decisive for the course of the war in Europe. Yet the campaigns fought there still receive less attention than those fought by the Western Allies, and are less well understood. That is why this new survey of the Soviet Union during the Second World War, edited by David R. Stone, is so timely and significant.
Stone has brought together a distinguished group of experts who give a penetrating reassessment of the Soviet war effort and economy. They offer a telling insight into the way in which enormous obstacles were overcome – and sacrifices were made – in order to achieve an overwhelming victory that changed the shape of Europe. Their wide-ranging analysis seeks to dispel myths and misperceptions that have distorted our understanding of the performance of the Red Army and the Soviet people.
Contents: Introduction / David R. Stone — Industry and the economy / Mark Harrison — Propaganda and public opinion / Richard Bidlack — Food Supply, rationing and living standards / Nicholas Ganson — Women / Reina Pennington — The Red Army / David R. Stone — The people’s avengers : the partisan movement / Kenneth Slepyan — A peasant ordeal : the Soviet countryside / Jean Lévesque — Non-Russian nationalities / Jeremy Smith — Conclusion / David R. Stone.
From Reina Pennington’s essay on “Women” (originally titled, “Our Women Know the Price of War and Peace”)
“In most countries, women’s lives were transformed during the Second World War by dramatic, often traumatic, changes in their work, family relations, and living conditions. In the Soviet Union, those changes reached farther and deeper than in any other country. Women were involved on a much larger scale than elsewhere: as victims of the war; in the civilian sector, as contributors to the economy; and in the military, where their participation in both combat and support far exceeded that of any other culture in history . . .
“Women in military roles sometimes remained in place for a few months after the war ended. The work of sappers did not end with the war; Litskevich-Bairak noted that her platoon continued clearing mines for an entire year after peace was declared. But on the whole, women were rapidly demobilised from military service after the Second World War. Women partisans learned even earlier than women in the military that their wartime achievements were considered a temporary measure. When partisan areas were liberated, the men were absorbed into the army, but women were required to surrender their weapons and return to civilian life. ‘We could not somehow understand why we had to hand in arms while the war was still going on,’ one partizanka lamented. Women pilots who sought to remain in the military or transfer to civil aviation were almost all rejected. Far from creating a more equal society, the war resulted in a ‘snapback’ effect, sometimes erasing earlier gains in gender equity.”
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“In many instances, the essays offer the reader the conclusions of acknowledged
experts in their specific topics. Reina Pennington fully explores the unprecedented
numbers and combat participation of Soviet women in uniform, only to conclude
that “women’s status relative to men never changed”. If anything, those women who had risen highest in the military and industrial hierarchy during
the war were most likely to lose their positions afterwards…In short, The Soviet Union at War, 1941-1945 is a superb and highly readable summary of the state of scholarship on the subject.”
Jonathan M. House, The Journal of Military History
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“Eight
established scholars tackle a broad range of well-researched and relevant
topics of the Soviet wartime experience… this work should be considered as one of the best
introductions to date
on this vast topic.”
Bastiaan Willems, Journal of Slavic Military Studies
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“The chapter on “Women” written by Reina Pennington is an excellent synthesis of some of the newest literature on the role women played in the Soviet Union’s war against Germany. Pennington analyses the “pre-war environment” and how women were able to participate on a semi-equal basis with men in civilian military training, which included sharpshooting and parachuting. . . . This chapter is one of the more interesting and revealing of the Soviet Union at war, and an excellent starting point for further research and analysis.”