Earl F. Ziemke (1922–2007)

Earl Ziemke’s chronicle of the end of the Third Reich is among the best volumes in Ballantine’s series of illustrated histories of World War II. As a historian with the U.S. Army’s Center for Military History, he was well versed with the subject, having written several works pertaining to German military operations during the war. Using this expertise, he provides a short overview of the war against Germany from the autumn of 1944 – when Ziemke contends Germany should have sued for show more peace – to the establishment of the occupation government in Berlin in the summer of 1945. Much of the text is devoted to a dry recounting of unit deployments, yet this matter-of-fact recitation of events only enhances the surreality of the events Ziemke describes, with Adolf Hitler increasingly waging a war in his bunker that had little to do with the fighting taking place around him. Combined with maps and a plentiful selection of photographs, it’s a book that remains an excellent resource for readers seeking a concise yet detailed overview of its subject. show less

Started reading August 22, 2010, and finished reading on September 3, 2010.

This book is the middle book in the three volume series on the German-Soviet conflict during World War II. It focuses on the period between the Soviet counter offensive from Moscow (December 1941) through to the end of the Stalingrad siege (December 1942). It pays particular attention to the period from January to October 1942. It is primarily at the level of Corps, Armies, Army Groups and Theaters. It occasionally show more covers divisions and smaller units. It seems to be mainly written using the writings (memoirs) of surviving generals.

I am very pleased with the other books that are cited in the various foot notes.

It was well paced, but some of the sentences were overly long. Thankfully there are a lot of maps. In the maps, the use of red ink (or what ever) for the Soviet units would have been a big help at times. In the text, Soviet units are in italics, thankfully. Considering that there were several separate engagements occurring at the same time, I feel that the book flowed quite well. show less

I enjoy everything by Earl F. Ziemke. He is very easy to read. Therefore, my objectivity is somewhat lacking.
I read this book some 30 years ago (early 70's).
This is an excellent book (i.e., a 5 on a 5 point scale), which is much more than I expect when I buy a book.
This is the third of the three volume series on the German-Soviet conflict during World War II, but it is the first to be written. This is the history of the war on the Eastern Front (The Great Patriotic War to the Soviets). It show more covers the war from after the German defeat at Stalingrad through the battle for Berlin and the end of the War.
It is an official history written mainly for U.S. Army officers, but is quite useful for all readers.
It is objective and unbiased. It is well researched, but much of the Soviet data was still classified when it was written. It is well illustrated with 44 maps. show less

I've got this book few days ago and haven't read it yet, just leafed through. There are 32 illustrations in it, plus one on the cover. Out of these 33 photos, only 2 (two!) show the Red Army officers (the one on the cover) or the soldiers (captured by the Germans). On one picture you can see Soviet civilians watching their homes burning. The remaining 30 photos are all about the Wehrmacht. Rather strange selection of pictures for a book about the Red Army, huh?