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Summary: A genuine pleasure to read and packed with surprises.
Review: "Stopped at Stalingrad" is one of those genuine surprises. Just when you think you have read everything you need to read or want to read about a given subject, along comes a book that forever alters your view of that subject.This book's principle focus is on the Luftwaffe's role on the Eastern Front. It may, indeed, be the only book length treatment of the subject. Joel Hayward demonstrates with great care that the German's use of air power as a tactical, and not strategic, weapon in close support of ground forces was perhaps THE key factor in the German army's early successes in the East. Patton and the Allied Generals could only DREAM of tactical air-ground support on this level. Writes Hayward, "The Luftwaffe, together with the army meticulously co-ordinated their operations and created joint "Schwerpunkte"(points of main efforts)." I may be demonstrating my own woeful lack of knowledge, but this is the first time in all my reading about the German war effort that I encountered a discussion of the critical doctrine of Schwerpunkte. But one of this book's best offerings, comes at the very beginning where Hayward outlines in detail the crucial role that oil, or the lack thereof, played in the entire German war effort. From the outset, the German's were running at a critical deficit. And even with the Rumanian oil fields running at full capacity, the German's were in terrible trouble. And every time they absorbed a new chunk of territory, their situation became all the more desperate. So great was Germany's reliance upon the Rumanian oil fields that Hitler became obsessed with the potential for Russian bombers to turn them in to what he called, "an expanse of smoking debris." The fear proved, of course groundless, the Russians were never able to mount an effective long-range bomber command. But this fear led to a costly, Quixotic "cleansing of the Crimea" -- the so-called "Operation Bustard Hunt". When the German's launched Operation Barbarossa, their requirements for oil became critical. And this chronic problem led Hitler to focus on the oil fields of the Caucasus. Indeed from this point on much of the German strategic war effort was geared towards securing a reliable oil supply (or developing alternatives). The effort to reach the Caucasus proved, in many respects, to be Germany's undoing. And it was a fruitless effort to begin with. It assumed that: (A) they could reach the fields at all; (B) that if they reached them the oil fields were not so badly sabotaged that they could be put into production in time to make a difference; and (c) the oil supply once secured could be actually brought back to German over a SINGLE rail line of varying gauges that crossed thousands of miles of terrain open to sabotage and air attack. But Hitler was blind to all of this. Hayward writes with great passion and precision. At times one feels a little overwhelmed by details. But his portraits of the individual German pilots and commanders, as well of the shocking conditions under which they fought and died, is truly memorable. This is a book that is not only for the specialist. Anyone with an interest in the Second World War needs to read this book. It makes a brilliant companion to Antony Beevor's book, "Stalingrad".
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Summary: A surpring find and a terrific read
Review: I knew many scholars had used this book in their footnotes and for their research so I thought it would be one of those dry and boring texts. It is NOT. It is clever and insightful, and engaging and well written. It covers many battles poorly understood in the west until now, and has a focus on the way airpower and armies conducted their operations jointly as partners. The great Field Marshal Von Richthofen is central to the story, but Joel Hayward treats him as a human, with as many flaws as qualities. This is a fine book and an an essential study.
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Summary: Very very impressive
Review: I never got around to reading this book until now even though I bought it two years ago. It seemed too thorough and scholarly to be easily read and my lazy nature proved too strong. But I have now read it and regret not doing so earlier. In the meantime I wasted money on several less worthy books. They were easy to read but, alaS, I now find that they contained many mistakes. Hayward's book may be the very best Luftwaffe campaign book, and one of the two or three best Stalingrad books, ever written. I was amazed by the breadth of research and the research talents demonstrated. I was also amazed by the amount of new information, all of it presented in a balanced and easy to follow fashion. This is amongst my five favourite World War II books ever read.
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Summary: No fuel equals no victory
Review: I never realized how short of fuel the wehrmacht was until I read this book coupled with Guy Sajer's "The Forgotten Soldier". With the fuel blockade and limited Rumanian and synthetic fuel reserves, Germany never had a chance.
Rating:
Summary: No fuel equals no victory
Review: I never realized how short of fuel the wehrmacht was until I read this book coupled with Guy Sajer's "The Forgotten Soldier". With the fuel blockade and limited Rumanian and synthetic fuel reserves, Germany never had a chance.
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Summary: One of the standard works essential to researchers!
