The best world war ii books, as recommended by one of the most distinguished historians of the period, sir antony beevor. The battle on the eastern front between 1941 and 1945 was arguably the single most decisive factor of world war ii, fixing the course of world history over the next half century. During world war ii, german forces begin their siege of leningrad, a major industrial center and the ussr s secondlargest city. German army veteran of world war ii remembers the eastern front and his years as a pow in. Eastern front world war ii books casemate publishers. The epic siege of world war ii, 19411944 by anna reid, stalingrad. His thesis is that the wehrmacht was worn out after 8 weeks of operation barbarossa by dust in their engines, terrible roads, unsuitable t. The book traces the foundation of the postwar myth of the clean wehrmacht, its support. Strength and loss data eastern front part 1 i have the following table from axis history forum user qvist.
However, in the eastern front, much of the combat happened at low altitudes, and so the mig 3 was not produced in such large numbers as the other fighters. World war ii invasion of the soviet union, 1941 britannica. The eastern front, as the site of nearly all extermination camps, death marches, ghettos, and the majority of pogroms, was central to the holocaust. Gottlob bidermann served in that lethal theater from 1941 to 1945, and his memoir of those years vividly recaptures his grueling experiences with an army marching on the road to ruin. A soviet fighter pilot remembers by sergei kramarenko liked it 3. Drawing on german, american, british, and soviet sources, citinos books discuss, in great detail, the german army and its response to a multi. Online shopping from a great selection at books store.
Buy books about world war 2 eastern front from boffins books. It took place between 23 august 1942 to 2 february 1943 and it was the largest battle on the eastern front. German army veteran of world war ii remembers the eastern. What was the best soviet fighter plane during world war 2.
Well, im going to give you 3 books i recommend you read first in the video, and another list of recommended books. Conditions in the soviet union were often deplorable by german standards. The siege of leningrad, the battle of stalingrad, the battle of moscow, the battle of kursk, and the battle of berlin. What are some of the best books on the eastern front. German premier adolf hitlers disastrous 1941 order to invade the vast soviet union mired nazi. It gives a great overview of russia s conflict in ww2 without getting bogged down in too much detail. Which books should you read first if youre new to the eastern front of ww2. The waffen ss on the eastern front the epic of the volunteer wallonian legion, a unit of the paneuropean waffen ss, as told by its leader, leon degrelle the russians came at dawn, the better part of two regiments, men and tanks silhouetted against the bloodred sun as they moved forward across the steppe. Well, im going to give you 3 books i recommend you read first in. World war ii italy soviet union eastern front defense war. The conflict on the eastern front, fought between the soviet union and nazi germany. Recommended reading on the eastern front every year countless books dealing with wwii are published worldwide. In the hell that was world war ii, the eastern front was its heart of fire and ice. For the campaign against the soviet union, the germans allotted almost 150 divisions containing a total of about 3,000,000 men.
The eastern front of world war ii was a theatre of conflict between the european axis powers and cobelligerent finland against the soviet union ussr, poland and other allies, which encompassed central europe, eastern europe, northeast europe, and southeast europe from 22 june 1941 to 9 may 1945. Russian veterans recall horrors of ww2 eastern front. The conflict on the eastern front, fought between the soviet union and nazi germany between 1941 and 1945, was the greatest, most costly, and most brutal conflict on land in human history. Absorbing and thoughtprovoking, litvins story reveals the perseverance, resourcefulness, and astonishing toughness of the typical red army soldier, and is a mustread for anyone interested in the eastern front or soldiers experiences in world war ii. Fantastic new scholarship on soviet strategy leading up to and early in the war, does much to explain and dispel many of the myths that obscure the crucial first year of the war. I learned that my new book, first day on the eastern front, had won a stoney. At the end of world war i, the germans adopted the elastic defense ir depth and continued to use it as therr basic doctrine through the end of world war ii. List of books and articles about world war ii eastern front online. Timeline of the eastern front of world war ii wikipedia. It has certainly added to my overall knowledge of the european element of the war. It is just that we came across some readable literature on ww2, and thought it fit to share our thoughts with you. German army veteran of world war ii remembers the eastern front and his years as a pow in soviet camps.
It is therefore a great starting point for those who dont know much of what took place on the eastern front. The memoirs of a german soldier on the eastern front by gunter k. It was arguably the single most decisive factor of the war, and shaped the postwar world as we know it. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. Red army valor in world war ii the full cavaliers of the soviet order of.
