ARTICLES

THE SIEGE OF BREST 1941:
A Legend of Red Army Resistance on the
Eastern Front
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:
ALIEV, Rostislav. (Translation by Stuart Britton), South Yorkshire,
UK: Pen & Sword, hardcover, 224 pages, $39.95 USD,
ISBN 978-1-78159-08-0
Reviewed by Major Chris Buckham, CD, Air Logistics Transport Officer,
A5, 1st Canadian Air Division.
The battle for the fortress of Brest commenced as
soon as the Germans attacked the Soviet Union on
22 June 1941. Located upon a strategic line of
advance, it was the focus and task of the German
45th Infantry Division to capture the fortress within the
first 24 hours. To accomplish that feat, a heavy
concentration of artillery, including two massive
600-mm siege mortars, were employed to reduce both the fortress and the garrison.
However, although the Germans achieved complete surprise on the garrison, steadfast
leadership and dogged determination on the part of the Soviet survivors resulted in a brutal
battle of attrition that lasted for seven days before the final contingent of Soviets surrendered
(individual soldiers continued to fight until as late as August 1941).
Aliev’s most noteworthy achievement with this work lies not in the depth of detail or the lucidity
of the text but in the fact that he has superbly rendered the story of the lead up and execution
of the battle with a degree of suspense and drama rarely achieved in historical narrative. His
humanization of key Russian and German figures adds life and dimension to this trial by combat.
By switching his storyline back and forth between the opposing sides, thereby creating
concurrent lines of narrative, he gives the reader a clear vision of the perspective, stresses and
decision influencers of each. One truly begins to appreciate the horror of the conditions under
which the Russians fought and the cold-blooded realities facing those wounded or captured
by either side. Interspersed with those episodes were instances of true humanity as Germans,
while frustrated at the continued intransigence of the Russians, nevertheless came to see their
opponents as warriors worthy of respect. Aliev is able to convey with startling clarity the
responsibility assumed by the most junior of Russian officers as well as give a real sense of the
brutality of the hand to hand fighting, the fear of close quarter combat with knives and grenades
in the confined spaces of the fortress casemates and the suffering of the wounded and civilians
trapped within the fortress.
The major critical observations on this book centre upon two points: there is no index or
bibliography—which are always important for reference at a later date—and, while there are
excellent maps tracing the unfolding combat, there is no map that provides a single overview
of the fortress itself. It would have been quite useful to have had a single reference for the layout.
130 THE CANADIAN ARMY JOURNAL VOLUME 16.2 2016