Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943
by Antony Beevor
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Book Reviews of Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943
Book Review: A decisive account of a decisive WWII battle...
Summary: 5 Stars
The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most important battles of WWII and Antony Beevor does a wonderful job in bringing it to life. Beevor weaves all of the numerous letters, memoirs and unit histories together to paint a very clear picture for the reader and to make you feel as though you were hearing this from someone who fought in the battle.
Stalingrad is a narrative history, so as such you are going to find some elements that are reliant on the trustworthiness of the author. With this I have little doubt in how Beevor depicted the scenes and dialogue of the primary cast of characters. This is the primary complaint of narrative history, that what is being depicted is somehow misleading or misguided. With Stalingrad I did not doubt, I did not become suspicious of motives or prejudices. Instead I read greedily how Stalin or Hitler would have responded to a particular incident, or in the way that Paulus or Zhukov would have responded. The meat of the history is created by using the memoirs and letters of those who were present. So when Beevor quotes Hitler, he is quoting the person who was present and that was what they had recollected of that meeting. Knowing this allows you to accept the fact that Beevor isn't making up dialogue. What he does do, and must do in order to make a narrative history work, is to use his knowledge of the time and the background of the specific person in order to inject how they would have delivered the quote. As I said, I trust completely in Beevor's knowledge of WWII and accept this narrative history as fact.
The actual battle is well covered from both the German and Soviet unit histories in order to paint the how and why the German's were successful at first and then, ultimately, were encircled and destroyed. The vignettes of minor players, in addition to the mini bios of the major leaders of both armies, add a lot to the flavor and depth of this account of the fateful battle. I couldn't help but greedily read on in order to understand a lot of the little facts of the war, such as lice, clothing, beliefs along with the more major aspects of Hitler's unrealistic view of the battle, or of the unrelenting cold, the absolute ruthless way that the soldiers were treated on both sides, by their own men as soldiers or as captured prisoners.
If you are looking for a great book about a life on the Eastern Front of WWII or a battle between such powerful armies, than look no further. Stalingrad is definitely one of my favorite WWII books, if not in history altogether. A definite recommend.
5 stars.
Book Review: Alot of good information
Summary: 4 Stars
This part about the book leading up to Stalingrad was a little slow and disjointed. However, the descriptions of the people and tactics of this fateful battle are definately worth the time and money. One of the most important turning points, not only in military history, but in the history of the 20th Century, the Wehrmacht found itself mired in a desperate struggle for a secondary target of only symbolic value.
Beevor, unlike propagandists for either side, objectively examines the events and the people and how they demonstrated a combination of courage, cowardice and despair. Looking at the soldiers as real people, not just pawns in a global battle of attrition, Beevor adds a human element to this monumental struggle that is very appealing.
This battle was unintended but important. The German goal of acquiring the oil fields of the Caucuses required the protection of a long flank along the Don and Volga rivers. Stalingrad on the Volga was the most important linchpin in that flank and the failure of the Germans to capture and hold this city changed the course of events on the eastern front.
The ingenuity and tenacity of the Russian defense in ruins of Stalingrad gave the Red Army the confidence that they could defeat the Wehrmacht. This alone made the victory in Stalingrad vitally important. The counterattact along the Don and Volga and the encirclement of the German 6th and most of the 4th Panzer Army changed the fortunes on the eastern front for good. Beevor's finely crafted book tells a story that is compelling on many levels. It examines the motives and the tactics of both parties to this struggle in excellent detail.
Tremendous thanks should be given to Beevor for putting together this timely book. As the WWII generation ages and passes away, any information that can be gleamed from the survivors of this terrible conflict is extremely valuable. The events at Stalingrad had global impacts that influence us today.
If the Soviets had not acheived what they did on the eastern front, many of us Americans would have never been born, because our progenitors would have died fighting back the same troops that Soviet troops defeated. We owe the courage and determination of the brave soldiers of the 62nd and 64th armies, as well as the counterattacking Russian forces that doomed the German Wehrmacht along the Volga. Thanks to Beevor for telling this story so well.
I welcome feedback on this and all reviews at wstrnlibwarrior@yahoo.com
Book Review: Blood, ice, lice, brutality, corpses and heroism
Summary: 4 Stars
Several months ago, I reviewed (5 stars) a novel entitled WAR OF THE RATS, ostensibly based on the factual battlefield achievements of the real-life, Soviet Army master sniper, Vasily Zaitsev, during the German siege of Stalingrad during World War II. Wishing to learn more about this horrific struggle, I sought out this book, STALINGRAD, a narrative history of the fight authored by Antony Beevor.STALINGRAD begins, as it must, on June 21, 1941 with the launching of Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union by three Army Groups - North, Center and South. Beevor first summarizes from a wide perspective Army Group Center's attack on, and repulse from, Moscow, and Army Group South's surge towards the Volga River and the Caucasus Mountains. Then, the focus is narrowed onto the Sixth Army's and Fourth Panzer Army's drive to Stalingrad and the Volga in the summer of `42. The last three-quarters of the volume then limits itself to the Stalingrad siege, the Soviet counterattack on, and encirclement of, the Sixth and Fourth Panzer armies, their subsequent subjugation, and, finally, the fate of the 91,000 Germans taken prisoner. The main characters of the drama are all brought onto the stage: Hitler, Paulus, Schmidt, von Richthofen, Stalin, Zhukov, Yeremenko, Chuikov, and Rokossovsky.
