Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1593904 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-28
• Binding: Hardcover
• 279 pages

Financial Times
'...engrossing and at times quite moving.'

The Spectator
'...gripping, poignant...'

News Letter, Northern Ireland
'Axell has spoken to many survivors of the battles and uses their testimony to create a highly readable account of the Eastern Front.'

Customer Reviews

Interesting but lightweight
This was not quite the book I expected.

Some of the tales about individuals are OK but others leave a lot to be desired. I was probably looking for something a bit deeper and what I got was a book which seemed to scratch at the surface.

There seems to be an absence of 'first' hand accounts (perhaps with the passage of time there was no one left to give them) and I felt that the book comprised a collection of cobbled together sketchy 'fifth' hand accounts of actual events with very little background.

Definitely not a book for the serious reader but if you want an easy read and some basic information on the bravery of a number of individuals from different arms of the Russian military it's OK.

Inspiring
A book packed full of the personal and collective sacrifices and endurance of the Soviet Forces and People in the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany.

The author relates accounts of incredible courage and valour but also heartbreaking stories of fortitude and suffering, none more so than that of a mother losing her 9 nine sons in combat. He conveys the stoicism and determination of the Soviets to withstand and eventually overcome the Germans despite the cost involved.

This book pays tribute to the unbreakable spirit of the individual to battle against and surmount overwhelming obstacles, both physically and mentally, in the most terrible of circumstances.

This book is a little gem which will inspire and leave you full of admiration for the Soviets who endured the sufferings of the war on the Eastern Front