"Red Square" by Yuli Dunsky, summary

Yuli Dunsky’s work, written around 1970, faithfully and honestly describes the difficult birth of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. The most intriguing detail of this book is its open depiction of the intense conflict between the old-school career officers and the spontaneous masses of revolutionary soldiers who rejected any military discipline. The plot formed the basis for the well-known Soviet two-part film "Red Square," directed by Vasily Ordynsky in 1970. The film received widespread acclaim for its large-scale battle scenes and the subtle psychological performances of the actors, who vividly portrayed the creators of the new army.

Returning from the front

The narrative opens with a ceremonial parade on the cobblestones in front of the Kremlin. The rumble of armored vehicle treads and the roar of tank engines evoke memories of the distant year of 1918. It was then that the country’s military might was born. A train travels through the snowy expanses. Signs can be seen on the red freight cars: "Forty men or eight horses."

The train cars are carrying infantry — tired demobilized soldiers returning from World War I. They sing songs and anticipate their imminent return to their families. A young Bolshevik commissar, Dmitry Amelin, attempts to impose discipline. The soldiers are extremely aggressive. They brutally beat the station master for delaying the train. Amelin stops the lynching and calls a spontaneous rally.

Boots for volunteers

The commissar fervently urges front-line soldiers to enlist in the Red Army. His passionate speeches fall on deaf ears. The soldiers desperately want peace. A staunch anarchist, sailor Volodya, openly engages in an argument with the commissar. The situation is saved by the cunning of the Estonian, Uno. He notices Amelin wearing good English boots. Uno spreads a rumor among the soldiers: every volunteer will be issued the same kind of boots. The temptation to receive excellent boots outweighs the fatigue of the trenches. The soldiers enlist en masse. Amelin is outraged by this pragmatic approach. The commissar believes that soldiers are obliged to serve for a great idea, not for profit. Despite the disagreements, the unit is formed.

The Oath and the New Order

In springtime Moscow in 1918, the first Red Army regiments take the oath at the Kremlin wall. The soldiers line up in neat rectangles. There is complete silence, necessary for the thousands-strong crowd to hear Vladimir Lenin’s voice without microphones. Soon, Amelin’s regiment receives a commander. This is Nikolai Kutasov, a former tsarist officer and military specialist. This appointment sparks a storm of indignation among the soldiers. Kutasov imposes discipline with a heavy hand. He bans soldier rallies and forces the soldiers to salute according to regulations. The Red Army soldiers view their commander as a class enemy. Amelin also views the former nobleman with great mistrust.

Personal drama

The relationship between the commissar and the commander is complicated by the arrival of Natasha, Kutasov’s young wife. She bakes sweet cookies, creates a semblance of homeliness at headquarters, and tries to reconcile the men. She soon confesses to her husband that the sincere Amelin, whose face resembles Alyosha Karamazov, evokes warm feelings in her. An unspoken love triangle develops. Amelin tries to maintain the chain of command, but Natasha cries and worries deeply about the young commissar’s life before each attack. Kutasov is acutely aware of this sympathy. This realization makes his conversations with Amelin even colder and more tense.

Battle for the crossing

During bloody battles with Admiral Kolchak’s White Guard units, mutual mistrust gradually disappears. Kutasov demonstrates outstanding tactical talent. He skillfully positions machine guns and protects soldiers’ lives. Amelin recognizes that the war cannot be won with revolutionary enthusiasm alone; the young army requires experienced military specialists. The commander and commissar begin to trust each other. The decisive battle unfolds for a strategically important bridge. The armored train "Red Varyag" is at the very center of the battle. This steel fortress unleashes a barrage of fire on the enemy.

Locomotive strike

White Guard armored cars are burning in the field, but the enemy infantry is not retreating. The enemy is determined to destroy the stubborn Soviet armored train at any cost. The Whites send a fire ship — a heavy, empty locomotive with a jammed whistle — along the rails. With a chilling howl, the locomotive smashes into the carriages of the Red Varyag at high speed. A deafening explosion is heard. Amelin, who was on the carriage’s step, suffers a severe concussion. The commissar falls to the ground unconscious.

Rescuing the Commissar

Estonian Uno and sailor Volodya rush to their commander’s aid. They quickly examine Amelin. There’s no blood on his clothes, and his heart is beating. His comrades lay the commissar’s motionless body across the iron trolley. Amid the incessant roar of artillery shells and the whistle of bullets, Uno pumps the trolley’s lever with all his might. The small cart carries the shell-shocked Amelin away from the burning bridge. The soldiers risk their own lives to save the man who has become the true conscience of their regiment.

Memory in the square

The narrative leaps into the future. The writer briefly recounts the army’s combat journey through the decades: clashes with Chinese generals in 1929, tank attacks at Khalkhin Gol, and the devastating salvos of guards mortars against fascist troops. A commander and a commissar invisibly observe these victories from a high mound. Today, the gray-haired Marshal Stasov — the name under which the aged Kutasov is depicted — stands on the Mausoleum’s podium. He proudly gazes at the powerful missile systems. Amelin is also present in the square. A black marble slab in the Kremlin wall bears a short inscription: "Amelin Dmitry Sergeyevich. 1895–1921." The young commissar gave his life early for his republic, but his indomitable spirit forever remained in the ranks.