Moscow Tram Stop: A Doctor’s Experiences with the German Spearhead in Russia - Heinrich Haape (Edited by Craig W Luther)

 Submitted to Iron Cross Magazine 

Title: Moscow Tram Stop: A Doctor’s Experiences with the German Spearhead in Russia
Author: Heinrich Haape (Edited by Craig W Luther)
ISBN: 978-1-732-60741-5
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Year: 2020
Hardcover
Pages: 408
Photos/Maps: 76/5

Dr Haape’s Moscow Tram Stop is a unique and moving rendition of one man’s experiences as part of the German invasion of Russia. He was not a senior officer, nor in an HQ of a large formation. Indeed, his war was a tactical one; his horizon limited to the information and operational tasks given to his unit, 3^rd Battalion, Infantry Regiment 18. This work reflects that intimacy. There is no discussion of grand strategy, of conferences in Berlin nor of any interaction with an officer more senior that his Regimental Commander. The author was a very learned man: a staunch Christian, an artist, a medical doctor, a lover of the arts and a philosopher. He maintained a detailed diary of his experiences and observations and this forms the foundation of the book. His writing reflect a sensitive, yet grounded personality, dedicated to his duty, honest and nuanced in his assessments and acknowledging of the strengths and failings of himself and the soldiers that he served with. His Russian experience included some of the most brutal and vicious fighting experienced during Operation Barbarossa. His Battalion pushed forward to the very gates of Moscow and then retreated to the cauldron of the fighting around Rzhev. 

The writing style of the author combined with the adept editing of Dr Craig provides the reader with a unique and very personal experience of the soldier of the period. Unlike many of the historical works of war, soldiers and officers have names and personalities. Experiences related include the humorous, ironic and frightening; boredom and routine broken by terror, violence and sudden injury or death blend together seamlessly. Anyone reading this book, who has served in the military, will appreciate, and recognize the shared and timeless stories. 

Dr Haape, the artist, also drew many of the people and things he describes in his memoirs. Thus he relates conversations that he had with Russian peasants and includes drawings of the individuals in the book. A peasant woodsman, his world-weary face craggy and his existence limited to his village and its immediate environs, observes on the coming winter and the war with the same sense of resignation and acceptance. Additionally, he relates providing medical assistance to local villagers and utilizing volunteer Russian prisoners to augment his medical staff. Vignette’s such as these reflect the closeness of the soldiers with their environment and the reality of the tactical ‘coal-face’ experienced on a day-to-day basis. 

What further enhances the uniqueness of this book, is the inclusion of a second narrative following the conclusion of Dr Haape’s diary. This second work, relates the 2016 cross-country journey undertaken by Dr Haape’s son Johannes, Dr Craig and Sergej Stasikov, a retired Russian logistics LCol. The three of them, using the original maps and war diaries of Infantry Regiment 18 as well as Dr Haape’s diary, retraced the exact route taken by the author and his comrades during Barbarossa. Throughout this expedition (covering over 4,492 kilometers), they confirmed the stories from his diary, participated in the 75^th anniversary of Op Barbarossa remembrance ceremonies, took part in the mass internment of the recovered remains of 1,200 unknown Russian soldiers recovered in the Rzhev region, tracked down the internment sites of Infantry Regiment 18 soldiers and met with local villagers and veterans identified in his diary. They were able to confirm the accuracy of both the route and the stories related. This story is an adventure in and of itself that is worth reading. 

This work is a true fusion of the historical and recent, blended in such a way as to uniquely reflect the true reality of the individual German soldier and the humanity of their day-to-day experiences during the first year of the Eastern Front War. Essentially two works in one, it both confirms the veracity of Dr Haape’s work, and also the ongoing reality of the effect of Barbarossa in the modern world. A quality publication from Stackpole that includes a detailed bibliography and extensive endnotes. This is highly recommended for any who wish to appreciate in a more intimate, yet unvarnished way, the soldier’s world on the Eastern Front in 1941/42.