Hitler made two fundamental and crippling mistakes during the Second
World War. The first was his whimsical belief that the United Kingdom
would eventually become his ally, which delayed his decision to launch
a major invasion of Britain, whose army was unprepared for the force
of blitzkrieg warfare. The second was the ill-conceived Operation
Barbarossa--an invasion of Russia that was supposed to take the German
army to the gates of Moscow. Antony Beevor's thoughtfully researched
compendium recalls this epic struggle for Stalingrad. No-one, least of
all the Germans, could foretell the deep well of Soviet resolve that
would become the foundation of the Red Army; Russia, the Germans
believed, would fall as swiftly as France and Poland. The ill-prepared
Nazi forces were trapped in a bloody war of attrition against the
Russian behemoth, which held them in the pit of Stalingrad for nearly
two years. Beevor points out that the Russians were by no means ready
for the war either, making their stand even more remarkable; Soviet
intelligence spent as much time spying on its own forces--in fear of
desertion, treachery and incompetence--as they did on the Nazis.
Due attention is also given to the points of view of the soldiers and
generals of both forces, from the sickening battles to life in the
gulags.

Download File Size:465.49 MB

---