Аннотация: A preface to Vladimir Bogomolov's novel "In August of 1944"
A preface to Vladimir Bogomolov's novel "In August of 1944"
The content.
1. The kaleidoscopic nature of the novel and the usefulness of the preface.
2. The general theme of the novel.
3. The center of the novel.
4. The characters in the novel.
5. The chronological characteristics of the novel.
6. The territorial contours of the novel.
7. A summation.
1. The kaleidoscopic nature of the novel and the usefulness of the preface.
The outstanding novel 'In August of 1944' describes so many characters and storylines that it is difficult for the average reader to adequately perceive this novel.
The novel - in any case, at the first reading - is characterized by quality of kaleidoscopicity (the novel could be perceived as a kaleidoscopic work). The novel appears as a system, a collection of a huge number of fascinating stories, interesting plots and descriptions, which are very difficult to perceive as a single work.
Some generalized judgments about this novel will be useful to facilitate a readers perception.
2. The general theme of the novel.
In the most general sense, the common theme of the novel is the struggle of one group highly intellectual and highly organized people with the other group highly intellectual and highly organized people.
In a narrower understanding, the theme of the novel is the neutralization by counterintelligence SMERSH [Main Directorate of Counter-Intelligence "SMERSH"] of an enemy reconnaissance group in the context of preparing the next strategic offensive of the Red Army.
Stavka receives information on the activities of a highly effective reconnaissance group in the rear of the Red Army. Such activity of enemy creates risks for the planned strategic offensive.
3. The center of the novel.
In the center of the novel is the figure of the SMERSH employee, the'cleaner', senior lieutenant Yevgeny Tamantsev. He is implicitly and explicitly opposed by the fascist agent Mishchenko - a man with great experience and unusual abilities.
The confrontation is described by Vladimir Bogomolov as a struggle between state systems (between the Soviet Union and the fascist Germany), between a huge groups of people (intelligence and counterintelligence systems).
However, it seems that the effectiveness of the enemy reconnaissance group is largely due to the unusually high qualifications of Mishchenko.
Thus, in the center of the novel is Tamantsev. He is implicitly and explicitly opposed by Mishchenko.
On other levels in the novel, another oppositions, confrontations are visible:
(a) between the 'Alekhine's group' (the operational-search group of the Front's Counterintelligence Directorate) and the 'Mishchenko intelligence group',
(In addition to the "Mishchenko reconnaissance group", other enemy reconnaissance groups fall into the scope of counterintelligence. They are briefly mentioned in the novel. Each brief mention is an interesting semantic fragment).
(b) between SMERSH and Abwehr,
(c) between the Soviet Union and the fascist Germany.
(In an implicit form throughout the novel, the role of the USA, of Lend-Lease is mentioned:
'Fomchenko, as expected, did not find anything in the hut except for the products lying behind the stove: two cans of American pork stew, five packs of millet concentrate, two loaves of bread, a bag of salt and sugar. All this was received by Pavlovsky at our food points ... "
'... [he] put a box of American sawn sugar into the box under the bag.'
'He started in Grodno with a Dodge and ended the day with a Dodge.' [The USSR received 433,967 vehicles from the USA; Dodge WC was supplied to the USSR according Lend-Lease and was called 'Dodge Three Quarters' in the drivers 'slang due to its load capacity of 750 kg (Wikipedia).]
'Immediately transport all three of them under reliable guard to the Molodechno airfield, where the Douglas sent by us (number - 207) will land in the next half hour' [During World War II, Douglas DC-3 aircraft was delivered in the USSR, where, also, the licensed version of DC-3 was producing redesigned for Soviet engines and GOSTs. Wikipedia]
4. The characters in the novel.
The novel mentions a huge number of characters.
Here are military personnel (from the Soviet Union and the fascist Germany), and paramilitary, partisan formations, and civilians (ordinary peasants and Volksdeutsche, residents of Poland (until 1939)) ...
'Over the past five years, life has changed dramatically four times: first, pre-war Poland, then accession to the Soviet Belarus, then war - it came here on the second day - and the bloody German occupation, and finally, again, around during a month, - the Soviet government, the Soviet power' (Vladimir Bogomolov "In August of 1944").
(Naturally, Vladimir Bogomolov, like all the inhabitants of the USSR, knew little about the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, about the unique democratic and republican Eastern European orders, freedoms, about partition of 1775, about colossal ideological efforts to break the historical civilizational continuity and to represent Russian despotism and serfdom as natural and the only possible forms of life - these ideological efforts were launched by the 'History' of Karamzin, they are still taking place in some forms. A novel about the heroism of wartime people could not set the task of considering and resolving historical contradictions. However, these the contradictions received some description in the novel; certain historical accents of the novel provoke an understandable rejection by a certain part of the public in Poland. The creativity of Vladimir Bogomolov is not limited to this novel, and it demonstrates great sympathy, and even love, for Poland. Paradox. One of the most pro-Polish Soviet writers met a very ambiguous attitude to his creativity...).
If you take Tamantsev as the center of the novel, you can build a kind of vertical.
His superiors, including:
- Captain Alekhine (head of the operational-search group, which includes Tamantsev),
- Lieutenant Colonel Polyakov (the head of three operational-search groups - in the areas of Lida and Grodno), [Lida and Grodno were in the offensive zone of the 3rd Belorussian Front; were taken in mid-July 1944]
- Head of the Front's Counterintelligence Directorate Egorov,
- SMERSH leadership,
- Stavka, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Stalin ...
