Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front

*Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front* chronicles a secret U.S. Air Force mission in Ukraine during World War II, known as Operation Frantic. The American airmen established bases in Soviet territory to allow bombing runs against Nazi Germany. The book follows key figures on both sides - American military personnel and Soviet officials - as they navigate this unprecedented collaboration in 1944. Through newly declassified documents and personal accounts, the text reconstructs the day-to-day realities of Americans living and working alongside their Soviet counterparts. In documenting this little-known military operation, author Serhii Plokhy captures the initial warmth and growing tensions between U.S. and Soviet forces. The narrative provides context for the alliance's eventual deterioration and the onset of the Cold War. This account of Operation Frantic serves as a lens for examining broader themes of trust, cooperation, and cultural misunderstanding between nations. The book reveals how seemingly minor incidents and interactions can influence the course of international relations.

Readers note this book reveals new details about US-Soviet cooperation during WWII through the story of American airmen stationed in Ukraine. They highlight Plokhy's use of declassified documents and personal accounts to show how initial friendship between allies deteriorated into Cold War tensions. Liked: - Clear narrative style that balances military operations with human stories - Previously unpublished photos and documents - Focus on a lesser-known aspect of WWII - Personal accounts from both American and Soviet perspectives Disliked: - Some sections with dense diplomatic details slow the pace - Limited coverage of actual bombing missions - Minor factual errors in aircraft descriptions Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (124 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (83 ratings) "Brings to life the day-to-day experiences of Americans in the USSR" - Amazon reviewer "Too much focus on high-level politics instead of the airmen's stories" - Goodreads reviewer

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🔹 Although the American airmen were stationed in Soviet-controlled Ukraine during WWII, they were forbidden from fraternizing with locals and were essentially confined to their bases, creating a "war within a war" atmosphere of mutual distrust. 🔹 Author Serhii Plokhy serves as the Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University and has written extensively about Eastern European history, particularly Soviet-era Ukraine. 🔹 Operation Frantic, the subject of the book, marked the only time during WWII that American forces were based on Soviet soil, with three Ukrainian airfields hosting U.S. bomber crews. 🔹 The American presence in Ukraine became an early battleground of the Cold War, with Soviet intelligence gathering extensive information about U.S. aircraft technology and military capabilities through close observation of the bases. 🔹 Despite the operation's strategic potential, it ultimately failed to achieve its military objectives and was shut down after only four months, largely due to Soviet reluctance to fully cooperate with their American allies.