Introduction; Part I. Strategic Plans and Theoretical Conceptions for War against the Soviet Union: 1. Fighting the bear; 2. The gathering storm; 3. Barbarossa's sword - Hitler's armed forces in 1941; 4. The advent of war; Part II. The Military Campaign and the July/August Crisis of 1941: 5. Awakening the bear; 6. The perilous advance to the east; 7. The Battle of Smolensk; 8. The attrition of Army Group Centre; 9. In search of resurgence; 10. Showdown; Conclusion.
This book is an important reassessment of the failure of Germany's 1941 campaign against the Soviet Union.
David Stahel is an independent researcher based in Berlin.
'… thought-provoking and valuable. It dispels any illusions that
the first months of Operation Barbarossa were a pushover for the
Wehrmacht; Stahel documents in detail, from German war diaries and
letters, the heavy fighting and the high casualties.' Evan
Mawdsley, The English Historical Review
'… a thoroughly researched, comprehensive, and convincing analysis
of Barbarossa … Any still-lingering notions of a German 'genius for
war', as opposed to skill in some aspects of warmaking, is unlikely
to survive this intellectually-disciplined, archivally-documented
analysis of one of history's most misbegotten, mistakenly executed
campaigns.' Dennis Showalter, Journal of Military History
'Stahel paints a convincing portrait of a Germany army whose shape
edge was already well into the process of being blunted during the
first weeks of the fighting … This is a serious book and a welcome
contribution to the military debate over Operation Barbarossa, a
debate that has largely been carried out in the 'English speaking
world' up till now.' Robert M. Citino, Central European History
'The author's research is impressive … Stahel's clearly written and
accessible account convincingly questions the competency of the
German planning for Barbarossa … all will profit from reading this
fine work.' Howard D. Grier, The Journal of Modern History
'Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East will
undoubtedly stand as a standard work on the first phase of
Operation Barbarossa for a long time to come … The staggering
amount of detail offered ensures this is an invaluable addition to
Eastern Front literature and Operation Barbarossa in particular.'
Yan Mann, Global War Studies
'… a thrilling book that no military historian can afford to
ignore.' German History
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