PDF Barbarossa The RussianGerman Conflict 194145 Alan Clark 9780688042684 Books
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On June 22, 1941, before dawn, German tanks and guns began firing across the Russian border. It was the beginning of Hitler's Operation Barbarossa, one of the most brutal campaigns in the history of warfare. Four years later, the victorious Red Army has suffered a loss of seven million lives. Alan Clark's incisive analysis succeeds in explaining how a fighting force that in one two-month period lost two million men was nevertheless able to rally to defeat the Wehrmacht. The Barbarossa campaign included some of the greatest episodes in military history the futile attack on Moscow in the winter of 1941-42, the siege of Stalingrad, the great Russian offensive beginning in 1944 that would lead the Red Army to the historic meeting with the Americans at the Elbe and on to victory in Berlin.
Barbarossa is a classic of miltary history. This paperback edition contains a new preface by the author.
PDF Barbarossa The RussianGerman Conflict 194145 Alan Clark 9780688042684 Books
"There has been a lot of scholarship since this was first published in 1965 (updated in the mid-70s I think), but this still stands the test of time and is probably the most readable account available. Glantz goes way way too deep, and other authors base themselves on new interpretations (Stahel) — all good and very worthwhile — but I keep coming back to Clark for the clarity and coherence of the story. He, like most, glosses over the underlying evil that marked the genesis and purpose of the campaign, and the unpardonable conduct (holocaust, prisoners, reprisals) and the absolute complicity of the senior officers who claimed no knowledge. But that is par for most eastern campaign narratives that only a few authors have heroically tackled."
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Barbarossa The RussianGerman Conflict 194145 Alan Clark 9780688042684 Books Reviews :
Barbarossa The RussianGerman Conflict 194145 Alan Clark 9780688042684 Books Reviews
- I love this book. Others have done a fantastic job of describing its pros and its cons (yes, there are a few flaws). But the reason I consider this book to be THE DEFINITIVE WORK on the Eastern Front during WWII is because Alan Clark, a Western historian, boldly declared in 1964, in the middle of the Cold War, the following (hereafter an excerpt from Clark's Preface, p. xxi)
"From this study is one left with any general conclusions? I believe the answer is yes, but they are not of a kind from which we in the West can derive much comfort. It does seem that the Russians could have won the war on their own, or at least fought the Germans to a standstill, without any help from the West. Such relief as they derived from our participation - the distraction of a few enemy units, the supply of a large quantity of material - was marginal, not critical. That is to say, it affected the duration but not the outcome of the struggle. It is true that once the Allies had landed in Normandy the drawing-off of reserves assumed critical proportions. But the threat, much less the reality, of a 'second front' became a factor only after the real crisis in the East had passed."
Writing this in 1964 took a lot of courage. And it speaks to why this book is such a worthy read for anyone studying World War Two - the author obviously has made sincere and fervent attempts to speak the truth as much as he could perceive it, which in the final analysis is the duty of all true historians. - The hardcover edition of this book was published in 1965, with an author's forward for the reprinted version in 1985. Despite the archival resources that the author didn't have access to in 1965, his research efforts and literary skills bring Operation Barbarossa to life.
The description that the author provides on the relationships between Hitler and his generals contributes to the doom that befell the Germans during a campaign that was massive in scale and depth. The euphoria that spellbound the German army after their successful invasions of Poland and France would not apply to the war on the Eastern Front.
We learn about the resentment and maneuvering that occurred within the German High Command and the inner circle of Adolf Hitler. Even before the invasion of Russia, the mistrust that plagued the command structure of the German army played out in power struggles that contributed to the demise of Barbarossa.
The author accesses the map rooms of Adolf Hitler and we witness the slow mental and physical decline of the leader who said that the "world will hold its breath" when the German army invaded Russia. We see the mistakes that German leadership made prior to the invasion 1) underestimating Red Army forces; 2) difficulties with logistics and supplies; 3) a limited understanding of history on the part of Adolf Hitler; 4) poor intelligence concerning Russia strength; 5) a lack of winter clothing; 5) wider gauged railroad tracks in Russia than in Germany; 6) Hitler's claim that just kicking in the door will cause the" entire rotten structure of Russia to come crashing down." The German Army was confronted by an opponent of a completely different kind from those in the West; it failed to appreciate that the Russian soldier "loves a fight and scorns death."
This information sets the stage before German tanks and guns began firing across the Russian border. The early days of the invasion resemble those of Poland and France, but the German Army quickly learns that the resistance of the Russian soldier is so intense that some believe they have killed the same man twice. The summer successes that the German Army experiences with victories at Mink and Smolensk contribute to the false belief that the campaign will end in months. The intoxicating momentum that drives the German Army comes to a grinding halt when Hitler decided to attack Leningrad and Kiev instead of Moscow. His decision to divide the strength of Army Group Center - and postpone a full assault on Moscow before the rains and winter set in - does not bode well for the German Army.
If you like World War Two history, please consider having this book on your shelf. The details that it provides on Operation Typhoon (the Batlle of Moscow) as well as the deathtrap of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk will not disappoint. You will be introduced to Guderian and Manstein on the German side and to Zhukov, Chuikov, and Timoshenko on the Russian side. The last chapter concerns the final, ill-fated efforts that the German Army made to slow the Russian forces that head to Berlin. This book provides the foundation and inspiration for other authors to write about a very important part of miliaty history. - There has been a lot of scholarship since this was first published in 1965 (updated in the mid-70s I think), but this still stands the test of time and is probably the most readable account available. Glantz goes way way too deep, and other authors base themselves on new interpretations (Stahel) — all good and very worthwhile — but I keep coming back to Clark for the clarity and coherence of the story. He, like most, glosses over the underlying evil that marked the genesis and purpose of the campaign, and the unpardonable conduct (holocaust, prisoners, reprisals) and the absolute complicity of the senior officers who claimed no knowledge. But that is par for most eastern campaign narratives that only a few authors have heroically tackled.
