''Let the Thunder of Victory Rumble!'' is a novel by
Boris Akunin, the second part of the third book on the adventures of Russian and German spies during the
First World War. It describes the military adventures of Aleksei Romanov in the spring of 1916 in Galicia.
Plot
On 1 April 1916, a secret meeting is held at the headquarters of the
Supreme Command of the Russian Army. After the heavy defeats of 1915 almost all the front commanders are afraid to take active steps. But the commander of the
South-Western Front asks the Czar for permission to attack. The South-Western Front does not have a large number of troops and artillery and there are no reserves for the front, but the commander confidently declares that he is ready to attack the
Austro-Hungarian Army. After some hesitation,
Nicholas II
Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...
gives the order to advance.
The commander's plan is built on the element of surprise. Preparation for the offensive begins immediately on 25 sections of the front line, but this is done only in order to confuse the enemy. Only one will become the real breakthrough point.
Aleksey Romanov, who serves just on the South-Western Front, travels to the area. He must deceive the Austrian spies, giving them the impression that there will be no offensive. However, Austrian intelligence is very active. A great help to the Austrians is provided by
Ukrainian nationalists fighting for the future independence of
Ukraine.
Historical basis
*In the story there are characters based on real historical figures. Chief of Staff of the Supreme Headquarters, Chief of Staff (russian: Главштаб, Glavshtab) - General
Mikhail Alekseyev. Commander of the
Northern Front, (russian: Главсев, Glavsev) - General
Aleksey Kuropatkin. Commander of the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
*Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
(russian: Главзап, Glavzap) - General
Alexei Evert. The key figure is the commander of the South-Western Front (russian: Главюгзап, Glavyugzap) is General
Aleksei Brusilov, an outstanding Russian and Soviet military leader, the author of the famous
Brusilov Offensive.
*The title of the book is the first line of
the unofficial Russian national anthem, which first sounded in 1791 and was written in honor of
the capture of Izmail by Russian troops under the command of
Alexander Suvorov. In 1833,
Emperor Nicholas I approved a new official anthem -
God Save the Tsar!
Notes
References
2009 novels
Novels by Boris Akunin
Russian mystery novels
Historical mystery novels
Russian spy novels
2009 Russian novels
Russian historical novels
Russian detective novels
Novels set during World War I
{{2000s-WWI-novel-stub