199 Days the Battle for Stalingrad: The Battle for Stalingrad

Rating:
Summary: Introductory Book
Review: Granted, Edwin P. Hoyt does give a rather simplified account of the battle entire (a lot of time is spent on explaining the opening of the war), but this was the first book I read on Stalingrad. I think that's what this book basically is: an introduction.

Some people might not like the fluff added in (although I must admit reading about the Russian girl beating up the German soldier made my day), but I think for those not yet ready for the cold, hard facts it pretty much entices your interest to learn more. I have to also add it was great to read about the true story of what was later made into the film "Enemy at the Gates." When I saw the trailer for the movie this book was the first thing to pop in my mind. To me, Edwin P. Hoyt is like the H.P. Lovecraft of history. He may not talk about any thing new and he may not be the best of the best, but man can this guy write!

I wouldn't call it the definitive book on Stalingrad, but if you'd like a nice read from all the hardcore factual history books out there, or you've gotten interested in this field of history, then it's a good book to get.

Rating:
Summary: OK tertiary resource.
Review: It is difficult, if not impossible, for an American to truly understand the carnage, death and destruction that took place during the Battle of Stalingrad. While we are rightfully horrified at battles that produce thousands of casualties, the Battle of Stalingrad produced hundreds of thousands if not millions. This is just not a perswpective that is within out mindset. However, Hoyt does a superior job bringing the destruction home.

Hoyt does a splendid job describing the whats, wheres and whys of the battle. He gives a complete overview of the acts that led to the battle as well as an analysis of how the battle came to be fought and the way in which it was fought. While explaining the history of the battle, Hoyt never forgets that the true story of Stalingrad is the history of the individual Russian soldiers and commanders that should of admitted defeat, but did not and ultimately prevailed. He also adeptly explains how the brutality of the Nazi invasion came back to haunt the invaders and unite a country that heretofore was horribly splintered.

What is also very interesting about 199 Days is Hoyt's treatment of Stalin and Hitler. He describes the political, psychological and other forces that shaped their response to the changing circumstances and gives praise and criticism where earned.

This is a first-class treatment of Stalingrad and a must read for anyone who wishes to explore the limits of human suffering and bravery.

Rating:
Summary: Good book
Review: Reading The Triumph and the Glory heightened my interest in WWII, particularly in the savage fighting on the Russian Front. Wishing to delve into the subject further, I bought a copy of Hoyt's book from Amazon and have to say it was very well done. Hoyt has written quite a number of books about WWII, all of them good. He doesn't quite go into great depth with any of his topics so his books are more for the general public than for more serious students of the war. "199 Days: The Battle for Stalingrad" is well worth reading, but not as definitive as Beevor's "Stalingrad", nor the classic "Enemy at the Gates".

Rating:
Summary: Adequate intro to the topic, but NOT one of the best
Review: This book is typical of Hoyt; very well written and nicely presented, but also unoriginal and non-innovative. Readers wanting to learn new things about Stalingrad, or even to get a detailed analysis as opposed to a mere chronicle, will find this book disappointing. So buy this book if you want a good yarn, but buy Joel Hayward's STOPPED AT STALINGRAD, Antony Beevor's STALINGRAD: FATEFUL SIEGE, John Erickson's THE ROAD TO STALINGRAD if you want substance, new findings and real analysis. Stalingrad enthusiasts are unanimous that these are the three "standard works" on Stalingrad. Although I give Hoyt's book three stars, I give all the other three five stars.

Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY HORRIFYING!
Review: This book synthesizes all of the environmental factors of war: ruthless, motivated, and well-armed enemies bent on destroying one another; the physical environment, such as the bitter freezing cold, followed by the spring mud, the fear, the hunger, and the pain.

This book absolutely de-glorifies war, although it leaves you with respect for the incredible sacrifices and pain the induvidual soldiers had to endure. This book provides lucid, understandable operational and tactical details of Hitler's Barbarossa campaign and the Battle for Stalingrad. It also provides a pretty good leadership study of the German and Russian Generals.

I salute the brave Russian soldiers who defended their homeland! I also offer my respects to the teenage German soldiers who were swept into the jaws of Hell and didn't know any better.

Rating:
Summary: A detailed account of the horror of Stalingrad
Review: This is a solid account of the hellish battle for Stalingrad. Hoyt is at his best when he has ample detail to illustrate just how horrible this battle was--the tales of Germans cracking horse bones for food, stories about men's feet freezing in their boots and the insanity of fighting floor to floor in a building. It's muddled in parts, but I generally enjoyed the book and would look for more books from Hoyt on World War II.