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Summary: The Definitive Study of the Seige At Stalingrad!
Review: Ask any serious student of World War Two about the tide that turned the European theater of the war, and two momentous battles immediately come to mind; the first, the Battle of the Bulge, because it was in many ways both the American army's finest moment and at the same time the ruin of any hope for winning the war by Hitler. Second, of course, is Stalingrad, the epic battle smashing Hitler's planned empire comprised by the heartland of the Ukraine to smithereens and demonstrated how fatefully Hitler had underestimated the capabilities & indomitable spirit of the Soviet army. In an extremely well written book, Antony Beevor offers a definitive history of the siege & battles of Stalingrad. As the author argues from the beginning, Operation Barbarossa was fatally flawed from the outset because of its underestimation of the capability, size, and resolve of the Russian forces massed against Germany. Yet, based on all the information Hitler had at hand, and considering his handy defeat of everything anyone else had thrown at him, he had every reasonable expectation that the Russian campaign would be yet another blitzkrieg success, and that the Soviet army that had been handily whipped into an embarrassing stalemate by the much smaller Finn army the year before would fall like so many candlepins when hit by the bowling ball of the Wehrmacht strike force, some two million men strong. In fact, as Beevor points out, the Soviets were indeed woefully unprepared to face the German onslaught, both because of ineptitude and due to the wide-ranging military purges Stalin had perpetrated on the officer corps of the Russian army. Based on the initial success of the operation, many German soldiers believed the fight for Russia had been won by late autumn, until the tide began to show signs that there was still too much active resistance to hold with that idea. Yet the Germans continued to enjoy success and drive even deeper into the Soviet heartland, murdering, raping, and destroying everything and everyone in their path as they went. Suddenly winter settled in, and as it did, more changed abut the campaign than just the brutally cold and snowy weather condition they now had to contend with. Soviet forces began to take more offensive action, and nowhere was this change more noticeable than in the key southern area around Stalingrad, where German forces were dangerously over-extended and under-supplied. The battle for Stalingrad was long and drawn out, lasting almost two years. Hitler's mistake was in allowing himself and his forces to be drawn into a devastating war of attrition, one that had murderous numbers of casualties on both sides. This book reveals it all, from the strategic match poof the century between Hitler and Stalin, to the blow-by-blow account of how egomaniacal General Paulus, the Wehrmacht's most impressive 'man of destiny' foolishly allowed his troops to be slowly drawn into what would become one of the biggest and most costly traps in modern battle. He uses an immensely documented and researched body of data to marshal a formidable argument that in choosing to stay and fight at Stalingrad, Hitler made critical mistakes that would directly lead to his defeat all along the Eastern front, and therefore eventually lose the war. This is one of the best books on the war along the Eastern fronts, and likely the single best book on Stalingrad yet written. Beevor's style is compelling, entertaining, and quite literate, and the reader will find himself transported effortlessly into the bloody, cold and wintry montage the author conjures for him again and again. This, then, is a wonderful, magisterial, and authoritative look at one of the most momentous battles of modern warfare, told with presence, style, and verve by an important modern historian.
Rating: 
Summary: No happy ending
Review: This is an excellent account of the events leading up to the German army's biggest and most bitter defeat - the avoidable abandonment and slow death of an entire division at Stalingrad, a kind of Nazi Vietnam, although the well-chosen photographs could be of Kosovo, or any armoured conflict anywhere. Not so much an account of history as a vivid portrait of a nightmare hell, 'Stalingrad' conveys the madness of a campaign in which Russian deserters fought for the Germans, German deserters fought for the Russians - a campaign in which those fighting had the choice of dying by enemy fire, or by a bullet in the head from a morale officer - a campaign in which the German army repeatedly smashed the hopelessly-led Russian forces, and still lost. The sorry tale is run through with a horrible sense of inevitability - anybody with a little WW2 knowledge knows how it all turned out, and the way that the pieces fall into place make you want to warn the people involved, somehow. By the time the German army is surrounded in the broken ruins of a frozen city, with the nearest help being increasingly fought all the way back to Germany, and supplies running low, whilst at home Hitler orders them to stand, fight and die, you will have learned a lot about human nature. The lengthy battle itself was brutal and drawn-out, and the aftermath was not at all pretty - captured German wounded were simply executed, with the remaining soldiers being marched to death. Those who survived often faced a future in a communist East Germany that didn't really want them, or imprisonment - the thought of the German officers languishing in prison until well into the era of rock-and-roll seems jarring and odd. Also of note is a decent film on the subject, 'Stalingrad', produced by many of the same team responsible for 'Das Boot'.
