Rating: 
Summary: Well balanced book. But should it be?
Review:
As previous reviewers mentioned already the book is gripping and vivid. It is also well balanced, which means the human sufferings are described without political preferences and prejudice. While supporting this approach, I would like to remind future readers, that nobody invited Nazis to Stalingrad. Let's never forget that Russians fought for their Motherland.
Rating: 
Summary: A political maniuplation of war history than history itself.
Review: This is my first reading of the Stalingrad and to my most disappointment: author Anthony Beevor put his political view above such history event in the human history. I have no doubt that the author is a strong anti-communist for he display the most of the darkest side of Russian's account on the War, but such prejudice put him to the view point of the Nazis: those Russians in his description are cold-blooded running dogs, and the German soliders are proud of their professionalism and only "home sickness and Christmas". Although author has access to a lot of the most recent revealed archives on the Russia side, his bias makes such book unsuitable for any kind of serious academic references nor debates. Anyway, this would be a great book of source of information for whoever pro-Nazis, anti-Russian, and anti-communists.
Rating:
Summary: an easy read on a remarkable subject
Review: Personally, I loved this book. Beevor provides information about the war before Stalingrad which was very helpful, and th eknowledge contained within it was precise and remarkably in-depth. WIth day to day updates of numerous places at once, beevor allows th ereader to picture the entire confusing scene. He gives accounts of the plans and fears of both sides, showing no bias and simply weaving a brilliant narrative. The book talks about the tragedies of the city without emotion, presenting them as what they are; just a natural part of war. What I loved most about this book though is the personal touch that diary entries and letters give. While also knowing the troop movements of the entire Sixth Army, the reader is made aware of the mind-set and condition of the troops. WIth passages like " 'It's not an enticing picture out here, for far and wide there are no villages, no woodland, neither tree nor shrub, and not a drop of water,'" Beevor paints a bleak picture. He goes even further as winter strikes down upon the Axis, as one man writes home, " 'We survivors can hardly keep going owing to hunger and wekness.'" These passages provide more insight than any troop osition knowledge could. The tales of the macabre rations nad resultant mass hunger, the detailed description sof advnaced frostbite truly make the book a human story, not a strictly military one. The book is comprehensive and vivid, obviously the result of diligent research. However, those with just a passing interest may want to avoid this book, as they may get bogged down in the sometimes lengthy descriptions of confusing troop movements and other arbitrary information.
Rating: 
Summary: Not just a good book
Review: Beevor's book is a great war read, a gripping tale and thorough history. And there are reasons why a book about this battle is important for anyone to read, not just WWII buffs. When the Russians stopped the Germans at Stalingrad, it can be said that they not only saved themselves, Russia and the undeserving Stalin. This was one of the break point moments in history. If those poorly led and underfed Russians had let the Wehrmacht through, we might all be speaking German now. Beevor illustrates the terrifing competance and valor of the German army that maintained extaordinary fighting quality in the worst conditions. But, without the advantages, the Russians beat them and may have saved us all. The future of Europe may have been fought out in bitter waste of Russia. Because we justly hate Stalin, we forget the bravery of these immovable slavs. But Beevor puts us in the situation of these resolute men. Thats why it is such a gripping read.
Rating:
Summary: A pretty good book
Review: In general the book is well organized, and easy to read. Compared to some of the other similar books that relied too much on the point of views from the German side, this book is quite balanced. My only complaint is the book has too many pages describing the pain of German soldiers before and after they surrendered. Maybe the author tried to show the horror of the battle no matter which side the soldiers were at, maybe the author had far more German side materials than that of the Russian side. Whatever the reason, given the fact that how these German soldier treated Russian POWs and civilians in the 1 1/2 years after the Invasion started, I kind of think they really deserved the consequence. Furthermore, it might give a wrong impression that the weather was the main factor that caused the German's defeat, which, of course, is not true.
Rating:
Summary: Good "human" war history book
Review: Though not packed with blow by blow battle details and some glossing over of detailed history, this book is great start to a person new to WWII's most important theater. The book reads like a novel, quick and captivating. Loved it for the story not for the military history. Get it, you'll like it.
Rating:
Summary: Blood, ice, lice, brutality, corpses ¿ and heroism
Review: Several months ago, I reviewed (5 stars) a novel entitled WAR OF THE RATS, ostensibly based on the factual battlefield achievements of the real-life, Soviet Army master sniper, Vasily Zaitsev, during the German siege of Stalingrad during World War II. Wishing to learn more about this horrific struggle, I sought out this book, STALINGRAD, a narrative history of the fight authored by Antony Beevor. STALINGRAD begins, as it must, on June 21, 1941 with the launching of Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union by three Army Groups - North, Center and South. Beevor first summarizes from a wide perspective Army Group Center's attack on, and repulse from, Moscow, and Army Group South's surge towards the Volga River and the Caucasus Mountains. Then, the focus is narrowed onto the Sixth Army's and Fourth Panzer Army's drive to Stalingrad and the Volga in the summer of '42. The last three-quarters of the volume then limits itself to the Stalingrad siege, the Soviet counterattack on, and encirclement of, the Sixth and Fourth Panzer armies, their subsequent subjugation, and, finally, the fate of the 91,000 Germans taken prisoner. The main characters of the drama are all brought onto the stage: Hitler, Paulus, Schmidt, von Richthofen, Stalin, Zhukov, Yeremenko, Chuikov, and Rokossovsky. This is a very reader-friendly account for the simple reason that the author supplies enough information, including maps, to keep the narrative moving along without getting bogged down in the minutiae of minor troop movements and a superabundance of unit designations. He's also included (in the paperback edition) two adequate sections of photographs - always a much appreciated touch. The volume met, if not exceeded, my expectations, and I learned a lot. During the Siege, there was desperate heroism on both sides. But, it was also war at its most brutal in ways too many to recount. I shall finish with two excerpts, both regarding war prisoners, first from the Russian viewpoint, then the German. " 'When the (German) retreat started on 20 November, we (Soviet POWs) were put instead of horses to drag the carts loaded with ammunition and food. Those prisoners who could not drag the carts as quickly as the Feldwebel wanted were shot on the spot. In this way we were forced to pull the carts for four days, almost without any rest.' " "Anger at the (prison camp) conditions led to (German) prisoners scraping handfuls of lice off their own bodies and throwing them at their (Soviet) guards. Such protests provoked summary execution."
