[.ca] Inside the Soviet Army (ISBN 0425071103)

Welcome to Paradise:
This was certainly an interesting read. Suvorov, the Soviet defector, gives quite an extensive look at not only the now defunct Soviet Army, but also the entire Soviet system. Of course, being an army officer, the Soviet military is his area of expertise and the majority of the book's content reflects that, hence the title. I agree with the previous reviewer's that the chapters, `The Soldier's Lot' and `The Officer's Path' (whose content is self-explanatory) were the most interesting of all. Let's just say I don't envy any of the poor souls who had to go through Soviet military training, or for that matter, anyone who grew up in the Soviet Union. Nazi Germany had nothing on these guys in the cruelty department. I also found interesting Suvorov's description of the Soviet Union's political structure, the "Bermuda Triangle" (The Army, The Party, & The KGB) as he calls it. He cites the well-known fact that a triangle is the strongest geometric shape known to man, and argues that this applies to politics as well. I kind of glossed over the middle of the book where he methodically describes each armed service (combat organization, strategy, equipment, etc.) in minute detail. Military historians will appreciate this, but I found it a bit tedious. I really didn't see where the author gives that many controversial opinions. Occasionally he'll agree or disagree with the logic or effectiveness of a certain Soviet policy, but other than that, I didn't find too much of what he had to say as particularly controversial. My only concern is the question of reliability. Is he telling the truth? Now I have no reason to believe that he's not, but let's be honest, it is perfectly possible that a book like this could be written for reasons other than it's stated purpose. Overall though, this was well worth the read and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to those interested in Soviet/Cold War history or military history in general. I'd like to close with a quote, which I found particularly interesting. I suppose some could find this controversial, I don't: "Hitler would not give his wholehearted support to...the leader of the Russian anti-Communist movement. With unbelievable shortsightedness, he embarked upon a bloodthirsty campaign of terror against the inhabitants or the territories occupied by his armies. Compared to the liberation and collectivization campaigns carried out by the Communists, the terror was relatively mild, but it deprived Hitler of any hope of winning the laurels of a champion of freedom.....If, if, if only someone had realized how the Russians loathe Communism. If only someone had tried to tap this reserve of hatred."

Well, folks...:
There are maybe 1-2% truth, wrapped up in 98-99% lies... The problem with the author - he is just a small-time rat cheating on his previous masters, a convincing tale-teller, though... If you wish to be misinformed, then this book is just what you need.

Insight on a former adversary that may still be relevant today:
"Inside the Soviet Army" is essentially the insights of a former Soviet GRU (military intelligence) officer (and former tank commander) who defected to the West in the 1970s or thereabouts. It is an attempt by the author to tell the uninitiated what the basic nature and philosophy of the (former) Soviet Army was comprised of. As such, this is a fascinating look at the innards of an Army that is very different from the US or any Western army. When I was an Army officer I could not put this book down, and I must have re-read it at least a dozen times. To me the most fascinating thing about this book, and indeed about the Soviet Army, was the fact that the Soviet Army is organized, as Tom Clancy once put it, along the lines of "organized chaos." Essentially, the senior enlisted men control the junior enlisted men, who they dominate and force to do all of the work. The officers put up with this (with the threat of mass punishment as their tool to get compliance out of the enlisted men) out of necessity. The hazing by the senior soldiers of the new soldiers is brutal, and is a recognized problem in Russian society to this day. (The "League of Russian Mothers" has emerged as a force in Russia to exert political pressure to reform this problem.) Sergeants? They have them, but most of the jobs done by professional NCOs in most Western armies are done either by officers or by the senior enlisted--the Soviet Army had no professional NCO corps. If I stray into the present tense it is because the present Russian Army, by all reports, is organized much the same as the former Soviet Army, although it is trying to reform from being a mass army of barely-trained conscripts into a more professional army featuring more highly-trained soldiers and officers. Another insight that Suvorov brings out is that Soviet Army officers were subject to many of the same bureacratic restrictions and hamperings as Western officers--training quotas without fuel to achieve them, interference from higher headquarters over discipline of soldiers, etc. The Soviet Army was (and the Russian Army still is) plagued by many of the same problems as its Western adversaries, and the Soviets were not ten feet tall. Some of Suvorov's conclusions are controversial, as other reviewers have noted, but in the main this book rings true, and seems to be a reasonable, if not totally objective, view of what the Soviet Army of the 1970s was like. Such insights were hard to come by then, and are now. That, combined with Suvorov's engaging writing style and obvious intelligence, makes this book merit each of its five stars.

As a read? Great, otherwise:
Having read both Liberators and this one, My feelings for the book are mixed. OK, it is written by a Soviet officer. It is certainly a good and interesting read, and I'm sure it provides a window into the thoughts of contemporary Soviet officers. But... The first thing I start wondering when I read a Viktor Suvorov book is ... how did he find out about certain things? How would he, a Soviet Ground Forces officers, then of the GRU, know about the operational status of, for example, the Soviet ABM system and Strategic Rocket Forces. Another problem is that Suvorov sometimes can't even seem to make up his mind on his own positions (never mind whether the positions are accurate or not). For example, is the 125mm smoothbore gun a good weapon? In Liberators, the answer would have been no: "In fact, it was an all-powerful gun, which always missed the target." Yet in Inside the Soviet Army, the same gun "Rapira", was assessed much more positively, and that smoothbore guns were an acceptable compromise for increased muzzle velocity and economy of manufacture (a inversal of his Liberator position!) Or how about his meek acceptance of his tank crews being picked from conscripts of "Category 6" (i.e., far from the best available)? In Liberators, the guy depicts himself crying at this kind of policy (leaving him with a batch that doesn't even speak Russian), yet here he is far more accepting. Now he thinks it is a matter of necessity. A third example is his opinion on the Soviet promotion scheme - the position is more important than the rank. In Liberators, it is shown negatively, both in description and example to promote a drunk and incompetent to a deputy regimental commander. Here, it is viewed far more positively in both description and example, such as with Vasilyveskiy. In fact, the entire tone of this book is far more positive than in Liberators. The latter is a story of incompetence and cruelty. Here we still have the cruelty, yet Suvorov gives us a feeling things are mostly logical. There might be a valid reason for all this, but it does create suspicion, since the discrepancy was never explained. Does Suvorov figure that no one would have read his earlier works and did a comparison?

Excellent and factual:
The problem with people like Alex from Russia (Well folks...) is that they are automatically dismissive and outright hostile toward anything written by their countrymen who have "left the fold" so to speak, that is even slightly critical of the now defunct Soviet system in any way. Even men like Andrei Sakharov whose motives are above reproach receive similar treatment from the "Alex's" of the world, the same old tired refrain, "Suvorov... is a liar" and that's it... with absolutely no facts to back up their shrill assertions, it's unfortunate, but predictable. Suvorov's "Inside The Soviet Army" and the companion "Inside Soviet Military Intelligence" are excellent examples of an insiders view of the complex machinations of the Soviet military and political systems, well written, factual, and a fine addition to any library. Highly recommended in spite of the baseless accusations of a few people.