Stalingrad

Beevor manages a masterpiece of military history in Stalingrad. He covers this battle completely, from Operation Barbarossa, to the siege and the kessel, and the final disintegration of the Nazi 6th Army into Soviet prison camps and post-war ignominy. The narrative moves easily and naturally between Stalin and Hitler in their supreme HQs, staring at maps and radiotelegraphy reports, to the titanic clash of Panzer divisions, and air fleets, and above all, the dire struggle for survival face by the ordinary soldier. Stalingrad was a meatgrinder, fought by nations that did not give a whit for human life. Deaths on both sides were over one million; exactly how high we'll never know, given the paucity of records. The city was flattened, show more entire armies annihilated, and Beevors recounts again and again the last letters of men going to their death, and human cost of that battle.

What I did not expect was to feel sympathy for the Nazis. Soviet soldiers died horribly; without sufficient weapons or supplies to stop Panzers, executed under the arbitrary discipline of the commissars, but whether it was truth or effective propaganda, most of they knew they were selling their lives dearly in defense of the beloved rodina. Nazis soldiers died for Hitler's pride, in foolish hope that they would be rescued from encirclement. They died starving, frozen, crawling with lice, from disease and from Soviet mistreatment in prisoner-of-war camps. Even genocidal war criminals deserve better.

Stalingrad was the turning point of World War 2, the battle that broke the Wehrmacht, and proved Hitler incompetent. This is the single best book about that battle imaginable. show less

My suggestion that Ray Monk’s career as a biographer peaked with his first book on Wittgenstein and became progressively less interesting attracted some vigorous comment when I reviewed his book on Oppenheimer earlier in the year. So I am expecting more of the same in putting forward the same thesis about (the much more popular and widely read) Antony Beevor. This book is possibly the most riveting piece of history I think I have ever read, surely at least one of the very best books of military history ever. Coming to it again after 20 years, I feel exactly the same sense of excitement and drama as I did when I first read it. So, highly recommended. And whilst I might read Beevor’s book on Berlin next (which I think was also his show more next book after this one) I am not sure how much further I would go. In my reading of his more recent books I find that much of the subject matter is less interesting and sadly so is much of the writing. But do read this show less

The best book outlining a single battle that I have ever come across. Read it and it will haunt you. Be careful, seriously impactful and gave me nightmares. Few authors have ever been able to put forth the true horrors of war in a way that really hits home and even begins to hint at the unspeakable things that humans are able to sink to in combat.

Stalingrad is a contender for the single most brutal battle in all of human history. Imagine the Nazi war machine that had stormed across France, Belgium, Holland, North Africa, Norway, Yugoslavia, Greece, the western soviet states etc. suddenly coming to a grinding halt at this city on the Volga River. That war machine that was the bane of entire nations now found itself in a grinding fight show more for a tiny little strip of factories, homes, and warehouses right on the rivers edge. 600,000 German troops of the 6th army entered Stalingrad and something like 5,000 would ever make it home. And there's the countless numbers of soviet defenders who were hastily and wantonly thrown into the fray to die holding objectives that to our eyes seems so superficial; a house here, a grain elevator there.

By the end, the Nazis found themselves surrounded, choked off from supply or reinforcement. Stuck scratching out a living in the burned out shell of a city which they themselves had come to destroy. Most were frostbitten all over their bodies. Their skin took on a sickly greenish color from a lack of any sort of nutrition or sufficient amounts of water. All would be sick, wounded, in some stage of dying. The only orders they would receive would be to hold fast, to the last man, die where they stood.

Its impossible to comprehend but Beevor does it amazingly. You will never be able to hear mention of this battle again without shuddering.

(The Fall of Berlin by Antony beevor is this books logical sequel and is the same caliber.) show less

The taking, destruction and retaking of Stalingrad. I read this book always thinking 'how could men endure this hell for so long?' Absolutely horrific conditions - Russian winters, starvation, nearly zero medical support and brutality brought on by both sides against not just each other, but also over their own brothers in arms. Both sides setting up special battalions whose only job was to shoot their own team if they retreated. Hitler and Stalin locked in a game over taking a city one wanted as a trophy and the other couldn't bear losing his namesake. The cost? Just all the people (soldiers & civilians) on the board of their little game. To hell with your life, defend that ground until you have one bullet left to use on yourself. The show more only thing that mattered was neither wanted to lose face. show less

Excellent, detailed account of Stalingrad. While Beevor can be critical of the German Sixth Army commander Friedrich von Paulus, he also points that that he lacked vital information of what was happening outside his command after he had been cut off. Beevor is much more critical of Field Marshal Erich von Manstein for failing to ensure that his von Paulus had the information that needed. One very interesting difference between Hitler and Stalin is that while the Soviet dictator could be overbearing, impatient, unrealistic, and demanding of his generals, he also took their advice (no matter how reluctantly) and altered his plans. This made the difference.

