Zhukov's Greatest Defeat: The Red Army's Epic Disaster in Operation Mars, 1942 (Modern War Studies) - Hardcover

Glantz, David M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 070060944X ISBN 13: 9780700609444

Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas, 1999

Synopsis

An exhaustive, illustrated account of Operation Mars, a World War II battle between Germany and the Soviets that became a catastrophe for the latter, meticulously recounts a contest that was long kept a secret by Stalin's censors. UP.

About this title

About the Author

David M. Glantz is founder and former director of the U.S. Army's Foreign Military Studies Office. Among his many books are The Battle of Kursk and When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler (both with Jonathan M. House) and Stumbling Colossus: The Red Army on the Eve of World War.

From the Back Cover

"This is an outstanding contribution to the military history of a very important and little-known event in the campaign on the Eastern Front. That this major setback should have been so concealed from the outside world is characteristic of Soviet censorship; but the depth in which Glantz has studied the whole operation from High Command level to company or platoon using the widest range of source material deserves the highest praise. Also significant is Glantz's placement of Operation Mars alongside the much better-known Stalingrad battle (Operation Uranus) in Soviet political-strategic planning. Glantz's evidence is impressive, his conclusions totally convincing, and the actual military detail unrivaled in the literature. A truly important work."--Malcolm Macintosh, author of Juggernaut: A History of Soviet Armed Forces

"A very important book that radically challenges the 'received wisdom' about Stalingrad, the full significance of which cannot be grasped without understanding the role of Operation Mars. That story has remained largely unknown or unexplored for half a century, systematically concealed in Soviet historiography and deliberately misrepresented by Zhukov himself. Glantz's indispensable account, fundamentally important for a proper understanding of the Soviet-German front in late 1942, rescues Operation Mars from such terrible oblivion."--John Erickson, author of The Road to Stalingrad

"Redressing a major imbalance in the historical record, Glantz does a remarkable job of unearthing the Soviet side of Operation Mars. This book is well worth reading for anyone interested in the Soviet Union's monumental struggles in World War II."--Roger Reese, author of Stalin's Reluctant Soldiers: A Social History of the Red Army, 1925-1941

Reviews

A meticulous, scholarly study of one of the great land battles of WWII, from from the founder of the US Armys Foreign Military Studies Office and editor of the Journal of Slavic Military Studies. Marshal Georgy Zhukov has long been considered one of the exceptional Soviet generals of WWII, the hero of the Siege of Stalingrad who brilliantly encircled the German attacking army and obliterated it. Despite this victory and Zhukovs drive to be the first Soviet general to conquer Berlin, his career in the ``Great Patriotic War'' was not without its setbacks. Primary of these was Operation Mars, in November 1942. Mars was the companion to the Soviet counterattack at Stalingrad (code-named Operation Uranus) and was key to Soviet attempts to regain the offensive. Glantzs writing of the history of the campaign, while thick with facts and figures, is unassailable. By pulling apart German and Russian reports and communications, as well as later histories, he creates the definitive account of the battle. He assesses the reasons for the failure, which include improper artillery support, poor training of such critical elements as tank crews, a Red Army that lacked winter clothing, and the necessity (due to the high personnel losses in the army) of using officers who had earlier been judged unfit for service. Though most of this prodigious book is filled with the details of strategy and counterstrategy, there are points at which the fascinating characters of Zhukov and his officers shine through and offer a compelling narrative. Top-end scholarship that is too dense for all but the most dedicated aficionados of the Soviet-German conflict. Nonetheless, an important study that should rest on the shelf next to last summers brilliant, and more readable, Stalingrad by Antony Beevor. (photos, maps, not seen) (History Book Club Main selection) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Forgotten by history and virtually denied by the Soviet Union, the disastrous Russian defeat of 1942 in Operation Mars is finally exposed in Glantz's exhaustive study of this massive battle on the Eastern Front. Glantz, a U.S. Army historian specializing in Russian military operations, uses memoirs, official reports, and previously hidden archival sources to create a comprehensive view of this gigantic Soviet operation against the Germans just west of Moscow. Operation Mars was commanded by Georgy Zhukov, one of Stalin's most trusted generals. Zhukov threw hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands of tanks against the entrenched Germans but was utterly crushed. Glantz explores the Soviets' strategic, operational, and tactical planning and execution of this offensive, with particular attention to Zhukov and his subordinates. The numerous maps and orders of battle are essential for a clear understanding of the scope of this major Soviet offensive and its complete failure. Recommended for public and academic libraries.ACol. William D. Bushnell, USMC (ret.), Brunswick, ME
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 070060944X
• ISBN 13: 9780700609444
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 448