Pros: Involving military analysis and description, coupled with the human element of the battle
Cons: The military analysis proves hard to follow for those not familiar with this genre.
The Bottom Line: A great example of how military non-fiction should be written, with an outstanding combination of passionate narrative and accurate information.
Marechal_Ney's Full Review: Antony Beevor - Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege 194...
Stalingrad can be regarded as the turning point in World War II. It was here that Hitler's Wehrmacht lost the initiative in the invasion of Russia. From Stalingrad onwards, the German forces on the Eastern Front were beaten and in full retreat, all the way back to Berlin.
Anthony Beevor's "Stalingrad" reminds me of Alistair Horne's "The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916" (1994). In both works, detailed emphasis is given to military tactics and strategy. The fluctuating course of both battles is brilliantly documented by Horne and Beevor, with well-chosen primary sources to boot. In addition, both authors devote considerable attention to the human aspect of war, and how terribly it affects the life of the individual.
What I tend to find about military historians is that, in attempting to deal with this aforementioned human aspect of war, many try to make a point that their conflict of study was the worst and most horrifying. So far, apart from the two above works, I have seen a similar trend in several analyses of the Napoleonic Wars (when a single cannonball could plow through a full 20 ranks of men, tightly packed in column). This is only natural, I suppose.
Whatever Beevor's reasons, I grant he has a good case for nominating Stalingrad as the most brutal battle in human memory. The casualty rates were horrendous, not only due to losses in battle, but also having much to do with the conditions of POW camps on both sides. The Germans routinely executed Russian POWs, in accordance with Hitler's "Rassenkampf" (race war). Out of 4.5 million Russian prisoners taken in Russia, only 1.8 million returned home, of which most would appallingly be sent to the Gulag by Stalin, for "treason". The Russians were hardly better - 95 percent of German soldiers and NCOs who were captured at Stalingrad never returned home.
Beevor follows the German armies in their at first wildly successful advance on the Volga, with impressive military analysis and intermingled human experience. Among Beevor's most effective primary sources involve soldier's letters home. Often, one never knows what eventually became of a letter's author, as the information is simply not available. However, particularly when considering German correspondence in conjunction with the virtual annihilation of the Sixth Army, one can readily guess.
The story soon reaches the fateful city of Stalingrad, where the conflict takes a turn for the worse. Bitter street fighting, among collapsed buildings and sewers, becomes commonplace, while the temperature steadily drops. Numerous first-hand accounts, along with Beevor's chilling narrative, once again makes the terrifying scene all the more real to the reader.
One human aspect of the struggle I found especially moving was Beevor's chapter "Christmas in the German Way". At this stage, the Sixth Army is already entirely surrounded by Russian forces. Suffering from the torturing effects of malnutrition and frostbite, while living in appalling conditions, the Germans cling to the Christmas season as a way to re-create their long-lost life at home. Christmas trees and decorations are fashioned, and gifts of saved food are given out to fellow soldiers. "Stille Nacht" is also heard in German bunkers with "many stifled sobs as men thought of their families at home" (Beevor, page 313). Again, one cannot ignore the fact that the overwhelming majority of troops, NCOs and lower, never saw their families again.
Throughout the analysis, it is evident how unrelated the two opposing armies were to Hitler and Stalin's political arms. It is in fact the SS and the NKVD (the precursor of the KGB), rather than the Wehrmacht or the Red Army, that are responsible for most of the atrocities committed during the struggle. Thus it becomes even more appropriate to sympathize with the rival combatants, usually fighting purely for survival rather than for any loyalty felt towards their political leaders. A Russian soldier poet, Yury Belash, maintains that "in the trenches the last thing we thought about was Stalin" (page 173).
Overall, a well-written, involving book I would highly recommend. Far from merely dealing with the strategic and tactical issues of warfare, Beevor also delves deep into what the war really meant for millions of people. Keep in mind, though, that his military description and analysis is extremely detailed, and at times quite hard to follow - definitely not for anyone who finds troop actions tedious.
The book will be appreciated most by those moderately interested in military history. In this case, it will do extremely well to remind one of the ever-present human element of warfare - something no one should ever lose track of in the search for tales of battlefield heroism and excitement.
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