Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege, 1942-1943

Rating:
Summary: Very enthralling
Review: An thougoughly amazing review of human arrogance, incompetence and destruction that has left scars on the world

Rating:
Summary: Hell On Earth
Review: After reading Sajer's The Forgotten Soldier and Beevor's Stalingrad one after the other, I felt as though I might understand what war on the cold Russian steppe really was. This book describes the hideousness of battle in and around Stalin's Grad. Like another reviewer I put this book up there with Shelby Foote's Civil War masterpiece. Setup well and hard to set down.

Rating:
Summary: CITY OF THE DEAD, THE NEAR DEAD AND DEADER THAN DEAD
Review: Well written, easily understood chronicle of the German Sixth Army suicidal crusade into the jaws of the Stalingrad pocket in the dead of a fierce Russian winter. A balanced report of the suicidal efforts of German and Soviet forces to occupy the city named in honor of Stalin. The hardcover edition includes 30 dramatic photos and several situation maps, including locations of airfields on the outskirts of the city where Luftwaffe transports attempted round the clock deliveries of food, fuel, ammunition, medical supplies and winter clothing for 250,000 troops. We learn that the aerial logistics of supply was a utopian dream hatched by Goering, approved by Hitler and believed by commanding general Fridrich von Paulus. To fly in a minimum daily requirement of 800 tons would have required 427 daily flights of JU-52 transports, equivalent in todays terms of seven daily Boeing 747-200F cargo flights, each carrying 225,000 LBS. Because of lack of transports and bad winter weather, less than 10% of necessary supplies arrived. Troops dug into the ground and ruins of the city in -20F temperature were left hungry, short on ammunition and without adequate winter gear. Soldiers ate horses and some resorted to cannibalism, many froze to death. Equally suicidal were the tactics of the Soviets who used shock troops who would shoot the front line soldiers if they retreated from their assault on the occupied city. At great human sacrifice the Soviets eventually mangled their way into town. The author was unbiased in reporting successes and failures of either side. General Paulus it seems was the wrong commander for this job and he alone is to blame for the demise of the German 6th Army. He was nothing more than Hitlers poodle, a staff officer, not a battle experienced field commander, strategist, tactician. For the most part Paulus lacked a survival instinct, allowing himself to be boxed into a corner and cut off from the supply chain. Instead of tying up his panzer army inside the city, a smart commander would have used the tanks to fight off any encirclement, or to take the initiative to break out of the siege, making a partial withdrawal if necessary, irrespective of Hitlers barking orders to stay put. In Africa, for example, Rommel had used intelligent freedom of movement, advancing and retreating, all without reprimand. We learn that General Paulus was a coward, hunkered down in his HQ, the cellar of a department store, warm and well fed, he surrended only when Soviet soldiers literally knocked on his door; and he was driven into captivity with a fair amount of personal luggage. The author also devoted 35 pages to the aftermath; to the fate of prisoners; to Stalin propaganta politics; to squabbling and personality conflicts among some of the 23 general officers in captivity. There are no desperate situations, only desperate people; And dead people.

Rating:
Summary: Next Time You Are Cold...
Review: ...think about the millions of German and Soviet soldiers and civilians who suffered through the winter campaign around Stalingrad. This book brings to life the sufferings and endeavors those heroic peoples struggled under. This is one of the few books I pick up to read again. An excellent lesson on leadsership for business students.

Rating:
Summary: uninspired
Review: Like many reviews below note: 1) the writing is fairly workmanlike; 2) surprisingly little text is devoted to the actual city fighting; and 3) there are many references (in my opinion, somewhat forced) to soldiers' letters from the front. It added up to a book I found interesting at moments but otherwise uninspired.

Rating:
Summary: Belongs with the greatest
Review: This book belongs with the other two greatest narratives of war: Homer's Iliad and Shelby Footes'three volume Civil War. Not only will no one understand war in general, and WWII in particular, without reading this book, but no one will understand the two totalitarian regimes who who were central to our past century: Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia.

