Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943
by Antony Beevor
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Book Summary Information
Author: Antony BeevorEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1999-05-01
ISBN: 0140284583
Number of pages: 560
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943
Book Review: An Evocative, Brilliant History of Stalingrad
Summary: 4 Stars
Beevor's Stalingrad is a powerful history of one of the biggest battles in history. He writes in a clear and logical way that reveals the full horror and tragedy of Stalingrad. His work strives to understand the human element and suffering on both sides of the battle and simultaneously effectively lays out the strategic and tactical elements of the commanders and the sheer insanity of Stalin and Hitler. His empathetic look at the conditions of the German soldiers and POWs in the final chapters of the book is a powerful reminder that war is not about valour and bravery but about death and suffering. And death and suffering is not only reserved for the losers, but also the victors as Beevor also explores the suffering of the Russians and their tremendous sacrifice.
Beevor begins his narrative at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa and the German progress to the gates of Moscow in the winter of 1941. He then follows the German retreat from Moscow and explores the rationale and the initial strategic goals of Operation Blue, the German plan to take over the oil fields in the Caucasus. He is quick to point out that the initial strategic goal of Operation Blue was not to hold Stalingrad but to destroy the manufacturing in the city and then aim for the oil fields. Beevor follows the rapid progression of the German Sixth Army across the Russian Steppe, over the River Don, to the gates of Stalingrad. He then documents in detail the defence of the city and the Russian struggle to prevent the Germans from crossing the Volga. Beevor then follows the Russian plan to liberate the city with Operation Uranus and Operation Little Saturn.
The power of Beevor's history is not the tactical and strategic understanding of the Battle of Stalingrad, but rather the human element involved. Beevor does not spare us from the details of the suffering and bravery on either side of the conflict, and the sheer cruelty and recklessness of the officers and the leaders involved. One of the most poignant anecdotes is the story of how a group of young Russian soldiers were sent out against a Panzer division without a single weapon between them. Of course their officer was drunk. The sheer reckless waste of life on the part of the Russians is shocking. And the willingness of Hitler and Stalin is a strong reminder of the folly of dictatorships and the abuse of power. Beevor is right to blame a lot of the wasted life on the shoulders of the leaders.
Beevor does try to help the reader understand the perspective of the soldiers on the ground and their undying faith in their leaders (although not all of them had the same belief as many betrayed their country and were executed). Even when all hope was lost, the German soldiers still believed in Hitler's promise that they would be saved and that a rescue was imminent. Even when Hitler was planning to sacrifice them as their was no realistic hope of victory.
Beevor also has strong opinions about the unimaginative and non-proactive approach the German Commander Paulus. He argues powerfully that Paulus was a good staff officer but not a battle group commander and squarely lays the blame on his shoulders for not preparing better when the Germans were being surrounded by the Russians. Beevor argues that Paulus should have prepared a Panzer division to enable them to breakout from the encirclement and should have been willing to disobey Hitler and breakout before it was too late. Beevor argues that Paulus would follow commands but never take the initiative to lead. It should be said however that Beevor redeems Paulus at the end when he argues that Paulus agreed to sign Soviet propaganda to encourage German soldiers to surrender so as to prevent the wasteful loss of life in a lost cause at the end of the War.
Still Beevor's most compelling writing is describing the hospital conditions and the suffering of the German's and Russians after the surrender of Stalingrad. His haunting descriptions of the hospitals, the hunger, the louse ridden bodies, the typhus, the dysentery and death by starvation among other things are powerful descriptions of what these men had to face. Of course the officers in the German command were given luxury quarters, but the grunts on the ground were sent off on cruel death marches into ill equipped, badly run prison camps. Yet Beevor does acknowledge that some Russians did help the Germans when they could.
Although Beevor looks at the long term implications of Stalingrad, I feel he rushed it at the end and that the far reaching implications of this battle could have been explored in greater depth, their effect on the German military, its implications for the fall of the Third Reich and the separation of Europe. I felt he kind of rushed the ending and that he could've added a little more. Despite this, it is a stunning book.
Stalingrad is a top-class laymen's history of an epic and important battle in World War 2. It turned the tide and the fortunes of the Allies and started the mighty push back of the Third Reich. It is worth the read, especially if you are interested in the Eastern Front and are looking for a beginner book on the topic. I do highly recommend Beevor's history and hope that no one ever has to go through such a horror ever again, but I do believe that is an idealistic and naïve hope.
Summary of Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943
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.
Hitler made two fundamental and crippling mistakes during the Second World War: The first was his whimsical belief that the United Kingdom would eventually become his ally, which delayed his decision to launch a major invasion of Britain, whose army was unprepared for the force of blitzkrieg warfare. The second was the ill-conceived Operation Barbarossa--an invasion of Russia that was supposed to take the German army to the gates of Moscow. Antony Beevor's thoughtfully researched compendium recalls this epic struggle for Stalingrad. No one, least of all the Germans, could foretell the deep well of Soviet resolve that would become the foundation of the Red Army; Russia, the Germans believed, would fall as swiftly as France and Poland. The ill-prepared Nazi forces were trapped in a bloody war of attrition against the Russian behemoth, which held them in the pit of Stalingrad for nearly two years. Beevor points out that the Russians were by no means ready for the war either, making their stand even more remarkable; Soviet intelligence spent as much time spying on its own forces--in fear of desertion, treachery, and incompetence--as they did on the Nazis. Due attention is also given to the points of view of the soldiers and generals of both forces, from the sickening battles to life in the gulags.
Many believe Stalingrad to be the turning point of the war. The Nazi war machine proved to be fallible as it spread itself too thin for a cause that was born more from arrogance than practicality. The Germans never recovered, and its weakened defenses were no match for the Allied invasion of 1944. We know little of what took place in Stalingrad or its overall significance, leading Beevor to humbly admit that "[t]he Battle of Stalingrad remains such an ideologically charged and symbolically important subject that the last word will not be heard for many years." This is true. But this gripping account should become the standard work against which all others should measure themselves. --Jeremy Storey
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