Review: Put plainly: you can't understand the Battle of Stalingrad without this book. It is the only analysis of air and joint components of that hell on earth battle. Its author did a huge amount of work in archives and relies on unpublished diaries, notebooks, situation reports, squadron records, afteraction assessments and so on. The argument is clear and persuasive: that much of the credit for German successes during the eastern battles of 1942 must go to the Luftwaffe. Whereas many enthusiasts and some scholars have always presented the Luftwaffe as the secondary, supportive arm, with the army dominant, Dr Hayward makes clear that that view is out of date and unsupportable. The Luftwaffe led and dominated during the entire 1942 campaign. That doesn't mean that it could perform the impossible task Goering and Jeschonnek gave to it: supply of Sixth Army. Hayward's analysis of the airlift is the only authoritative account. The book is superbly crafted and compellingly written. It is one of three or four books that every Stalingrad reader MUST own.
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Summary: Historians and serious Stalingrad readers must read this
Review: So Beevor's book gained wide publicity and sold in great quantities. Effective marketing and its corresponding sales do not mean it is the best book on Stalingrad. Perhaps Hayward's book IS. Because I wanted to know WHY things became as violent and bloody and chaotic as Beevor portrayed, I needed a book that explained the strategy employed by German attackers, Russian defenders and then Russian attackers and German defenders. I also need to know WHY the Germans ever thought Stalingrad was strategically important, WHY Hitler refused to abadon it even after his Sixth Army got surrounded there, why GOERING promised to keep that army fully supplied by air, WHY the local air force leaders said that it could not be thus supplied, WHY Hitler listened to Goering, WHY the Luftwaffe failed so badly, and WHY Goering didn't get the sack. All these questions are answered in a highly original study by Joel Hayward, whose fluency with German sources is noteworthy. His answers don't fit the traditional explanations and in fact, he demolishes many long-held beliefs. While condemning the Nazi leadership he pays tribute to the Luftwaffe's exceptionally hardworking and industrious commanders at the front. They tried incredibly hard and did far better than circumstances ordinarily would have allowed. Sadly for Sixth Army it was not enough, and Richthofen the brilliant senior air commander never recovered from his sense of failure. Stalingrad broke him physically and emotionally. Also important in Hayward's book is his skilful analysis of the Luftwaffe's key role in the Battles of Kharkov, Kerch and Sevastopl, events that were ignored for too long by schlars unwilling or unable to spend months in German military archives like Hayward did. His unparallelled use of archival material, his carefull assessment of all material, his compelling and hard-to-refute arguments all turn this fluently-written book into the definitive account, in any language, of the Stalingrad airlift. You must read this book if you want to understand how the German army almost took Stalingrad (mainly because of the Luftwaffe's excellent close air support and logistical support of oil and fuel to panzer vanguards) and why it ultimately failed.
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Summary: A good book on the Luftwaffe's actions in the Southern Front
Review: Stopped at Stalingrad deals with the Luftwaffe's actions in and around the Crimean peninsula from 1942 to 1943. Probably the most interesting part of the book deals with Fliegerfuhrer Sud and it's mission to clear the Black Sea of the Soviet naval presence. Stopped at Stalingrad also deals with the use of air power in the taking of Sevastapol, the actions against the Soviet forces landed on the Kerch peninsula, and the overall use of German airpower in supporting the march on the Don. Hayward also discusses why Hitler felt the Luftwaffe could airlift enough supplies to sustain 6th Army after it was cut off around Stalingrad by Soviet troops. This book is a good case study of how the Luftwaffe operated in tandem with the army and naval forces, and Hayward points to the Luftwaffe as one of the major contributors to Germany's initial successes against the Soviets. I thuroughly enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the tactical air-support role the Luftwaffe played (specifically in the Southern Front of the Eastern Theater of Operations).
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Summary: Excellent Book on this portion of the Eastern Front
Review: The author has done an outstanding job on this book. I was very pleased with the coverage of the Crimean battles of early 1942 and the launching of Operation Blue when Richtofen's Corps was moved north to support the attack. You get a good, solid picture of the decision's at Army Command, Group, corp, and Division level throughout. The best part for me about a book is when I learn not just one thing, but learn new info on several aspect's of this huge struggle in the East. Enough praise now purchase this book! Anyone interested in the Eastern Front of WW2 should have this book.
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Summary: Unsurpassed in importance!
Review: The first edition came out in 1998 and, six years on, this work has not been surpassed for its importance as an analysis of WWII joint warfighting, the Luftwaffe's way of war, airpower in the Crimea, airpower in the Caucasus, airpower at Stalingrad, and naturally the Stalingrad airlift itself. The reasons for this book's immediate "classic" status are easy to pick: totally accurate citing of hundreds of never-before-used sources in several languages drawn from major archives; a highly original approach to the writing of campaign histories; a clear argument; a fair and balanced approach; no Wehrmacht-devotee comments or tone (all too common I'm afraid); a wonderfully readable writing style; and precise footnotes that help the reader to determine the reliability of all claims or statements. A true model of a WWII campaign analysis. VERY highly recommended!
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