Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege, 1942-1943

Rating:
Summary: Good Overview of the Battle
Review: Beevor presents a highly readable narrative of the battle, and is in my opinion the best book on Stalingrad yet. Of particular intrest is the final section which deals with the fate of the Germans who surrendered after the battle.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Account of the Battle of Stalingrad
Review: Written in the same way as Cornelius Ryan's A Bridge Too Far, Antony Beevor allows the participants from both sides to tell their own story of the battle of Stalingrad without ever losing his focus on the strategic overview. Both the thoughts of the soldiers in the field and those of both of the Supreme Commanders are revealed. What comes across to the reader is the utter ruthlessness of Stalin and Hitler. For Hitler, Stalingrad became an obsession because it was the city named after and for Stalin. For Stalin, Stalingrad was the place where the Soviet army drew the line - no more retreat. To Beavor's undeniable credit, the soldiers become far more than mere pawns in this great struggle. I think this is the best book written about World War II by a British historian in the past decade. In Beavor's account, the battle of Stalingrad truly becomes the "mincing machine".

Rating:
Summary: Great information yet author's style is a bit cumbersome.
Review: The information gleaned from the personal letters written by soldiers on both sides of the battle offer a unique insight into the unimaginable suffering of the siege. Although the author's research is extensive and the amount of detail amazing, it is presented in a text book style that can be tedious at times. All in all, a great history book.

Rating:
Summary: The research by Beevor was remarkable.
Review: Beevor has put both German and Soviet histories in an enjoyable form.When the reader learns that an excessive quantity of German horses were sent back across the Don it becomes clear that they are setting themselves up for failure.If you like military history you will like this book.

Rating:
Summary: A good book
Review: This author gives just the right amount of detail to give the reader a feel for the misery and incredible dispair of the foot soldier without the tendency of some writers to confuse the reader with unnecessary names,dates and diagrams. The common soldier has a place in this book along with the general. Perhaps too much mention of the body lice.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating stuff for military history buffs.
Review: A glowing testament to the monumental stupidity, greed, vanity, and brutality of man. Also includes numerous interesting rare photographs and plenty of maps to follow the action.

Rating:
Summary: Maybe the best short book on Stalingrad ever
Review: For those of us who regard this battle as the turning point in civilization for this century, as I do, you will be spellbound at the detail and the new information, as well as the great writing, of this Stalingrad book. I have read more than 20 books on Stalingrad and this one is my favorite.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible, compelling, awesome!
Review: I never, never read war books; they are usually so full of boring details and implied rightousness. This one is none of that. Understandable, thorough, even-handed. Mr. Beevor's grammar and sentence structure are not the greatest, but he tells the story very well. I couldn't put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely first-rate
Review: Well-written, absorbing, insightful. I found it hard to put down. I recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent work
Review: A compelling and detailed examination of the battle. The human element is a major theme, as it should be in this terrible struggle.Unit details, actions and insight into the principal players. The book is not tainted with biases and sterotypes