History Literature / RedArmy

Like ''RedStormRising'', it’s a highly educational read, and is surprisingly easy going since Peters avoids geeky details (he talks about 'tanks' and 'anti-air units' instead of 'T-80s' and 'ZSU-23-4s') and focuses squarely on the characters, every one of whom is properly fleshed-out and three-dimensional. Unfortunately, it had the misfortune to be released at the end of the Cold War and thus for many became HilariousInHindsight when the mighty [[SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp broke up]] and the GulfWar occured. The use of outdated, export-quality equipment by Iraqi forces in the latter 'proved' to many that the USSR's emphasis on planning and organisation would have counted for nothing in the face of NATO's marginally-superior weaponry, and Peters was accused of overhyping the USSR's capabilities. Peters acknowledges in his afterword that his novels potrayed a 'best case' scenario for the Soviets which showcased their strengths (simple but brilliant plans) and NATO's weaknesses (reliance on improvisation, severe internal divisions). He's also said that he wrote the novel in part because all the famous World War III technothrillers of the time potrayed best-case scenarios for NATO in which the Soviet forces were forced to improvise and fight in unusual situations only to be thwarted by small bands of intrepid heroes.

Like ''RedStormRising'', it’s a highly educational read, and is surprisingly easy going since Peters avoids geeky details (he talks about 'tanks' and 'anti-air units' instead of 'T-80s' and 'ZSU-23-4s') and focuses squarely on the characters, every one of whom is properly fleshed-out and three-dimensional. Unfortunately, it had the misfortune to be released at the end of the Cold War and thus became HilariousInHindsight when the mighty [[SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp broke up]] and the GulfWar occured, meaning that Peters was accused of overhyping the strength of America’s enemies. Make no mistake, however: at the time this was SeriousBusiness. Peters acknowledges in his afterword that his novels assumed a complete 'best case' scenario for the Soviets, and indicates that he wrote the novel in part because most of the other writers of World War III technothrillers at the time relied on a best-case scenario for NATO.

While fans of NATO's military technology are quick to claim that ''Red Army'' 'fails the history test' - because Soviet smarts really were on the verge of being outmatched by NATO (weapons-technology-)brawn in 1989 - it's an excellent human drama that devotedly details the workings of a modern army.

While ''Red Army'' fails the history test, it more than passes as a human drama, and it details the workings of a modern army.

* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The book’s tagline is, ‘A Novel of Tomorrow’s War’.

* CavalryRefusal: Type B. The attack helicopters assigned to support Gordunov's air assault battalion pull off earlier than he expected, which promptly reminds him of a similar incident in Afghanistan where his company was ripped apart by a dushman ambush.

As the story opens, WorldWarIII has already started (Peters never does mention what started it) and the Red Army under [[OfficerAndAGentleman General Malinsky]] is about to attack across the plains of northern Germany. What follows is the offensive operation NATO so feared during the ColdWar; the mechanized Soviet armies split the alliance's front and pour across Germany too fast for their shocked high command to react.

As the story opens, WorldWarIII has already started (Peters never does mention what started it) and the Red Army under [[OfficerAndAGentleman General Malinsky]] is about to attack across the plains of northern Germany. What follows is the theater-strategic operation NATO so feared during the ColdWar, the mechanized Soviet armies splitting the alliance’s front and pouring across Germany too fast for their shocked high command to react.

** Tanks are the main striking force of the Red Army. Particularly true of the Starukhin's army facing the British. [[spoiler:Not that it helps him much, anyhow, as the British manage to set up defense line after defense line in rapid succession without becoming completely disorganized, until [[TheHero Bezarin]] manages flank and rout the remaining elements of the core British armored division and [[TheCavalry link up with an air assault bridgehead]].]]

** Peters must hate NATO's Overwatch tactic. NATO loses 2 easy wins because they waste time on Overwatch tactics instead of selecting a Soviet type charge on line, which are depicted to succeed. The most successful NATO ground attack shown in-book was made by American tanks against a transport convoy ... without overwatch.

A 1989 novel by Ralph Peters, often counted among the techno-thriller genre thanks to its subject matter -- a Soviet invasion of Western Europe. Unlike other techno-thrillers, however, Peters wrote the entire story from the Soviet point of view, then went on to commit the faux pas of having the Soviets actually ''win'', something other [[TomClancy American writers]] would never dream of.

Like ''RedStormRising'', it’s a highly educational read, and is surprisingly easy going since Peters avoids geeky details (he talks about 'tanks' and 'anti-air units' instead of 'T-80s' and 'ZSU-23-4s') and focuses squarely on the characters, every one of whom is properly fleshed-out and three-dimensional. Despite this, ''Red Army'' was mostly dissed by the critics who apparently couldn’t forgive Peters for letting [[TheEmpire the bad guys]] win. It also had the misfortune to be released at the end of the Cold War and thus became HilariousInHindsight when the mighty [[SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp broke up]] and the GulfWar occured, meaning that Peters was accused of overhyping the strength of America’s enemies. Make no mistake, however: at the time this was SeriousBusiness. To be fair, Peters acknowledges in his afterword that his novels assumed a complete 'best case' scenario for the Soviets, and indicates that he wrote the novel in part because [[TomClancy most of the other writers of World War III technothrillers at the time]] relied on a best-case scenario for NATO.