This is a very reader-friendly account for the simple reason that the author supplies enough information, including maps, to keep the narrative moving along without getting bogged down in the minutiae of minor troop movements and a superabundance of unit designations. He's also included (in the paperback edition) two adequate sections of photographs - always a much appreciated touch. The volume met, if not exceeded, my expectations, and I learned a lot.
During the Siege, there was desperate heroism on both sides. But, it was also war at its most brutal in ways too many to recount. I shall finish with two excerpts, both regarding war prisoners, first from the Russian viewpoint, then the German.
" `When the (German) retreat started on 20 November, we (Soviet POWs) were put instead of horses to drag the carts loaded with ammunition and food. Those prisoners who could not drag the carts as quickly as the Feldwebel wanted were shot on the spot. In this way we were forced to pull the carts for four days, almost without any rest.' "
"Anger at the (prison camp) conditions led to (German) prisoners scraping handfuls of lice off their own bodies and throwing them at their (Soviet) guards. Such protests provoked summary execution."
Book Review: Death in Der Kessel
Summary: 5 Stars
As I read this book I kept wondering how it was possible that I had never heard of Mr. Beevor before, this is an outstanding piece of work. This book is a gritty no holds barred description of close quarters combat. A preliminary military sitrep of the eastern front is included but the strong suit of this book involves descriptions so vivid that you may find yourself scratching (I did) itches as you read about the lice and other vermin in the shattered city. Trained dogs carrying anti-tank charges, sniper battles, front line taunting, hunger, suicide, bravery, desertion (by both sides), punishment battalions re-supply attempts via the Luftwaffe are a sampling of topics covered. Mr. Beevors describes the strength and weakness of the weapons employed by both side, for example noting that the anti-tank cannon (PAK 37) used by the Wehrmacht and it's allies was so ineffective against the Soviet T-34 tank that it was refered to as the "door knocker". The Panzerwaffe firefights with Soviet women anti-aircraft gunners on the outskirts of Stalingrad in the fall of 1942 shocked the Germans as to the degree of fanatic defensive efforts the Soviets were going to employ in this battle. The city became symbolic in the battle of wills between Hitler and Stalin, each drew a line in the sand at this place, unfortunately for the 6th Army, Stalingrad became their burial ground. This book contains easy to understand maps and (paperback version) two sections of photos. The book offers a very close look Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus' dilemma between obeying orders and looking out for the well-being of the 6th Army. This battle was not lost by the soldiers of the Wehrmacht in Russia but rather by the Nazis in Berlin afraid to enlighten Hitler (the truth would have made no difference anyway) as to the real condition of the trapped army and offering false assurances that air dropped supplies could keep the force alive until rescue. This book offers a very graphic description of what happened to the 6th Army after the fighting ended, following the suvivors fates which more than often were short and violent. This book has some of the most intense accounts of urban combat that I have ever read, also some interesting quotes and observations, for example Paulus saying "I have no intention of shooting myself for that Bohemian corporal" or a Soviet officer yelling to a group of German POWs amid the ruins and carnage around them "that is how Berlin is going to look".Book Review: All history should read like this
Summary: 4 Stars
I cannot comment on the historical accuracy of this book (e.g., whether it presents a conventional or more radical interpretation of particular events), nor can I compare it with other books on the siege of Stalingrad.That aside, I can recommend this book to anyone seeking a well-written view of what has to be one of the biggest military losses in contemporary history. Aside from descriptions of troop movements, officers' meetings, close-range combat, and all the other things you might except from a battle history, Beevor also intersperses it with material from interviews with survivors, as well as diary fragments and quotes from letters home. The result is a horrifying, in-depth view into what the battle was like for those fighting it, rather than an analysis of anonymous divisions.
I greatly appreciated the human face put on German soldiers. While never ceasing to condemn the brutality of the Nazi regime, "Stalingrad" also reminds us that a large proportion of the army (perhaps even the majority, though I know too little about history to say that - it's just the sense I get from the book) were not rabid, anti-Semitic Nazis (or even members of the party), but human soldiers - and all that implies. In other words, capable of suffering and inflicting suffering (both of which they did in great amounts), capable of giving and accepting mercy (both of which they did in amounts surprising to one accustomed to the all-Germans-evil-people view of WWII).
But the clearest thing I gleaned from this book was the utter perverse, double-edged miracle of it all: The first "miracle:" that Hitler's army's managed to defeat anything at all, considering Hitler's poor military strategies coupled with his obsession with controlling all troop movements from afar and his inability to take advice. The second: the defense of Stalingrad (and the Soviet Union in general), considering Stalin's overbearing impatience and the utter brutality of the Soviet regime. For example, early in the battle for Stalingrad, a secondary line of soldiers was positioned behind the front line, except these were security agency members, and their job was to shot (!?!?) anyone thought to be retreating, In the early weeks of the battle, Stalin provided Hitler with stiff competition for who could kill the most Soviet soldiers.
"War is hell" goes the cliché, and this book shows that, in this particular case especially, we can add to that: "War is [unbelievably stupid, unnecessary] hell."