Hitlers powerful army marched across the east, seemingly unstoppable to any force. The book also describes the ferocity and then kindness of red army troops. The climax, the grinding battle for stalingrad, leaves the red army poised for its majestic counteroffensive, operation uranus, discovering it had caught a tiger by. The road to stalingrad covers the germansoviet war from a mainly soviet perspective. Stalingrad was the biggest and bloodiest battle in the history of warfare. A new york times bestseller that brings to life one of the bloodiest battles of world war iiand the beginning of the end of the third reich. Roads to stalingrad is the first volume of the campaign commander series and depicts the campaign in southern russia from the summer of 1942 to the end of the winter of 1943. Military history books sometimes suffer from being a trawl through facts and figures which makes them a chore to read.
This won a new audience for the book, though the actual number of people who. Stalingrad strikes a good balance between presenting the facts whilst remaining readable. The epic battles fought at stalingrad and kursk were pivotal events in the war on the eastern front. But this book is long on personality and short on military strategy. The road to stalingrad by benno zieser nook book ebook. Stalingrad by jochen hellbeck translated by christopher. From antony beevor, the internationally bestselling author of dday and the battle of arnhem. Abdulins red road from stalingrad is a good descriptive account of the terrible carnage on the russian front during ww ii. Never again would it regain the initiative against the seemingly inexhaustible forces of the red army. List of books and articles about battle of stalingrad.
Stalins red army was caught completely off guard and their lines were completely broken apart. The english paperback version was published by penguin books in 1999 antony beevor, stalingrad viking 1998 isbn 0140249850 paperback and isbn 0670870951 hardcover. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Heritage imagesgetty images i n september 1942 the german high command announced that the city of stalingrad had fallen. Pushing forward through the southern steppes aiming to capture the vital caucasian oil fields, before being caught up in some of the most vicious street fighting known in military history, the german 6th army was bled white and ultimately destroyed. Red road from stalingrad, recollections of a soviet infantryman. This authoritative book by a firstclass military historian is easily read. Mansur abdulin volunteered to fight for the red army in 1942. Red road from stalingrad is a war memoir written by mansur abdulin, published in russian in 1991 and in english in 2004. The author is a fascinating individual, identifying himself as a communist, a muslim, a tartar, and a. Vasily grossman with the red army in schwerin, germany, 1945. It is generally about the eastern front war but gives a lot of detail about the street fighting in stalingrad. As a transshipment point, the port handles oil, coal, ore, lumber, and fish.
This dense volume illuminates the tragedies and triumphs of stalins war machine from the outbreak of barbarossa on june 22, 1941 until the victory of the red army at stalingrad in early 1943. The battle of stalingrad sealed the fate of nazi germany, transformed the soviet home front into the front lines, and created a narrative that sustained the soviet union for a half century. After completing his course at the tashkent infantry school, he fought on the stalingrad front, during the encirclement of the german 6th army, participated in the bitter, decisive battle at kursk and harried the germans as they retreated across the steppes to the banks of the dnieper river. His vivid inside view of a ruthless war on the eastern front gives a rare insight into the reality of the fighting and into the tactics and mentality of the soviet army. Hayward most accounts of the battle of stalingrad have focused on the dismal fate of the german army. Seventy years ago today hitlers armies at stalingrad surrendered after 200 days of the most savage fighting.
Vasily grossman with the red army in germany, 1945. I am looking for a good book on the russian front of wwii. After a terrible first winter in russia, the german troops reorganized and readied themselves to launch the offensive to end the war. Abdulin joined the division while it was rebuilding in buzuluk in the late summer of 1942, and he served for about a year, until he was. The road to stalingrad is a shattering eyewitness account of that lost battlewritten by a survivor. The road to stalingrad by john erickson books hachette australia. The first of two volumes in john ericksons monumental history of the sovietgerman war. John erickson frse fba frsa 17 april 1929 in south shields 10 february 2002 in edinburgh was a british historian and defence expert who wrote extensively on the second world war. In it, abdulin recounts his service in the 293rd rifle division, which became the 66th guards rifle division, in 194243.
Antony beevor leads up to the events at stalingrad with some background to the siege and its aftermath. By day it is an enormous cloud of burning, blinding smoke. You get to read how the soviet army was unprepared for the war that hit them on june 22nd, 1941. The road to stalingrad by john erickson, 9780300078121, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
There were a number of books covering a wider focus which, nonetheless, contained valuable info for various scn. Moscow war diary in 1942 leningrad in 1944 established werth, himself halfrussian, as one of the liveliest journalists writing on the subject of russia today. The outstanding book on the soviet war in any language. Originally published in 1975, firmly during the cold war era, the road to stalingrad filled a gap by being the first uk history of the russian front to focus. Both the above mentioned stalingrads are excellent. Volgograd is also a major rail center, with connections to moscow, the donets basin, the caucasus, and sw siberia. It is a memoir from the soviet side of wwii on the eastern front. This volume is one of a series that chronicles the rise and eventual fall of nazi germany. More than probably any other book, this one captures the raw horror of war. The battle for normandy prix henry malherbe and the rusi westminster medal, the second world war, ardennes. In this first volume of john ericksons monumental history of the grueling sovietgerman war of 19411945, the author takes us from the preinvasion soviet union, with its inept command structures and strategic delusions, to the humiliating retreats of soviet armies before the barbarossa onslaught, to the climactic, grinding battle for stalingrad that left the red army. Abdulin started his book with brief accounts of his childhood. There are several very good books about stalingrad.
