Pilyushin, Joseph/Anisimov, Sergey (Hrsg.) Red Sniper on the Eastern Front. The Memoirs of Joseph Pilyushin

Joseph Pilyushin, a top Red Army sniper in the ruthless fight against the Germans on the Eastern Front, was an exceptional soldier and he has a remarkable story to tell. His firsthand account of his wartime service gives a graphic insight into his lethal skill with a rifle and into the desperate fight put up by Soviet forces to defend Leningrad. Pilyushin, who lived in Leningrad with his family, was already 35 years old when the war broke out and he was drafted. He started in the Red Army as a scout, but once he had demonstrated his marksmanship and steady nerve, he became a sniper. He served throughout the Leningrad siege, from the late 1941 when the Wehrmachts advance was halted just short of the city to its liberation during the Soviet offensive of 1944. His descriptions of gruelling front-line life, of his fellow soldiers and of his sniping missions are balanced by his vivid recollections of the protracted suffering of Leningrads imprisoned population and of the grief that was visited upon him and his family.

He also describes how close family members, including his wife and two of his sons, and many of his comrades died in the course of the three-year siege. He describes these often horrific events with an honesty and clarity that make his memoirs an outstanding work of remembrance. Pilyushin, who lived in Leningrad with his family, was already 35 years old when the war broke out and he was called up for military service. He started out in the Red Army as a reconnaissance officer, but eventually became a sniper after demonstrating his marksmanship and steady nerves. He lived through the entire siege of Leningrad, from the encirclement of the city at the end of 1941 to its liberation during the Soviet offensive in 1944. His descriptions of the harrowing daily life at the front, his comrades and the sniper missions are accompanied by accounts of the suffering of the civilian population in the encircled city and the tragedies that befell his own family. The gripping narrative will fascinate anyone who wants to learn more about the role and techniques of snipers in World War II. It is also a memorable memoir of an ordinary soldier's wartime experiences on the Eastern Front.