The confrontation between German and Soviet forces at Stalingrad
was a titanic clash of armies on an unprecedented scale--a campaign
that was both a turning point in World War II and a lasting symbol
of that war's power and devastation. Yet despite the attention
lavished on this epic battle by historians, much about it has been
greatly misunderstood or hidden from view--as David Glantz, the
world's foremost authority on the Red Army in World War II, now
shows.
This first volume in Glantz's masterly trilogy draws on
previously unseen or neglected sources to provide the definitive
account of the opening phase of this iconic Eastern Front campaign.
Glantz has combed daily official records from both sides--including
the Red Army General Staff, the People's Commissariat of Internal
Affairs, the German Sixth Army, and the Soviet 62nd Army--to
produce a work of unparalleled detail and fresh interpretations.
Jonathan House, an authority on twentieth-century warfare, adds
further insight and context.
Hitler's original objective was not Stalingrad but the Caucasus
oilfields to the south of the city. So he divided his Army Group
South into two parts-one to secure the city on his flank, one to
capture the oilfields. Glantz reveals for the first time how
Stalin, in response, demanded that the Red Army stand and fight
rather than withdraw, leading to the numerous little-known combat
engagements that seriously eroded the Wehrmacht's strength before
it even reached Stalingrad. He shows that, although advancing
German forces essentially destroyed the armies of the Soviet
Southwestern and Southern Fronts, the Soviets resisted the German
advance much more vigorously than has been thought through constant
counterattacks, ultimately halting the German offensive at the
gates of Stalingrad.
This fresh, eye-opening account and the subsequent companion
volumes--on the actual battle for the city itself and the
successful Soviet counteroffensive that followed--will dramatically
revise and expand our understanding of what remains a military
campaign for the ages.
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