- Paperback: 544 pages
- Publisher: Phoenix; New Ed edition (12 July 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0304358649
- ISBN-13: 978-0304358649
- Product Dimensions: 13.8 x 4.7 x 21.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
142,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #45 in Books > History > World History > World War II 1939-1945 > Eastern Front
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Product Description
Book Description
The classic account of the war on the Eastern Front between the Russians and the Germans - the greatest clash of arms the world has ever seen - written by the eminent military historian, diarist and politician Alan Clark.
Product Description
Carefully researched and beautifully written, this book is a classic of military history. Alan Clark vividly narrates the course of the dramatic and brutal war between the German and Russians on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. From the invasion of Russia mounted on Midsummer's Day 1941 and the German Army's advance to the outskirts of Moscow, to the terrible turning point of Stalingrad and the eventual defeat of the Nazis at the Fall of Berlin after the hard years of fighting and advance by the Red Army, this is epic history narrated by a master.
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First Sentence
On the afternoon of Sunday, 5th November, 1939, it was raining in Berlin. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
On the afternoon of Sunday, 5th November, 1939, it was raining in Berlin. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
95 of 101 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first read this splendid one-volume history of the Russo-German conflict of WW2 more than thirty years ago and its immediacy, masterful simplification of complex campaigns and operations, colourful evocations of heroism and cowardice and outright pathos have never left me. This is not a detailed history and the concentration is on a few major, but decisive, campaigns but these are covered with such verve that the reader is quite likely to be fascinated by the subject for the rest of their lives, and to seek out ever more thereafter. Though meticulous in his descriptions and evaluations, Clark is never a neutral observer - and this is probably what makes the book so totally unforgettable even down to individual episodes. His judgements on men can be devastating - his summary of the clownish ineptitude and outdated heroics of Budenny is as succinct and merciless as anything in Gibbon - and his accounts of epic-scale actions never fail to reflect the human cost. The image of hundreds of thousands of Russian prisoners trudging towards starvation, slave labour and medical experiments after the great 1941encirclement battles in the Ukraine, and of isolated pockets fighting to the last man, as loudspeakers relayed the exhortations of Stalin, will stay with the reader forever. Clark's account of Stalingrad was powerful enough to send my wife and myself to the city itself within months of reading the book - a powerful and unforgettable experience. Clark did not just give us the feel the nightmare of street fighting across entire square miles of blazing ruins and factories, but he helped us visualise the abject misery of the Sixth Army's entombed survivors as, in the unlikely surroundings of a rebuilt department store's basement, we found the spot where von Paulus surrendered. Simultaneously, we were conscious that somewhere to the west that von Manstein's relief forces were stalled, supplies packed in trucks that included even British vehicles captured at Dunkirk eighteen months before. By such details is history brought alive. The section on Kursk could almost stand alone as a modern Illiad and description of the destruction of Army Group Centre, and of the final battles in Germany itself, conveys the full horror of what it means to be part of a hitherto coherent organism in terminal collapse. I came to this book again when my daughter asked me to recommend an introduction to the subject - and from her enthusiasm, three decades on, I sensed that in this book we probably have a timeless classic. Other books deal with the Great Patriotic War in greater detail - commander's accounts, of which the best is probably von Manstein's "Lost Victories", war-correspondent's accounts like Alexander Werth's "Russia at War" or Curzio Malapartre's searing "The Volga rises in Europe", modern reassessments of specific campaigns like Anthony Beevor's superb "Stalingrad" and popular histories like Harrison Salisbury's "The Thousand Days" - but none can equal this as an introduction and as an overview. By the sweep of the narrative, by the elegance of the prose, by the power of the imagery and, above all, by the sheer humanity of tone, this marvellous history justifies Alan Clark's entire life. A wonderful book.
29 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book made me see the Russo-German campaign in a new light. Previously-held beliefs that the Russians were somewhat fortunate to survive the might of the Nazi war machine in the early stages were swept away by Alan Clark's account of the unpreparedness of the Wehrmacht for the campaign in the first place, the arrogance and ineptitude of the German high command and the stubbornness and bravery of the ordinary Russian soldier. He goes into great detail about the movement of armies and who did what and where, interspersed with personal accounts from people who actually did the fighting. He also makes reference from time to time of the constant in-fighting between the German generals, vying for personal power bases and favours from Hitler, all to the detriment of the German war effort. Alan Clark traces the campaign from beginning to end, from the early years of German successes to their disatrous failures at Leningrad, Stalingrad and Kursk, and finally to the Russians at the gates of the Fuhrerbunker in Berlin. If you like strategy, then this is for you.
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
While not containing the small personal details of Beevor's Stalingrad and Berlin, this book is nonetheless a fascinating read, and will make you eager to learn more, which is no bad thing. Clark's grasp of politics is clear from his descriptions of the machinations of the German high command and in the final months the mistrust between the allied leaders as they approached Berlin. An excellent grounding in the subject, almost worth buying for the verbatim texts of many of Hitler's conferences alone, which clearly chart his mental disintegration towards the end. Recommended.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Barbarossa,Alan Clarke
I hadn't realised it was a reissue of a very old book. It shows it's age--some info could have done with revising in light of later knowledge. Read more
Published 8 months ago by desmond
The war of the Century... or of all time,
I used the same subject line for my review of Russia at War 1941 - 1945. by Alexander Werth. Both books are lengthy, but then the subject matter is immense: the most savage, brutal... Read more
Published 14 months ago by John P. Jones III
battered
The book, which I read in paperback, is superb, still one of the best single volume studies of the Eastern Front. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Terry Oreilly
Outdated and disappointing
After finishing this book, I was left feeling very disappointed, and actually, a bit irritated.
First, it is not a complete account of the Russo-German war (as admitted... Read more
First, it is not a complete account of the Russo-German war (as admitted... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Falk
5 Stars!
I have not been able to put this book down since getting it. I love the way it's written and how it flows is just fantastic. Read more
Published on 27 Jan 2010 by Combover
Brilliant
This book has been favourably reviewed many times here so I won't add detailed comments. This is the second time I have read the work and I can hardly fault it (yet I shall). Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2008 by Pragmatist
A gripping account of the titanic struggle in the East
I never tire of returning to Alan Clark's account of Barbarossa, which whilst sometimes short on technical detail, recounts with some style the ebb and flow of four years of... Read more
Published on 11 Dec 2006 by J. Turner
Excellent read
I came across this book having previously read Stalingrad Berlin and Moscow 1941. It is an excellent read which is easy to follow and understand. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2006 by Mr. R. J. Wilson
Probably the best boook covering the Eastern Front theatre
I've had this book now for about 3 years. I've read upteem books that cover, either wholly or in part, the Eastern Front but this is by far the most comprehensive and... Read more
Published on 7 Dec 2005 by David Walker
A great book
The book is well written containing all the relevant info in an enjoyable to read way. Arguments for and against Hitlers intervention in his generals affairs are very informative... Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2004 by "stuartm395"
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