A tour de force by Beevor, resulting in one of the best books I have read on war and the evil that men do. In the west, we tend to forget about how the Eastern Front was far bigger than the Western Front and more influential for the outcome of World War II. Beevor does extremely well in laying out the lead-up to Operation Barbarossa, the key figures involved, the German advance across Eastern Europe and then Stalingrad, the battle itself and (Warning: Spoiler alert) the German retreat.

My favourite part of "Stalingrad" is the very personal stories of the frontline soldiers that Beevor sources from letters and reports. Senior soldiers found comatose drunk near the front lines, defecting soldiers getting lost and, mistaking Russian show more officers for Germans, announcing his defection, and small orphaned children somehow surviving in the apocalyptic conditions of Stalingrad.

It's time to move on to read Beevor's "Berlin: The Downfall". show less

Very good book about a very bloody chapter of WW2. Starting from the initial German attack on Russia, initial successes and breakthroughs to finally settling on German 6th Army and attack on Stalingrad we follow deterioration of German military might and ever growing Soviet pressure that would start the major push westwards [that will end in Berlin itself].

Author shows the destruction Germans left in their wake, collusion between army and SS troops tasked with extermination of Slavs and creating the space for future German settlers and duplicity of German generals in these matters (Paulus and Manstein especially). All of this caused a very stubborn resistance (even suicidal in some areas) from Soviet Red Army and partisans troops. Not show more because they were fighting Germans as Germans but because they were fighting for the very survival. After initial heavy defeats it was clear what Germans had in mind for the entire country. Soviets weren't fighting for Stalinism as such, but organized around Stalin because he was the only rally point available. And it is not that Germans gave much other choice than to fight by tooth and nail.

Where author meanders and then stutters is unavoidable romantic depiction of German armies. This approach to history is a blot on historical cover of WW2 especially from western (and western influenced) countries. Germans by the end of the book are treated as defenders of Stalingrad (!) I mean what? And then there is cliche depiction of Soviets and Russians as ordinary peasants, always drinking, and always lacking something, led by merciless officers, sacrificing huge number of people to stop the Germans.
On the other side only Romanians are depicted as savages [even for their own troops], echo of very brutal feudal times. All other German allies that participated in this conflict - Hungarians, Austrians, contingents from area of Yugoslavia, even Slovaks (this surprised me a lot) - are always poetic souls (same as Germans) to the level it had me vomiting every so often.

What I find interesting is that in majority of books I read this idea that great Soviet casualties were not necessary. I am truly trying to figure out how they came to this conclusion - what was the other option? Surrender and vanish? Because when one fights for mere survival is it strange that drastic measures are used? They are bloody, but they worked - once front stabilized and industry was in full war footing, German armies were running back and at the end Germany was ruined. After Germans tried so much to touch, alter and end life of everyone in Soviet Union is it strange that Soviets decided to return the favor? Events that took place during German advancement were so final, literal point of no return, that to expect anything else but bloody revenge was wishful thinking (and Germans were aware of this).

Should we feel sorry for German army of WW2? No. They were treated in the same way they treated nations they conquered and brutalized during the 6 year period. They got what they deserved and it is truly sad that their ideals (and dehumanizing of the East) are again used and glorified in our times, 80 years later, not just by general propaganda but by the very German nation (that German sociologist/historian explaining on TV how Russians do not have same set of values as rest of Europe because they are Asian "mix" - bliiiimeeeeey! Disgusting).

Despite these shortcomings (which are to be honest shortcomings of majority of popular books in the western historical circles related to Eastern front (unfortunately more critical and objective books exist from 1960s but were never as popular as pro-German line)) book contains a lot of details on ordinary soldier's view of war and utter devastation of Stalingrad through available mail correspondence and diaries found on dead bodies after the major battles. This gives this very brutal theater of military operations a touch of humanity and shows how devastating war truly is (again something that was forgotten after these 80 years).

Recommended. show less