Product Description

In October 1942, a panzer officer wrote ‘Stalingrad is no longer a town... Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure’. The battle for Stalingrad became the focus of Hitler and Stalin's determination to win the gruesome, vicious war on the eastern front. The citizens of Stalingrad endured unimaginable hardship; the battle, with fierce hand-to-hand fighting in each room of each building, was brutally destructive to both armies. But the eventual victory of the Red Army, and the failure of Hitler's Operation Barbarossa, was the first defeat of Hitler's territorial ambitions in Europe, and the start of his decline. An extraordinary story of tactical genius, civilian bravery, obsession, carnage and the nature of war itself, Stalingrad will act as a testament to the vital role of the soviet war effort.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #881 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

Review
A superb re-telling. Beevor combines a soldier's understanding of war's realities with the narrative techniques of a novelist . . . This is a book that lets the reader look into the face of battle (Sunday Telegraph )

A brilliantly researched tour de force of military history (The Times )

About the Author
Antony Beevor began his career as a professional officer in the 11th Hussars. He is the author of several books, including Berlin, The Spanish Civil War, Crete and The Mystery of Olga Chekhova. With his wife, Artemis Cooper, he wrote Paris After the Liberation, but he is best known for his book Stalingrad, the international No 1 bestseller, and winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize, Wolfson Price and Hawthornden Prize. He lives in London and Kent.

Customer Reviews

Staggering
I have read and re-read this book because of its brilliance. It is chilling but very very accessible. The humanity and inhumanity is so well written that it appears almost to be a work of fiction. You do not need to be an avid war historian to enjoy this book as I found most of the interesting parts to be on the day to day life in the kessel and the slow ebbing away of all hope that the 6th army would be saved. The letters home are particularly sad, many were found in a mail sack of a plane that was shot down by the Russians.

This book should be used in schools to highlight the desperation and reality of war.

An outstanding book
Beevor has succeeded in weaving a compelling, thoroughly researched piece of work documenting one of the darkest periods in modern history. The enormity of catastrophe that befalls first the Soviet citizen and Red Army following Germany's invasion, right through to the encirclement and starvation of the German Sixth Army, are described in a riveting (and sobering) detail. The earlier chapters of the book deal with the events that lead to the battle of Stalingrad, although obviously in much less detail than the battle itself (or else the book would span volumes). Where the book really shines, is it's readability - Beevor has the rare qualities of being both an expert historian and a storyteller at the height of his powers. He skilfully interweaves political events, battles, enormous acts of cruelty, military incompetence and personal suffering with staggering acts of heroism and self sacrifice. One of the best books I have ever read - and one that highlights why worlds should be moved to prevent war.

Great book
Great book, brilliantly written. I believe this book set the patch for history / war books to follow. If you like WWII history, yoy must own this one.