Rating:
Summary: The best so far on the subject
Review: I've never read anything else by Mr. Beevor or am I a historian but his book on Germany's "end of the beginning" battle is truly magnificent and moving. The conditions of combat along with the attitudes of both armies is compelling in a way I have never encountered before. A must for German army enthusiasts and probably interesting for nonhistorians as well.

Rating:
Summary: Almost puts the reader on the battlefield
Review: Although Beevor's tale takes a while to get going, it is truly riveting once it reaches the Soviet encirclement of the German sixth army. The liberal use of first person accounts gives the reader a truer sense of what it was like to experience this hell on earth than could any dry history. It is impossible not to feel pity for the poor German soldiers who were sacrificed by their Fuhrer. Of course, the Soviet soldiers and civilians suffered mightily, as well. One comes away from this book with a deep sense of loathing for all war and for the megalomaniacs who use ordinary citizens to carry it out.

Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Book!
Review: This is, quite simply, one of the finest novels I have ever read. The author chillingly describes the horiffic conditions faced by both the Russians and the 6th Army, and this book occupied my thoughts for weeks afterwards like no other book has ever done. Mr. Beevor is masterful in his description, weaving facts with personal accounts that puts the reader in the trenches. His access to previously closed Russian files on this brutal battle has allowed the author to write the finest story ever on Stalingrad. His story on Winrich Behr (who by the way is still alive today) I have found to be as unforgettable as the rest of the book. He vividly describes how the desperate situation has convinced the top leadership in encircled Stalingrad to fly out Capt. Behr, proud in his black SS Panzer uniform with Knights Cross. Behr is flown to see Hitler, to explain how a breakout from the Kessel must proceed immediately. Behr is warned on how Hitler tries to overwhelm his guests with the "overall" picture, and how his vast knowledge leaves little room for compromise. Behr is prepared when Hitler steps to the map, and shocked when Hitler quits talking and is attentive while Behr further protests the utter hopelessness of fighting on. Field Marshall Keitel, Hitlers sycophantic lackey, angrily shakes his fist at Behr when Hitler looks away, and then Hitler returns to the map, and produces phantom divisions to rescue the trapped 6th Army. It is then when Behr realizes the war is over. The only other book that compares to this in the horrors of battle is "The Forgotten Soldier" the story on a soldier in the Das Reich SS division who sees destrucion and death on the Eastern front, but this autobiography is not nearly as well written. I have read this book twice, and will enjoy it many more times. Superb.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping account of a gruesome war
Review: This book represents my first venture into war history and I initially approached it with trepidation as the subject, let alone the details thereof, was not familiar to me and I was afraid that I would get lost in the deluge of information presented by historians. Nevertheless, after going through the first two chapters, my fear was immediately allayed. Antony Beevor's gripping account of the Wehrmacht's ill-considered campaign against Russia, while it encompasses a huge cast of characters and a considerable geographical expanse, is so clearly written such that even a person who is unfamiliar with the various battles in the Eastern Front should be able to follow those fateful and often horrifying events without much difficulty. Indeed, such is the clarity of narration and conciseness of description that although there are very few maps in the book, one can still easily conjure up in one's mind's eye the various deployment of troops in those crucial operations by both sides. Furthermore, Beevor also has an eye for details and not only has he described and analysed the action and mentality of those who were in control of the war machine, the ordinary people and prisoners of war who were trapped in the war-torn Steppes are also not neglected, and the often vivid description of their plight has helped to enhance the impact of the tragedy on readers. Personally, I would prefer some more maps and photos (although, as I have said above, the paucity of illustrations will not hinder one's understanding of the subject matter through the text) and perhaps some more pages can be devoted to the street-fighting inside Stalingrad during the siege (which, after all, is what the title of the work appears to be pointing at). Nevertheless, Beevor has shown a masterful grasp of the subject matter and has created a work which would in particular appeal to those who do not possess much prior experience in war history. And despite its gruesome subject matter, the book does make a fascinating read.