Prelude: Outgunned and OutmannedAcknowledgmentsList of Archival Sources and Their AbbreviationsTerms and AbbreviationsExplanatory NotesIntroduction: Government Issue1. The Soldier's Body: A Little Cog in a Giant War Machine2. A Personal Banner: Life in Red Army Uniform3. The State's Pot and the Soldier's Spoon: Rations in the Red Army4. Cities of Earth, Cities of Rubble: The Spade and Red Army Landscaping5. "A Weapon Is Your Honor and Conscience": Killing in the Red Army6. The Thing-Bag: A Public-Private Place7. Trophies of War: Red Army Soldiers Confront an Alien World of GoodsConclusion: Subjects and ObjectsNotesIndex

The Stuff of Soldiers uses everyday objects to tell the story of the Great Patriotic War as never before. Brandon M. Schechter attends to a diverse array of things-from spoons to tanks-to show how a wide array of citizens became soldiers, and how the provisioning of material goods separated soldiers from civilians.

Through a fascinating examination of leaflets, proclamations, newspapers, manuals, letters to and from the front, diaries, and interviews, The Stuff of Soldiers reveals how the use of everyday items made it possible to wage war. The dazzling range of documents showcases ethnic diversity, women's particular problems at the front, and vivid descriptions of violence and looting.

Each chapter features a series of related objects: weapons, uniforms, rations, and even the knick-knacks in a soldier's rucksack. These objects narrate the experience of people at war, illuminating the changes taking place in Soviet society over the course of the most destructive conflict in recorded history. Schechter argues that spoons, shovels, belts, and watches held as much meaning to the waging of war as guns and tanks. In The Stuff of Soldiers, he describes the transformative potential of material things to create a modern culture, citizen, and soldier during World War II.

Brandon M. Schechter has taught at Columbia, New York University, NYU Shanghai, Brown, and the University of California at Berkeley, where he received his PhD. He is a contributor to Objects of War, edited by Leora Auslander and Tara Zahra.