Stalingrad

By Antony Beevor

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Average Rating: (See all 4 reviews) Format: Paperback, 493 pages Other Information: Illustrated Published In: United States, May 1999 Quantity Available: 6 Ships within 6-11 days This gripping history is the definitive account of the battle that shifted the tide of World War II, conveying the experience of soldiers on both sides as they fought in inhuman conditions, and of civilians trapped on an urban battlefield. of photos. National radio telephone tour. From The Publisher: Historians and reviewers worldwide have hailed Antony Beevor's magisterial Stalingrad as the definitive account of World War II"s most harrowing battle. In August 1942, Hitler's huge Sixth Army reached the city that bore Stalin's name. In the five month siege that followed, the Russians fought to hold Stalingrad at any cost, then caught their Nazi enemy in an astonishing reversal. As never before, Stalingrad conveys the experience of soldiers on both sides as they fought in inhuman conditions, and of civilians trapped on an urban battlefield. Antony Beevor has interviewed survivors and discovered completely new material in a wide range of German and Soviet archives, including reports of prisoner interrogations, desertions, and executions, The battle of Stalingrad was the psychological turning point of World War II; as Beevor makes clear, it also changed the face of modern warfare. As a story of cruelty, courage, and human suffering, Stalingrad is unprecedented and unforgettable. Publisher: Penguin Books ISBN: 0140284583 EAN: 9780140284584 Dimensions: 22.43 x 13.77 x 2.9 centimeters (0.48 kg)

A dreary and lackluster account of one of the most pivotal battles in WW2.
It gives the impression that Mr Beavor sat his team down with a table full of scraps of paper and said " Write a paragraph about each one" and then sent the lot to his poor long suffering editor.
I can tell you without spoilers that:
He feels sorry for Gen Paulus
He wants to blame FM von Manstein
The Russian style of totalitarianism is distasteful
The German soldier was a good sort.

A book that is easy to put down and hard to pick up again, it lacks technical detail or any human subtext. Frankly it comes across as a sort of a meat grinder recipe book ghost written for a mad chef.

Save your money

A sweeping, in-depth account of the battle, its beginnings and its ending.

A well written account of the German Axis push into USSR. It highlights the events of 1941 and provides a snap shot of the suffering of both axis and red army troops during their first winter 1941-42. The author provides historical accounts of the major battles and the strategies used by both combatents. The author balances these accounts with individual soldiers accounts and diary records which convey the success and despair during the campaign. The winter of 42-43 is wonderfully captured giving a raw account of the leadership styles of the Stalin & Hitler and how their actions translated to the live's of the soldier. At times the flow of the book can be a bit difficult, with accounts from both sides being overlaid which did result in some confusion. I would recommend Stalingrad by Beevor as one of the best books covering this part of WWII. 4/5

An excellent narrative of the events leading up to Stalingrad, the battle itself and the aftermath. Incredibly easy to read and it does not get bogged down with extremely technical military terms.