While ''Red Army'' fails the history test, it more than passes as a human drama, and it details the workings of a modern army far better than any of its rivals, including ''RedStormRising''. Forget the romantic image of the [[FourStarBadass brilliant general]] having a Napoleonic flash of inspiration that wins the pitched battle, deploying modern armies is a matter of march tables and proper mathematical planning. Ironically, war as Peters envisioned it has been carried out since the novel was written… by the [[YanksWithTanks U.S. Army]] on its march to Baghdad.

* AuthorTract: It's subtle in the story, but it's played straight in the afterword he writes. Peters wanted to show the readers that NATO's strategy of Forward Defense would be extremely unlikely to stop a Soviet offensive, along with the inefficiency of NATO's command structure, lack of unified doctrine and unified troop control, and the strategic and operational flaws in NATO force dispositions.

* TrappedBehindEnemyLines: Gordunov’s air assault battalion has the duty of securing the Weser-spanning bridges in Hameln, fifty kilometers behind British lines.

* WouldNotShootACivilian: Inverted. [[spoiler:Leonid accidentally shoots two German civilians when trying to hide in a basement.]]

* MillionMookMarch: ''Comprehensively'' averted. The NATO armies are expecting a ZergRush: the battle plan they get is an astute, intricate and strenuously thought-out XanatosGambit. And it all happens very, very fast.

* ShownTheirWork: Peters was one of the few in the West to actually ‘’know’’ and not have a stereotyped view of the Soviet military system, compared to [[TomClancy other authors]].

Like ''RedStormRising'', it’s a highly educational read, and is surprisingly easy going since Peters avoids geeky details (he talks about 'tanks' and 'anti-air units' instead of 'T-80s' and 'ZSU-23-4s') and focuses squarely on the characters, every one of whom is properly fleshed-out and three-dimensional. Despite this, ''Red Army'' was mostly dissed by the critics who apparently couldn’t forgive Peters for letting [[TheEmpire the bad guys]] win. It also had the misfortune to be released in 1989 and thus became HilariousInHindsight when the mighty [[SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp broke up]] and the GulfWar occured, meaning that Peters was accused of overhyping the strength of America’s enemies. Make no mistake, however: at the time this was SeriousBusiness. To be fair, Peters acknowledges in his afterword that his novels assumed a complete 'best case' scenario for the Soviets, and indicates that he wrote the novel in part because [[TomClancy most of the other writers of World War III technothrillers at the time]] relied on a best-case scenario for NATO.

* ShownTheirWork: Peters was one of the few in the West to actually ‘’know’’ and not have a stereotyped view of the Soviet military system, compared to [[TomClancy other authors]]. His description of Hameln is pretty accurate too.

Like ''RedStormRising'', it’s a highly educational read, and is surprisingly easy going since Peters avoids geeky details (he talks about 'tanks' and 'anti-air units' instead of 'T-80s' and 'ZSU-23-4s') and focuses squarely on the characters, every one of whom is properly fleshed-out and three-dimensional. Despite this, ''Red Army'' was mostly dissed by the critics who apparently couldn’t forgive Peters for letting [[TheEmpire the bad guys]] win. It also had the misfortune to be released in 1989 and thus became HilariousInHindsight when the mighty [[SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp broke up]] and the Gulf War occured, meaning that Peters was accused of overhyping the strength of America’s enemies. Make no mistake, however: at the time this was SeriousBusiness. To be fair, Peters acknowledges in his afterword that his novels assumed a complete 'best case' scenario for the Soviets, and indicates that he wrote the novel in part because [[TomClancy most of the other writers of World War III technothrillers at the time]] relied on a best-case scenario for NATO.

As the story opens, WorldWarIII has already started (Peters never does mention what started it) and the Red Army under [[OfficerAndAGentleman General Malinsky]] is about to attack across the plains of northern Germany. What follows is the theater-strategic operation NATO so feared during the Cold War, the mechanized Soviet armies splitting the alliance’s front and pouring across Germany too fast for their shocked high command to react.

A novel by Ralph Peters, often counted among the techno-thriller genre thanks to its subject matter -- a Soviet invasion of Western Europe. Unlike other techno-thrillers, however, Peters wrote the entire story from the Soviet point of view, then went on to commit the faux pas of having the Soviets actually ''win'', something other [[TomClancy American writers]] would never dream of.

* ShownTheirWork: Peters was one of the few in the West to actually ‘’know’’ and not have a stereotyped view of the Soviet military system, compared to [[TomClancy other authors]].

* TrappedBehindEnemyLines: Gordunov’s air assault battalion has the duty of securing the Weser-spanning bridges in Hameln, fifty kilometers behind [[BritsWithBattleships British]] lines.

* UrbanWarfare: The Soviets avoid fighting in the cities to prevent losing operational tempo, but one divisional commander of Starukhin’s 3rd Shock Army draws himself into a bloody fight with the mixed West German and British elements trapped in Hannover.

* LastStand: [[spoiler:When it's clear that no friendly armored forces are coming to link up with Gordunov’s battalion and the British troops keep on coming to recapture the bridges.]]