World war iis eastern front get to know the other side of world war ii the cold, bitter battles, the endless sieges and amazing sacrificesall this and more in your free report. It discusses perceptions of the eastern front of world war ii in the united states in the context of historical revisionism. Russias engagement with germany on the eastern front during world war ii was. Online shopping for eastern front from a great selection at books store. World war ii memoirs of hero of the soviet union, dmitriy loza by d. Many cover the fighting in the east between nazi germany and the soviet union. From the coast of france to the pacific theater, discover the best world war ii books that examine the conflicts murky origins and complex legacies. World war ii world war ii invasion of the soviet union, 1941. The great war suffused russian culture to an extraordinary degree.
The nazi soviet war in american popular culture is a 2008 book by the american historians ronald smelser and edward j. In january 1942, the nazis published a 60page booklet titled german soldiers in the soviet union. Discover librarianselected research resources on world war ii eastern front from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic. These memoirs are important in that they provide new insights into world war ii on the eastern front. The great patriotic war gpw of the soviet people against nazi germany, known in the west as the eastern front of wwii, continues to attract a number of military historians from different countries around the world.
The best books on world war ii recommended by antony beevor. The eastern front was the decisive theater of world war ii in europe. The battle for russia wwii documentary ww documentaries. Germany was divided between the eastern soviet section and the western section. Sobering account of the intelligence war on the eastern front. War is always far more than just a military event, and the cultural effects of world war are massive. Using afteraction reports, unit war diaries, and other primary materials, major wray analyzes the doctrine and tactics that the germans used on the eastern front during world war ii.
Battleground prussia does not disappoint in that regard, holding little back as the final stages of the war in europe involved giving germany just a taste of what they had given to the ussr. Over the course of four years, more than 400 red army and german divisions clashed in a series of operations along a front. Gottlob bidermann served in that lethal theater from 1941 to 1945, and his memoir of those years vividly recaptures his. The eastern front of the second world war or great patriotic war was an extremely long and violent combat between two great powers.
Among these were 19 panzer divisions, and in total the barbarossa force had about 3,000 tanks, 7,000 artillery pieces, and 2,500 aircraft. When we start researching about a new topic it is usual to not know from where to start researching. These twentyone classics cover the war from the eastern front to the south pacific, and investigate its murky origins and complex legacies. The author pulls no punches and this adds to the vivid detail and takes the reader into the heart of the red army. He was a russian born journalist and war correspondent, working for a british newspaper. The activity emerged after the nazi german operation barbarossa during world war ii, and according to great soviet encyclopedia it was coordinated and controlled by the. I just read operation barbarossa and germanys defeat in the east by david stahel, which i highly recommend. The soviet partisans were members of resistance movements that fought a guerrilla war against the axis forces in the soviet union, the previously soviet occupied territories of interwar poland in 194145 and eastern finland. Most general histories of the eastern front tend to gloss over this campaign compared to others, so i wanted to really get into it. Below is the timeline of the events of the eastern front of world war ii, the conflict between nazi germany and the soviet union from 1941 to 1945.
The biggest battles of the eastern front during world war ii. Written by a member of the red army infantry, the reader gets a boots on the group d experience of the battle and afterwards. A german soldiers memoir of the eastern front modern war studies by gottlob herbert bidermann, et al book description. Soviet counterintelligence against the nazis, 19411945 robert w. Russia staged a huge military parade in moscow saturday to mark the 70th anniversary of victory in the second world war over nazi germany. A german soldiers memoir of the eastern front by gottlob herbert bidermann. In recent years we have witnessed the publication of a multitude of military memoirs by red army soldiers. Eastern front stalingrad kursk hitler stalin nazi germany. In absolute war, acclaimed historian and journalist chris bellamy crafts the first full account since the fall of the soviet union of world war iis battle on the eastern front, one of the deadliest conflicts in history the conflict on the eastern front, fought between the soviet union and nazi germany between 1941 and 1945, was the greatest, most costly, and most brutal conflict on land. The complete wwii diary and history of the sturmgeschutz brigade 236. The siege of leningrad, the battle of stalingrad, the battle of moscow, the battle of kursk, and the battle of berlin by charles river editors jul 25, 2016. Now, drawing on sources newly available since the collapse of the soviet union and the reunification of germany, historian and journalist chris bellamy presents the.
The same authors in analyzing world war ii eastern front battles. Annotated list of books about the eastern front contains a great compilation of books that are excellent academic and readable resources about the eastern front from a variety of. Nor do we claim that we underline the best books on ww2. When the nazis invaded the soviet union in june 1941, they encountered a propaganda windfall. The frontline veterans reminiscences occupy a prominent place among most important documents of that time. We do not claim that our recommendations are ultimate. A 6 book lot about titanic struggle that was the war between nazi germany and the soviet union. Nikolai litvins remembrances are witness to the versatility, endurance, and patience of the red army soldier. Make your next great read one of these essential world war ii books.
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