by Antony Beevor
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Product Description
This gripping history is the definitive account of the battle that shifted the tide of World War II.
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.
"A fantastic and sobering story . . . fully and authoritatively told." -Richard Bernstein, The New York Times
Amazon.com Review
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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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Never received item, 2009-01-06
I have never received this book so I cannot give a review except for the problem with delivery.
Evelyn Shows
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Great In-depth Analysis, 2008-10-03
A great in-depth analysis of the events and personalities that preceded, occurred during and resulted from the battle. I highly recommend this book.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Very accessible history, 2008-09-23
The battle at Stalingrad must count among the most grueling and spectacular events in military history. Beevor's narrative of the events leading up to and during those crucial months is compelling and provides just enough detail to paint a vivid picture without overwhelming the reader with excessive data. The grim images of this long winter struggle linger with the reader long after you have finished the book.
I highly recommend Beevor's history to anyone interested in the epic struggle of the last century.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
First Rate Analysis, 2008-09-21
If the reader of history wants to get a true idea of the scope of the disaster of Stalingrad, he must read this book. Excellent research on both the planning and issues at the General Staff level and the experiences of the soldiers in the trenches.
Highly recommended.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 How totalitarian dictatorships mishandle leadership, 2008-08-05
Matter-of-fact telling of a fantastic story--the double disaster of Stalingrad in during World War II, where the German army crushed the Russians (army and civilians alike) and drove them back into the destroyed city, then were themselves surrounded, besieged, and crushed by an encircling Russian force that cut them off from Germany and its supply lines.
Not always pleasant reading, but instructive in the way in which totalitarian dictatorships mishandle leadership.
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