Conversation so far:
Did Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn play a role in WW2?
During WW2, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn served as the commander of a sound-ranging battery in the Red Army, was involved in major action at the front, and was twice decorated.
How long was Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in the Red Army for?
In February 1945, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was arrested by SMERSH for writing derogatory comments in private letters to a friend about the conduct of the war by Joseph Stalin.

Question: How many troops did he command?
Self-contained rewrite: How many troops did Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn command as the commander of a sound-ranging battery in the Red Army?