The Fate of a Penal Soldier: 'War Writes Everything Off'?
12 hrs. 19 min.
Language
Russian
Author
Alexander Urazov
Author
Alexander Urazov
Narrator
Natalya Volokhina
Narrator
Natalya Volokhina
Description
People say of the author of this book: “Born in a shirt.” After going to the front as a volunteer, Alexander Urazov served in the 8th Guards Airborne Division, and ended up before a tribunal and in a penal company “for the loss of secret documents.” He “washed away his guilt with blood” while crossing the Dnieper, disabling an enemy machine-gunner and being wounded. After his sentence was removed, he stayed in the same company—but now not in the “rotating” one, but in the permanent roster. He was presented with the Order of the Red Star for reconnaissance in combat, completing a dangerous mission without losses. One of the few survived in the harsh battles on the Dniester, where his entire penal company perished, and the Order of Glory he received for the assault on Vienna. He saw the war in all its forms—not only the ceremonial side, but also the bloody underside: victories and feats, self-sacrifice and looting, theft by people from the rear units and negligence of command, ruined fates, crippled souls. For the rest of his life, he came to hate the saying “War will erase everything,” and told in his book—extremely candidly—about what he saw and endured.
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