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Stalingrad Beevor Amazon UK ref: 0670870951 | Amazon US ref: 0670870951 Anthony Beevor's Stalingrad is a well written and highly readable account of the fateful siege (1942-1943) which sucked in and destroyed the German Sixth Army and marked the military turning point of the Second World War.
Fought to a standstill in the city, the German forces were then enveloped and surrounded when a Soviet offensive burst through the ill-quipped Romanian armies covering the German flanks. Having committed all his tanks to the struggle for the city, the German commander, Paulus, had no armoured reserve with which to respond.
The garrison was forbidden to retreat by Hitler and became too weak to break out in any event. Goering promised to keep the garrison supplied by air but this was an empty boast. A relief attempt was made but failed.
This is not just a military account but a vivid portrayal of the appalling conditions and cruelty: the nerve-racking terror of street fighting, high casualties, lice, frostbite, and the culmination in starvation, disease and anarchy which characterised the German collapse.
A study in hubris, one is made acutely aware of how German overconfidence and ruthlessness was repaid in their own destruction. In view of the German treatment of Soviet civilians (effectively condemning many to death through depriving them of food, shelter and even warm clothing), it is surprising how many "former Russians" fought on the German side as Hiwis.
Caught between the hammer of German imperialism and the anvil of Soviet Communism, the Russians demonstrated extreme bravery and toughness - whether fighting for or against the Germans. Those fighting against the Germans had the guns of the NKVD in their backs, and many continued to defect even after the Germans had become surrounded. Widespread hatred of the regime was mirrored by the paranoia of the Soviet nomenclature.
The capture of Stalingrad had been desired by Hitler for symbolic as much as strategic reasons. The disastrous end of this pursuit of image over substance provoked from Goebbles - the original spin doctor - his infamous call for "Total War", another upping of the ante characteristic of Germany's reckless Nazi gamblers.
© armed-combat.com 7/1999
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