560 pages, Viking, ISBN-13: 978-0670870950
This
is, quite simply, one of the finest accounts by a historian to convey the
personal hell, the Dante's Inferno of Stalingrad, and is the most vivid and
chilling I have ever read. The author describes the horrific conditions faced
by both the Russians and the 6th Army, and this book occupied my thoughts for
weeks afterwards like no other book has ever done. Mr. Beevor is masterful in
his description, weaving facts with personal accounts that puts the reader in
the trenches. His access to previously closed Russian files on this brutal
battle has allowed the author to write the finest story ever on Stalingrad. His
story on Winrich Behr (who by the way is still alive today) I have found to be
as unforgettable as the rest of the book. He vividly describes how the
desperate situation has convinced the top leadership in encircled Stalingrad to
fly out Capt. Behr, proud in his black SS Panzer uniform with Knights Cross.
Behr is flown to see Hitler, to explain how a breakout from the Kessel must
proceed immediately. Behr is warned on how Hitler tries to overwhelm his guests
with the "overall" picture, and how his vast knowledge leaves little
room for compromise. Behr is prepared when Hitler steps to the map, and shocked
when Hitler quits talking and is attentive while Behr further protests the
utter hopelessness of fighting on. Field Marshall Keitel, Hitler’s sycophantic
lackey, angrily shakes his fist at Behr when Hitler looks away, and then Hitler
returns to the map, and produces phantom divisions to rescue the trapped 6th
Army. It is then when Behr realizes the war is over. The only other book that
compares to this in the horrors of battle is "The Forgotten Soldier"
the story on a soldier in the Das Reich SS division who sees destruction and
death on the Eastern front, but this autobiography is not nearly as well
written. I have read this book twice, and will enjoy it many more times.
Superb.
This
book, taking advantage of unrestricted access to Soviet archives, re-tells the
story of the events that led up to the siege of the German 6th army, describes
the siege itself, and it’s tragic aftermath. There are three main reasons why
this book is such a triumph of history for a wide audience:
The
first is that the author, Antony Beevor, has the gift of the best historians,
which is to make the reader want to know more about the people and events
within his work. He neatly balances the details of camp life with the nature of
the combat as seen by all those involved, and the personalities of the officers
with the fears and hopes of the rank and file, expressed through song, cartoon,
and letter. The second is that this book suffers from no preconceptions or
illusions about the events within, and it avoids that worst peril of military
histories, the will to argue with other military histories, and to portion out
blame and praise. Beevor tries, and at least partially succeeds, at showing the
confused and imprecise nature of the conflict, the multiple perspectives of its
many participants. One of the worse traps of history is to establish the false
causality of hindsight, to forget that the peoples of the past had no greater
ability to see into the future than we do, and that their capacity to learn is
often outpaced by events. The third and best reason for reading this book is
for its subtle reminders of the actuality of these events. Beevor does his best
to dissolve the seemingly mechanical nature of conflict and to place you in the
battle bodily, smelling nitrite, being bitten by lice, and hunted by snipers.
Those who would have us believe that battle is made by leaders with maps, and
that it all comes down to mathematics of guns and coats and oil, will receive a
powerful rebuttal from this chronicle, and the rest of us will receive a
salutary reminder of the whirlwind that is war.
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