The author was a siberian miner who served as a mortarman in the soviet infantry in 1942 and 1943. Mansur abdulin fought in the front ranks of the soviet inf. Abdulin joined the division while it was rebuilding in buzuluk in the late summer of 1942, and he served for about a year, until he was severely wounded in. The germans however hit them before they were ready. What is the definitive book on the wwii battle of stalingrad. The battle and the resistance runciman prize, stalingrad samuel johnson prize, wolfson prize for history and hawthornden prize, berlin. Stalingrad was published in the philippines under the title of stalingrad. His two bestknown books the road to stalingrad and the road to berlin dealt with the soviet response to the german invasion of the soviet union, covering the period from 1941 to 1945. People literally freezing in the streets, and melting the glue off of book spines to eat it like candy bars for precious protein, or kidnapping and butchering children for food, or hell, the main plot itself. February 2 marks the 75th anniversary of the german surrender at stalingrad. British politics and the second world war by addison, paul and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Road to stalingrad third reich book by timelife books. Since reading william craigs 1973 classic enemy at the gates ive always been fascinated with the eastern front due to the massive scope of carnage and attrition seen in this theater of world war ii. We started using anthony beevors stalingrad which is very good, but we also found john ericksons road to stalingrad very good as well.
He picks the most telling time period, from the soviet leaderships first awareness of the german war threat in 1935when tukachevskys demand for preparatory war games was vetoed by. While the fivemonth battle remains a symbol of world war ii, its practical importance to defeating the nazis deserves more attention. But the roots of the battle of stalingrad all began in 1941 when hitler launched operation barbarossa. The luftwaffe and hitlers defeat in the east, 19421943 modern war studies by joel s. Abdulin was clear that war is not the fantasy world of arm chair patriots who glorify war but never enlist to take the risks. Benno zieser was drafted at the age of nineteen and fought in the infantry at stalingrad. The obscure war memoir red road from stalingrad is a great supplement for anyone interested in the conflict known as the great patriotic war in russia and the former soviet republics.
After the catastrophic failure of the german offensives of 1942 and 1943, the wehrmacht was forced onto the defensive. Contact info casemate publishers 1950 lawrence road havertown pa 19083 t. If there is only one book on stalingrad that you want to read, then i would suggest enemy at the gates by craig. Recollections of a soviet infantryman abdulin, mansur, drabkin, artem on. Abdulins book gives vivid descriptions of carnage and death in actual total war. Stalingrad author anthony beevor speaks out over ukraine book ban.
With stalingrad this was not possible, as there was just so much information. The road to 1945 by addison abebooks shop for books. The battle of stalingrad was not only the psychological turning point of world war ii. Antony beevor is the renowned author of stalingrad, which won the samuel johnson prize, the wolfson prize for history and the hawthornden prize for literature, and berlin, which received the first longmanhistory today trustees award.
Recollections of a soviet infantryman view larger image. The road to stalingrad by john erickson books hachette. In the road to stalingrad john erickson takes us in detail from the inept command structures and strategic delusions of the preinvasion soviet union, through the humiliations as her armies fell back on all fronts before the barbarossa onslaught, until the tide turned at last in stalingrad. The fateful siege 194243, and has been translated into 18 languages. Reflections of a soviet infantryman stackpole military. Mansur abdulin fought in the front ranks of the soviet infantry against the german invaders at stalingrad, kursk and on the banks of the dnieper. A firstrate work by a british expert on soviet military affairs. Marvin kalb, former chief diplomatic correspondent for cbs and nbc news, explores why one president after another, fromtruman to obama, has sidestepped declarations of war. The obscure war memoir red road from stalingrad is a great supplement for anyone interested in the conflict known as the great patriotic war in russia and the former. On august 5, 1942, giant pillars of dust rose over the russian steppe, marking the advance of the 6th army, an elite german combat unit dispatched by hitler to capture the industrial city of stalingrad and press on to the oil fields of azerbaijan.
In the fivemonth siege that followed, the russians fought to hold. The road to stalingrad cassell military paperbacks. John ericksons the road to stalingrad is a meticulously written, detail rich work of military history. The battle of stalingrad by turning point simulations the players aid duration. In august 1942, hitlers huge sixth army reached the city that bore stalins name. And when night arrives, one of those scorching howling bleeding nights, the dogs plunge into the volga and swim desperately to gain the other bank. Road to destruction offers a unique visual insight into the climactic battle of stalingrad during the autumn and winter of 194243. Erickson investigates the nature of command decisions, the character of economic performancethe overall soviet style of war. Buy a cheap copy of road to stalingrad third reich book by timelife books. It was in transition to a new organization that would make it more suitable for modern conflict. In this book he tells of his first naive enthusiasmthen the. Now comes a third panel in his view of russia at war, a closeup, very personal record of the year of stalingrad a year which saw the war at a turning point, with the soviet bearing the brunt, with supplies only.
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