Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943
by Antony Beevor
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Book Reviews of Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943
Book Review: Brutal, Heroic, Tragic, Harrowing, and Mad
Summary: 5 Stars
As I read STALINGRAD: THE FATEFUL SIEGE, I tried to imagine the experience of the ordinary soldier on either side of this battle who was caught in this nightmare of death, brutality, starvation, lice, disease, war crimes, and ruinous or unscrupulous leadership. Surely, survivors were never the same afterwards.
Two aspects of this book were especially striking to me. First, it was fascinating to see how Hitler's meddling in German strategy continually put German troops in high risk positions. Operating on what we now call gut instincts, Hitler, the amateur, repeatedly ignored practical problems, such as logistics, while underestimating his enemy or overestimating the damage done to the Soviet military. Then, his senior staff failed to oppose or moderate his aggressive and unrealistic battle fantasies, acquiescing like toadies while the troops suffered.
Second, I was surprised to find my sympathies extend to the Nazi Sixth Army in the final quarter of the book. In Russia, these soldiers carried on racial warfare that was designed to depopulate the Ukraine for Nazi Lebensraum. And at Babi Yar near Kiev, the Nazis systematically machine-gunned 33,000 Jews in two days in September 1941. Yet 15 months later at Stalingrad:
"...heat did little more than stir their lice into activity and drive them wild with itching. They often slept two to a bunk with a blanket over their heads in a pathetic attempt to share body heat. The rodent population swelled rapidly on a diet of dead horses and humans. Out in the steppe, mice became voracious in their search for food. One soldier reported that mice `had eaten two of his frozen toes' while he was asleep."
A brutal story but highly recommended!
Book Review: Concise history of the great campaign and its aftermath
Summary: 5 Stars
Having read many works concerning Stalingrad, I suspect that we may be approaching the point where a definitive, detailed, multi-volume history of the great battle could be possible. Indeed, this should probably be attempted before the surviving veterans all pass on. That being said, this is a very acceptable single volume account of the Stalingrad campaign. It compares favorably with Craig's work, _Enemy at the Gates_.One of the strengths of Beevor's work is his view of the Russian side of the struggle. This is attained through access to now available Soviet archives. It is also attained through the greater willingness of Russian veterans to speak of their experiences without the distorting rhetoric often associated with The Great Patriotic War. The candid discussion of desertion and outright collaboration on the part of some Russian soldiers forms one of the most interesting aspects of this book. Likewise, the fate of approximately 85,000 German soldiers who entered Soviet captivity never to return is treated with even greater detail than that revealed by Craig. Again, I suspect that Beevor enjoyed access to records-- and candor-- that Craig and earlier writers did not.
While I do not completely agree with all of Beevor's conclusions, he makes a convincing case for the primary responsibility of Paulus for the destruction of the Sixth Army through failure to maintain an uncommitted panzer reserve in the late fall of 1942. This failure on the part of a commander is too often ignored in works which blame the destruction of the Sixth Army on Hitler's "stand fast" order and von Manstein's failure to send a "breakout" order.
Students of the campaign should add this volume to their library.
Book Review: Gripping read, but some gaps
Summary: 5 Stars
This is certainly a fantastic book, but it is only one of three books you need if you want to understand the Battle of Stalingrad. You must also buy these two exceptional books:A) Joel S. A. Hayward, "Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitlers Defeat in the East 1942-1943". This acclaimed book explains with an insightful and thorough way all of the German strategic decisions for the whole Stalingrad campaign, which went from June 1942 to March 1943. Serious scholars of Stalingrad MUST have Hayward's masterpice.
B) John Erickson, "The Road to Stalingrad: Stalin's War with Germany, Vol. 1". This equally acclaimed analysis explains the Soviet military and political decisions as well as all Soviet military operations, during the same period. It is also indispensible.
Now for what Beevor sets out to do (to portray the experiences and suffering of the sad conscripts on both sides who had to perform all the strategic moves that Hayward and Erickson explain) Beevor's book is a success. You may well feel as horrified as I did that the Soviet commanders were as ruthless with their own soldiers as the Nazis were with theirs. And the civilians caught in the middle suffered just as bad.
Some journalists and politicians have been recently saying that America 's war on Iraq or Afganistan could become another Stalingrad. What ignorant fools they are. If they only read Beevor's book they would know that no western nation, let alone the moderate America and United Kingdom, would maltreat their armed forces and force them to accept such high casualty rates. No way, Jose!
Get Beevor's book and the other two I mentioned and you have all bases covered in terms of understanding Stalingrad. These three are all great books.
Book Review: an easy read on a remarkable subject
Summary: 5 Stars
Personally, I loved this book. Beevor provides information about the war before Stalingrad which was very helpful, and th eknowledge contained within it was precise and remarkably in-depth. WIth day to day updates of numerous places at once, beevor allows th ereader to picture the entire confusing scene. He gives accounts of the plans and fears of both sides, showing no bias and simply weaving a brilliant narrative. The book talks about the tragedies of the city without emotion, presenting them as what they are; just a natural part of war. What I loved most about this book though is the personal touch that diary entries and letters give. While also knowing the troop movements of the entire Sixth Army, the reader is made aware of the mind-set and condition of the troops. WIth passages like " 'It's not an enticing picture out here, for far and wide there are no villages, no woodland, neither tree nor shrub, and not a drop of water,'" Beevor paints a bleak picture. He goes even further as winter strikes down upon the Axis, as one man writes home, " 'We survivors can hardly keep going owing to hunger and wekness.'" These passages provide more insight than any troop osition knowledge could. The tales of the macabre rations nad resultant mass hunger, the detailed description sof advnaced frostbite truly make the book a human story, not a strictly military one. The book is comprehensive and vivid, obviously the result of diligent research. However, those with just a passing interest may want to avoid this book, as they may get bogged down in the sometimes lengthy descriptions of confusing troop movements and other arbitrary information.Book Review: Good overview with defined lessons learned
Summary: 4 Stars
This book deals in sufficient detail with many of the most salient lessons learned from the battle of Stalingrad at the tactical, operational and strategic level. Any book of this length will not provide the finite level of detail that many historians may prefer in having the most concrete possible picture of the battle. However, when trying to learn about the relevance of Stalingrad at all levels, Beevor's book does shed light on critical decisions and concepts. Importantly, he illustrates these in a manner that demonstrates their continued relevance.As an active duty Army armor officer, I recommend vignettes from the book that provide a great deal of fruit for thought. He spends sufficient time discussing the effects of logistics on this battle. He gives a good account of the effects of destruction of the city prior to the commencement of the heaviest concentration of urban warfare and cites good examples of the negative effect this had on the Germans as the attackers at the tactical level. He provides a good description of the terrible casualties suffered by both sides. This is useful in teaching the difference between tactical and operational victory. He is one of the few historians who gives the Rumanian Army some credit during their battles to defend the 6th Army's flanks, 19-22 November 1942. He subsequently provides lessons about the importance of adjacent unit coordination which is so critical in maneuver warfare.
I feel the purpose of history is to teach, not to compile and provide data. Beevor succeeded. I recommend this book to all who want to learn the lessons of this great battle without making it their hobby.