Description
Book SynopsisA fundamental reassessment of Germany's 1941 campaign against the Soviet Union - a key turning point of the Second World War. This book highlights the enormous internal problems of the vital Panzer forces and reveals that their demise in the earliest phase of the war undermined the whole German invasion.
Trade Review'… thought-provoking and valuable. It dispels any illusions that the first months of Operation Barbarossa were a pushover for the Wehrmacht; Stahel documents in detail, from German war diaries and letters, the heavy fighting and the high casualties.' Evan Mawdsley, The English Historical Review
'… a thoroughly researched, comprehensive, and convincing analysis of Barbarossa … Any still-lingering notions of a German 'genius for war', as opposed to skill in some aspects of warmaking, is unlikely to survive this intellectually-disciplined, archivally-documented analysis of one of history's most misbegotten, mistakenly executed campaigns.' Dennis Showalter, Journal of Military History
'Stahel paints a convincing portrait of a Germany army whose shape edge was already well into the process of being blunted during the first weeks of the fighting … This is a serious book and a welcome contribution to the military debate over Operation Barbarossa, a debate that has largely been carried out in the 'English speaking world' up till now.' Robert M. Citino, Central European History
'The author's research is impressive … Stahel's clearly written and accessible account convincingly questions the competency of the German planning for Barbarossa … all will profit from reading this fine work.' Howard D. Grier, The Journal of Modern History
'Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East will undoubtedly stand as a standard work on the first phase of Operation Barbarossa for a long time to come … The staggering amount of detail offered ensures this is an invaluable addition to Eastern Front literature and Operation Barbarossa in particular.' Yan Mann, Global War Studies
'… a thrilling book that no military historian can afford to ignore.' German History
Table of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. Strategic Plans and Theoretical Conceptions for War against the Soviet Union: 1. Fighting the bear; 2. The gathering storm; 3. Barbarossa's sword - Hitler's armed forces in 1941; 4. The advent of war; Part II. The Military Campaign and the July/August Crisis of 1941: 5. Awakening the bear; 6. The perilous advance to the east; 7. The Battle of Smolensk; 8. The attrition of Army Group Centre; 9. In search of resurgence; 10. Showdown; Conclusion.
