Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege, 1942-1943 - Hardcover

Beevor, Antony; Cooper, Artemis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670870951 ISBN 13: 9780670870950

Publisher: Viking Adult, 1998

Synopsis

With the benefit of Russian documents never before seen by Western scholars, German transcripts, and private letters and diaries, the author offers a compelling narrative of the battle of Stalingrad, which broke the back of the Nazi army during the Second World War. 20,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

Hitler made two fundamental and crippling mistakes during the Second World War: The first was his whimsical belief that the United Kingdom would eventually become his ally, which delayed his decision to launch a major invasion of Britain, whose army was unprepared for the force of blitzkrieg warfare. The second was the ill-conceived Operation Barbarossa--an invasion of Russia that was supposed to take the German army to the gates of Moscow. Antony Beevor's thoughtfully researched compendium recalls this epic struggle for Stalingrad. No one, least of all the Germans, could foretell the deep well of Soviet resolve that would become the foundation of the Red Army; Russia, the Germans believed, would fall as swiftly as France and Poland. The ill-prepared Nazi forces were trapped in a bloody war of attrition against the Russian behemoth, which held them in the pit of Stalingrad for nearly two years. Beevor points out that the Russians were by no means ready for the war either, making their stand even more remarkable; Soviet intelligence spent as much time spying on its own forces--in fear of desertion, treachery, and incompetence--as they did on the Nazis. Due attention is also given to the points of view of the soldiers and generals of both forces, from the sickening battles to life in the gulags.

Many believe Stalingrad to be the turning point of the war. The Nazi war machine proved to be fallible as it spread itself too thin for a cause that was born more from arrogance than practicality. The Germans never recovered, and its weakened defenses were no match for the Allied invasion of 1944. We know little of what took place in Stalingrad or its overall significance, leading Beevor to humbly admit that "[t]he Battle of Stalingrad remains such an ideologically charged and symbolically important subject that the last word will not be heard for many years." This is true. But this gripping account should become the standard work against which all others should measure themselves. --Jeremy Storey

About the Author:

Educated at Winchester and Sandhurst, Antony Beevor served in the British Army for 5 years, he then lived and worked in Paris for two years where he wrote his first novel. His works of non-fiction have included PARIS AFTER THE LIBERATION (Penguin), THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR and CRETE - THE BATTLE AND THE RESISTANCE (Penguin).

About this edition

• Publisher: Viking Adult
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0670870951
• ISBN 13: 9780670870950
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 560