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Summary: The Futility of War...
Review: It seems like every book I read on warfare makes me realize one central theme: Thousands upon thousands of soldier's lives are sacrificed by overzealous military leaders like Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin...case in point: The battle of Stalingrad. I thoroughly enjoyed Craig's book on this famous, yet rarely covered battle of WWII. Most Westerners and the world for that matter, are fed large doses of reading related to D-Day, Pearl Harbor, etc. etc. Significant, history altering battles like Stalingrad are rarely given much light..I considered myself a learned scholar of WWII until I read this book...I then realized I really didnt have the "complete" picture of WWII like I thought...What I really like about the book was the reader gets to see both sides of the war from the Red Army and Germans perspectives. In the beginning of the book, we relate to the Soviet's tales of horror as the invading German soldiers plunder and pillage their motherland...however, as the tide of the battle turns, we read how the Germans become the victims of the enclosing Soviet armies. I really liked how Craig got deep into the doomed German soldier's mind-set as they came closer and closer to annhialation. The reader really starts to see the German soldier as just another human being like you and I....a farmer from Dresden, a school teacher from Cologne, a mechanic from Stutgart...the list goes on...we really see the German soldiers for what they were, decent men just following orders. Dont get me wrong, there were plenty of Germans who committed such terrible atocities that they do not deserve to be called human beings. On, the flip-side, we see that many of the Soviet soliders themselves were no less brutal than their German counterparts...shooting surrendering soldiers, marching them to death camps, torture etc. etc...in short, we learn that war brings out the worst in man: German, Soviet or otherwise... I did catch one reoccuring theme in this book, similar to what I have seen in other great WWII books (see books by Ambrose): Adolph Hitler was a terrible military leader who killed thousands of his soldiers because his ego did not let him think rationally...Hitler's famous fallacy of forcing his policy of not giving up an inch of conquered land cost the lives of thousands of German soldiers not only in Russia, but France during D-Day. Therefore, Hitler not only was a racist lunatic, but also a piece of crap military tactician. Stalin was no less, as he ordered thousands of his men to suicidal charges against the German army and even resorted to killing thousands of his own men out of paranoia. All in all, Enemy at the Gates is a must read for anyone wanting to get the complete picture of WWII. Stalingrad was truly the battle that turned the tide of WWII. From there on, Germany fought a downhill battle... The movie was excellent (a little Hollywooded out of course), but portrayed the horror of the war through both a German and Soviet Sniper...go see it and read the book!!!!
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Summary: ENEMY AT THE GATES and WAR OF THE RATS, both great!
Review: The battle of Stalingrad is on grand display in Enemy At The Gates. I read it for the first time back in the 70's and I'm thrilled to see it getting its due as a result of the movie. Also, I just finished War Of The Rats by David L. Robbins and found the same truelife intensity written into the novel, which focuses intensely on the sniper duel, as does the newly released movie. Whether or not you want to learn about the battle as a whole or just focus on the fascinating duel between the top German and Russian snipers at Stalingrad, you ought to read both in addition to the movie. If I had to pick just one, I'd go with War Of The Rats.
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Summary: A superbly interesting read on WWII's most costly battle
Review: While most Americans tend to think of WWII mostly in terms of our losses, the Russians lost millions of citizens, both military and civilian, in the war. The Battle of Stalingrad was pivotal in the war; it turned the tide against the Germans and forced them to eventually fight a two-front war that they could not win. Had Stalingrad folded, the war might very well have ended with Hitler on the winning side. This book reads like "The Longest Day" (Cornelius Ryan) of the Stalingrad battle, with first person accounts from both the German and Russian sides sewn together into an excellent narrative that holds your attention. One of the stories in this book has been turned into the current (2001) movie of the same title. It concerns the battle between a Russian sniper who starts a sniper school in Stalingrad; his students go on to exact a huge toll on the Germans. In response, the Germans fly in their own master sniper to "take out" the Russian. The two snipers stalk each other among the ruins of the city, with the loser to make the ultimate sacrifice for his country. The book, however, covers much more ground. If you've seen the movie and want more on the sniper duel, read "War of the Rats" by David Robbins, a fictionalized account of the real-life events that is riveting. Read "Enemy at the Gates" if you want the full view of the battle. I recommend both accounts as superb books worthy of your time and money.