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Summary: 5++++ a direct hit
Review: The first myth uncovered by beevor is the one that all germans were not nazis but the majority were plain soldiers fighting not for a fascist regime, but a quick way home. With excellent detail, beevor takes our hand through every level of command. From The wolfsschanze to the the front lines. You cannot discount this book simply because one side recieves more or less attention than the other. This is a gripping overview both tactically and historically that should be used as a reference for any history student or career soldier. Beevor excels in telling that war is not only bullets and grenades but also of frightened men who fight not for their country but for their trench partner.
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Summary: A well-written account of this infamous battle.
Review: For history lovers everywhere, Stalingrad will not disappoint. I especially enjoyed the graphic details of the hardships of soldiers, both Germans and Russians, and marveled at the style in which Antony Beever was able to portray this information. Citing from genuine eye-witness accounts, confiscated letters and various historical documents, Beever is able to come up with a grinding tale of life during the siege of Stalingrad. Accurate insistence on detail completes a stunning portrait of this most horrific battle, and the page by page drama unfolds into an epic chronicle that could not be told in a better way. Stalingrad is easily depicted as the taproot of the turning point of World War II history. I highly recommend this novel.
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Summary: Death in Der Kessel
Review: 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".
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Summary: Great, except...
Review: This book is great, except for two mildly annoying flaws: (1) The author often refers to "197th Infantry Division" or "33rd Engineer Corps" or whatever, without saying which side they're on (e.g. "the Russian 197th Infantry Division"). You can usually figure it out from context, but it's annoying. (2) The author often says things like "the 82nd Panzer Corps was depleted down to little more than a division's worth of tanks". Sentences like this assume that the reader has some idea how many tanks are supposed to be in a corps, and how many in a division. Other than those two things, the book was terrific.
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Summary: As good as a history book can be
Review: This book was a very enteresting read that I only yawned during because of how long i stayed up reading it. It had fantastic detail, and mostly it went in depth to what it was like as everybody from a Russian peasant to a private to Stalin and Hitler themselves.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Study, But.....
Review: Mr. Beevor does a great job of telling the human side of this great conflict. His treatment of the letters home, plight of the "Hiwis" and POWs is extraordinary. But I feel as though things of great significance are left out of the book. The tactics and detail of the street fighting are given short shift. The main strategy behind the Nazi push south was the oil fields. Did they ever get there? Did anybody try to convince Hitler to leave Stalingrad and push toward what the war machine needed (fuel)? A good, if somewhat depressing, read. If you like the human side, you'll enjoy this. If you want tactics, search elsewhere.
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Summary: Death Tango on the Volga.......
Review: General Mud, General Snow and General Distance, the major non-military tactics, and the nemises of Stalingrad are brought vividly alive in this engrossing historical epic on the German invasion of Russia during World War 2. Beevor's writing is compelling and personal - putting the reader right into the throes of the hell that was Stalingrad. Until the Russian invasion German had experienced the role of victor in their conquests of the rest of Europe. The Russian campaign was total war with no mercy spared by either of the two conflicting ideologies. Beevor's book makes you the German NCO and you can literally feel the body lice that became their emanciated bodies constant companions. This is an absolute essential read for any WW2 student.
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Summary: A Gripping, Well-Told Story
Review: I've read several accounts of Stalingrad and for me this was the best. Beevor gives you the necessary strategic events and context, but his main purpose is to present the battle from the grunts' view and he succeeds marvelously. His description, for example, of the first encounter and conversations between Germans and Russians when the latter arrive ostensibly to seek the Sixth Army's surrender was memorable. I was also impressed with his research into the anti-Stalinst Russians who fought with the Germans (the "Hiwis"); this was the most extensive coverage I've seen of that issue. Finally, Beevor completes his work with a account of the sad fate of the German prisoners, most of whom succomb to disease and starvation, while their officers, given something akin to VIP treatment by the Soviets, bicker over trivialities like possession of eating utensils. In short, I really enjoyed this book (if that's the right word for such a horrendous tragedy as Stalingrad) because of the authors' concentration on the fate of the individuals involved. You can get the strategic and military analysis elsewhere, but for a close look at what it all was like for the soldiers on the ground on each side, I highly recommend this book.
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