In a sense, below the Tamantsev level - trainee Andrei Blinov and secondments (Fomchenko and Luzhnov; Anikushin) ...
5. The chronological characteristics of the novel.
From the moment of receiving the order of the Stavka on the neutralization of the intelligence group until the "moment of truth" passed about a DAY.
The ordinary reader cannot always realize this circumstance - since it is 'hidden' in documents and in date comparisons.
An exemplary chronology of the novel is as follows.
Preliminary stage. ... August 7, 1944, August 13, 1944 ... an unknown radio station goes on the air, but the broadcasts have not yet been decrypted ... Tamantsev, Alekhine's group begin a operational-search measures...
On August 16, 1944, the text of the radio broadcast was decrypted.
The report for August 17, 1944 of the military counterintelligence arrives in Stavka after midnight.
On August 18, at 2 hours and 10 minutes, the "Neman" case was taken under control by the Stavka, by Stalin.
Parallel preparations are beginning - in addition to the operational-search measures of counterintelligence - of massive events under the options of the "Trap" (the deaf blocking of the Vilnius, Grodno and Lida regions), the "Big Elephant" and the "Baltic Tango" (as well as a military operation in the Shilovichi Forest).
August 18, 1944 - August 19, 1944 - a huge amount of intellectual, organizational, search activities and efforts are carried out. A huge emergency search mechanism has been launched. Events are accelerating. Intuition, professionalism, heroism, a knight's attitude towards others, many other positive qualities of SMERSH employees are the key to success.
On August 19, 1944 at 16 hours 52 minutes the enemy reconnaissance group (the "Mishchenko reconnaissance group") was neutralized by the efforts of the Front's Counterintelligence Directorate, Lieutenant Colonel Polyakov, Captain Alekhine and Senior Lieutenant Tamantsev.
6. The territorial contours of the novel.
What do the territorial contours of the novel look like?
In a broad sense, the novel describes actions in Eurasia. Mishchenko was active already in Manchuria ...
In a narrower sense, these are:
- The rear of the Belarusian fronts.
- Šiauliai, Vilnius, Grodno, Bialystok, Lida, Shilovichi ...
- Cities, settlements, forests, locations of military units.
'We have such conditions and work that any seasoned sherlock [that is Sherlock Holmes], even from a capital criminal police department, would hang himself on the very first branch because of despair.
In any criminal police department - there are a fingerprinting, an operational records [accumulated and systematized information, data], a laboratories and a scientific and technical departments; there at every step - a district policeman and a janitor, ready to help in word and deed. And what have we?..
The width of the front line is more than three hundred kilometers. The depth of the rear is approximately six hundred. On this vast territory there are hundreds of cities, hundreds of junction and linear stations; every day - thousands of soldiers, sergeants and officers moving perpendicular to front line and parallel to front line, forests everywhere, a large, covered with thicket, massifs. And the inhabitants, for example, here, in the western regions, they are frightened, silent, from them even one word, no matter how hard you try, you will not pull out. And all our equipment, except for personal weapons, - it is the Paul's [Alekhine's] photocamera (trophy - captured during military actions).
Moreover, a criminal police deals with the initiative of individuals, and we deal with criminals, behind whom - the strongest state, we deal with criminals who are trained not by semi-literate godfathers, but by sophisticated agents, are trained in special schools. Our opponents are supplied with legends, equipment and documents - all this are supplied by experienced professionals.
What can we personally oppose this? .. Primitive field counter espionage: inspections of the forest, visual observation, conversations with local residents and ambushes.
Terrible primitive! ... Take them all! Take them - when they are warm! [when they did not yet wake up; take them alive] Die, but do it! Rather, as the superiors say: do it and don't die!" (Vladimir Bogomolov "In August of 1944'). (Tamantsev mentions Sherlock Holmes for a more expressiveness - for constructing a juxtaposition, a contrast of the possibilities, equipment on the one hand, of the criminal police and, on the other hand, of the Front counterintelligence. In reality, in fact, the main character of Arthur Conan Doyle and the characters of Vladimir Bogomolov are united by the ability to efficiently analyze information, data).
7. A summation.
Vladimir Bogomolov describes the enormous organizational and intellectual mechanisms and efforts undertaken by the participants in the confrontation, the fate and actions of individuals, numerous groups and huge masses of people.
The novel presents numerous documents. The work of counterintelligence SMERSH and other organizations in numerous versions and directions is shown.
The novel - through an artistic, adventure image of a separate operational-search counterintelligence operation - shows a highly effective state mechanism that - with the ultimate tension of forces and mass heroism - ensured Victory in 1945.
In Vladimir Bogomolov's novel "In August of 1944' - (we are not touching on the theme of artistic, creative level and of equivalence) - a reader can see the traditions of Leo Tolstoy's 'War and Peace'.
[CLVIII. Dialogue about an adventure literature.
CCXXXII. The Leo Tolstoy's fairy tale monologue about a "military prose".
DCLVI. The Story about a spring plots.
DCCCLV. The Sketch about a new media principles.
MCL. Novikov-Priboy - Stepanov - "Port Arthur". Essay on the history of literature.
MCXCV. Vladimir Bogomolov and Yuri Trifonov. Representatives of Russian literature in later historical epochs. A literary note.]
June 10, 2020 07:38
Translation from Russian into English: June 11, 2020 10:31.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Предисловие к роману Владимира Богомолова 'В августе сорок четвертого''.