Rating: 
Summary: A Journalistic Account That Lacks Historical Depth
Review: For readers interested in an introduction to the Battle of Stalingrad, this book will probably suffice but for readers familiar with the subject and looking for greater historical depth, this book is a major disappointment. Amazingly, the first 50 of 431 pages are wasted recounting the lead-up to Operation Barbarossa and the 1941 campaign, with very little relevant to ArmeeGruppe South. Beevor's coverage of the early phase of Case Blue is pathetic; filled with random anecdotes and both the fight for Voronezh and the drive into the Caucasus are virtually ignored. The book gets a little better once the city fighting into Stalingrad begins, but Beevor breaks no new ground here. Maps are few and barely adequate. A detailed city map would have been nice. The best part of the book is the coverage of Operation "Uranus" and the kesselschlact. This is essentially a journalistic account enhanced by some Soviet archival materiel, not military history. Nor does Beevor attempt to put the Soviet victory at Stalingrad into a strategic context - did Germany lose the war here? For example, Germany lost 3 panzer divisions at Stalingrad with about 500 tanks - heavy losses but not catastrophic in itself; most sources claim over 1,000 German tanks lost. The book also sustains out-worn generalizations, such as the portrayal of the German 6th Army as a highly experienced, veteran formation. In fact, of the 17 infantry divisions in 6th Army, 6 had no combat experience and 4 had been raised only in the 12 months prior to Stalingrad.
Rating:
Summary: Good as an introduction only
Review: This is a readable simple and superficial book. Although this may seem like a criticism but, the reality is that superficial books have their place for people who are first approaching a subject and don't want to read a vast technically written tome. This book is a combination of some secondary sources plus a bit of primary research. The author has indicated that the one thing that he has found which was not generally known was the very large number of Russians who were used as auxiliaries and helpers in the Stalingrad Campaign. Due to troop losses a number of these Russians appear to have become combat troops with the Sixth Army. Apart from that insight the book summarizes longer works such as Ericsons "the Road to Stalingrad" and Glanz's "When Titans Clash". The author then gives the book a more human dimension by quoting a range of other sources about the minutia of the campaign. Soldiers letters, discussions between generals as things start to happen and the like. Other reviewers have spoken about the books readability and all of that is true the book is easy to read and for a person unfamiliar with the material it is no doubt an engrossing account of a dramatic event which was important in determining the outcome of the war. The faults of the book relate to its portrayal of the military aspects of the campaign. The author fails to pick up on a number of points. The major one is that the Germans had no idea of the Soviet force levels and the number of reserves available. If they had been aware then the advance so far into Soviet Territory and the splitting of the invading force into two were serious mistakes. The depth of the advance made the supply of the army at Staligrad almost impossible. At the time of the encirclement the sixth army had very limited stocks of ammunition and petrol. Once the Sixth Army was encircled there was no way it could break out as it had no supplies. Its collapse would lead to a loss of the forces in the Caucuses. The decision to stand was thus in reality the only rational one available. The author tends to accept the German Generals self serving portrayal of themselves in their memoirs. That is that they opposed Hitler in this period. The reality is that the German Staff only started to have problems with the regime when defeat became closer. The failure of the Stalingrad operation was not because of Hitler's interference in operational strategy but the flawed nature of the whole plan. None of the German General Staff opposed the operation at its inception. The author also has not read some other relevant material such as Glantz's "Zhukov's Greatest Defeat" which described how at the same time that the Germans were being defeated in Stalingrad the Russians were mounting another massive operation against Army Group Centre which was defeated. Despite these quibbles the book clearly is of interest to some and serves as a good introduction to an important event in the history of the last century.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This is an outstanding account of a pivotal, maybe THE pivotal battle in WWII. GermanyÕs war with the allies in the west was almost gentlemanly by comparison with what was occurring on the eastern (Russian) front, which was essentially a racial war of mutual extermination. The author describes how most German and Russian soldiers fought with great bravery, but also the difficulties experienced with desertion and malingering. One is overwhelmed by the extreme brutality and cynicism practiced in this theater of the war. Soldiers and civilians alike were treated by both sides with an almost unbelievable degree of callousness. This history is based on primary sources and describes (through extensive quotation of letters) both the severe conditions and extreme privations endured by ordinary soldiers and the larger issues of strategy and politics that concerned the generals in charge. This an exceptionally balanced and well-rounded book that I highly recommend to both casual and committed readers of military history. The maps are excellent, and the photographs well-chosen.
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