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Summary: An excellent read
Review: I liked all of the details about the war. The sniper duel is only a section of this book. I expected it to be the bulk of the book but it is not. I also recommend Grandfather's Tale: the Tale of a German Sniper. It goes through the entire war from start to finish.
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Summary: Devastating
Review: "Enemy at the Gates" is one of the most powerful reading experiences I've had in a long time. Meticulously researched and brilliantly written, right from the beginning, the reader is enmeshed in the personal stories of the men and women who fought and died in what is considered one of World War Two's most defining battles. This is not a mere parade of facts and figures. William Craig brings this story to life with prose that reads like a great novel. As the horror mounts, the reader comes to sympathize with those on both sides of the conflict. In the end, there are no winners. Everyone - Russian and German - has suffered a staggering toll. Not for the faint of heart, Craig spares the reader no detail. This is a book I will not soon forget.
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Summary: War IS hell
Review: I read lots of WWII stuff and this book is one of the best. We all "know" that war is the epitome of man's inhumanity to man. I know of no other book that illustrates the horror and futility of war so vividly. This book should be required reading to everyone to help us never forget the unrecoverable costs of war and human misery. For those who beat their chest and view violence as the solution to those who differ from one another - take this dose of reality and work for peace. May we never bear the burden of war again.
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Summary: If You Want The Story From The Movie, Read WAR OF THE RATS
Review: Enemy At The Gates is a great history of the battle of Stalingrad, no doubt. But if you want to know more about the sniper duel portrayed in the movie, get WAR OF THE RATS, by David L. Robbins. It's an excellent novel, and is the real, true story of the sniper duel, unlike the movie which has Hollywood-ized the entire confrontation between the top German and Russian snipers at Stalingrad. WAR OF THE RATS is marvelous, as good a novel as Enemy At The Gates is a non-fiction history of the battle.
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Summary: Vivid Writing: Captures The Spirit And Drama Of Stalingrad
Review: Agree, be aware that this book is not a novelization of the movie. It is a powerfully written narrative of the battle for Stalingrad as experienced by combatant and noncombatants for both sides. I thought it to be superior to most historical "military" writing in general: this is a book to be read not for orders of battle and eye glazing sentences of roman numeral lists of panzer divisions but for a dramatic, immersive, account of a German Army entering a prostrate town expecting a rapid collapse and finding to its surprise die-hard Russian soldiers who were not quite ready to surrender. I read this book twenty years ago when I was fifteen and regretted losing my copy years ago. I am glad the book is back. P.S. the sniper duel is a part of the story but only a part...
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Summary: Gripping History With Novelistic Intensity
Review: I also remember reading Enemy At The Gates as a young teenager and thought it a powerful work: the immersion in one of World War II's most powerful and decisive battles was very strong. I think it is one of the best works of its type, for attention to overall historical detail as well as to the personal experience of individual German soldiers, Russian soldiers and civilians. Years after losing my copy, I am glad to be able to reread this book again. And I intend to hang on to it this time. Now if only Martin Caidin's The Tigers Are Burning would be reprinted!
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Summary: Don't be fooled by the movie "tie in," a great history.
Review: This is not a lame novel based upon a movie. This is a well-deserved re-issue of an account of the Battle of Stalingrad written almost thirty years ago. It rivals Ryan's "The Longest Day" as one of the great historical accounts of World War II. "Enemy at the Gates" not only tells the "big picture," of fighting and death on a scale that Americans really cannot imagine. It also makes the horrible fighting more immediate with descriptions from Soviet and German soldiers, as well as civilians. (The movie is based upon a series of these accounts.) While more recent books on the subject have the benefit of some recently declassified Soviet materials, William Craig was able to benefit from more first person accounts. Readers who appreciate the works of Stephen Ambrose will find a real gem in William Craig's work. Since this book did not involve the British and Americans, it was overlooked in the mid-1990's World War II nostalgia. This book is finally on the shelves again, and it certainly deserves to be there.
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