Operation Barbarossa 1941: Hitler against Stalin

by Christer Bergström

Overview

Illustrated with over 250 photos, many never previously published, this is an objective, balanced account, published in time for the 75th anniversary of the start of Operation Barbarossa on 22nd June 2016.

Operation Barbarossa was the largest military campaign in history. Springing from Hitler’s fanatical desire to conquer the Soviet territories, defeat Bolshevism and create ‘Lebensraum’ for the German people, it pitted two diametrically opposed armed forces against one another.

The invasion began with 4.5 million troops attacking 2.3 million defenders. On one side was the Wehrmacht, without any doubt the world’s most advanced military force. On the other were the Soviet armed forces, downtrodden, humiliated, decapitated and terrorized by an autocratic and crude dictator with no military education whatsoever.

Based on decades of research work in both German and Russian archives, as well as interviews with a large number of key figures and veterans, Operation Barbarossa brings our knowledge on the war on the Eastern Front several big steps forward. It reveals and dispels many myths and misconceptions including: the myth of mass surrenders by Soviet soldiers; the myth about the vast differences in troop casualties between the two sides; the myth of the Soviet partisans and the myth that it was the Arctic cold that halted the German offensive. It also does not shy away from difficult truths such as the true nature of Finland’s participation in Operation Barbarossa, and the massive scale of rapes committed by German troops.

Christer Bergström has once again produced what will be the definitive account of this monumental campaign.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612004013
Publisher:	Casemate Publishers
Publication date:	07/04/2016
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.80(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Christer Bergström has published 23 books on World War II. He specialises on World War Two and in the past has focussed on the Eastern Front. Previous bestsellers "The Ardennes" and "Battle of Britain" sold over 3,000 copies within six months.

Table of Contents

Maps
Operation Barbarossa, June – December 1941
Offensive in the Center, June – September 1941
Offensive in the North, June – November 1941
Offensive in the South, June – December 1941
The Finnish front
Operation Typhoon
The Soviet counter-offensive

Glossary and guide to abbreviations
Rank equivalency
Time line
Preface
Brandenburgers in the Night

1. Hitler against Stalin
2. Lebensraum
3. The Wehrmacht versus the Red Army
4. Towards the abyss
5. Strike at dawn
6. The first battles of annihilation
7. Tank battles in the North
8. The advance towards Kiev
9. The advance towards Moscow
10. The Blitzkrieg is halted
11. Annihilation in the Ukraine
12. Leningrad holds out
13. The Finnish front
14. The final attempt against Leningrad
15. Typhoon against Moscow
16. The race for “the Soviet Ruhr area”
17. The battle of the Crimea
18. The Red Army strikes back

Results and Conclusions
I. The military scene
II. The war of annihilation

Appendix
1. Order of battle on 22 June 1941
2. German and Soviet unit structures in June 1941
3. Tanks in Operation Barbarossa
4. Aircraft in Operation Barbarossa
5. Loss tables

Sources
Chapter notes
Index

Editorial Reviews

"This is a very impressive piece of work, that gives us a much more convincing account of Operation Barbarossa, with convincing reasons for both the German successes and their eventual failure."

History of War

...Bergstrom offers far more verifiable facts about far more facets of the war. In particular, he quotes specific numbers of tanks, troops, casualties, aircraft, victories, losses, and more. Where sources disagree, he generally points out and attempts to reconcile the differences. Instead of simply providing the same old rote outline of operations, he explains how plans evolved as the campaign progressed. He observes the workings of headquarters and troops on both sides of the front, balancing the views from Moscow and Berlin. His account also fully integrates air operations with events on the ground. ...Many excerpts from firsthand accounts ... His final section, "The War of Annihilation" forcefully brings home the horribly murderous aspects of the war that can be too easily forgotten in strictly military works. The state of the art has come a long, long way since Hitler Moves East in 1964. Operation Barbarossa 1941: Hitler against Stalin is one of the results of that progress in scholarship, bringing better accuracy, balance, and clarity to the old story....

Stone & Stone Second World War Books

Takes on the conventional 'wisdom' boldly; good photos; well organized; unafraid to confront German and Finnish atrocities; boldly states the Nazi goals in eastern Europe; very readable/accessible… This book will get you thinking, especially if you have not read some of the more recent scholarship on the eastern front. If you like a good dose of history alongside your models this is an excellent book. It is easy enough for a first-time student of the eastern front, but thoughtful enough for those who have done extensive reading… Very HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

AMPS

"...Takes on the conventional 'wisdom' boldly; good photos; well organized; unafraid to confront German and Finnish atrocities; boldly states the Nazi goals in eastern Europe; very readable/accessible...This book will get you thinking, especially if you have not read some of the more recent scholarship on the eastern front. If you like a good dose of history alongside your models this is an excellent book. It is easy enough for a first-time student of the eastern front, but thoughtful enough for those who have done extensive reading. Bergstrom is better at posing important questions than he is at answering them. I found myself thinking this book is the beginning of several debates, not the end.

Armor Modeling and Preservation Society

"...a tour de force on operation Barbarossa and all of its facets...Where this new rendition goes beyond all others in its field is where the author challenges, and proves, many of the items that we take as gospel in the earlier histories, and shows them to be false. Some of these myths are about the mass surrender of Soviet soldiers and the disparity between the casualties suffered on both sides. The book is a treasure trove of information about subjects that have never before been brought to print. It goes deeply into the partisan and anti-partisan part of the war. The author does not shy away from the many ugly facts about this time in history. He goes into detail about the Nazi 'cleansing' and the amount of cooperation that the Nazis received from some of the indigenous populations. There is even a part of the book that goes into the amount of rapes committed by the German soldiers. The author also shows in detail that the Axis armies actually outnumbered the Russian forces on June 22 1941....The text with all of its tons of details of the day to day operations and human involvement is without a doubt the best covering of this campaign in print."

A Wargamers Needful Things

"...Takes on the conventional 'wisdom' boldly; good photos; well organized; unafraid to confront German and Finnish atrocities; boldly states the Nazi goals in eastern Europe; very readable/accessible...This book will get you thinking, especially if you have not read some of the more recent scholarship on the eastern front. If you like a good dose of history alongside your models this is an excellent book. It is easy enough for a first-time student of the eastern front, but thoughtful enough for those who have done extensive reading. Bergstrom is better at posing important questions than he is at answering them. I found myself thinking this book is the beginning of several debates, not the end.

Armor Modeling Preservation Sociey

"...a tour de force on operation Barbarossa and all of its facets...Where this new rendition goes beyond all others in its field is where the author challenges, and proves, many of the items that we take as gospel in the earlier histories, and shows them to be false. Some of these myths are about the mass surrender of Soviet soldiers and the disparity between the casualties suffered on both sides. The book is a treasure trove of information about subjects that have never before been brought to print. It goes deeply into the partisan and anti-partisan part of the war. The author does not shy away from the many ugly facts about this time in history. He goes into detail about the Nazi 'cleansing' and the amount of cooperation that the Nazis received from some of the indigenous populations. There is even a part of the book that goes into the amount of rapes committed by the German soldiers. The author also shows in detail that the Axis armies actually outnumbered the Russian forces on June 22 1941....The text with all of its tons of details of the day to day operations and human involvement is without a doubt the best covering of this campaign in print.
"

Wargamer's Needful Things

...Bergstrom offers far more verifiable facts about far more facets of the war. In particular, he quotes specific numbers of tanks, troops, casualties, aircraft, victories, losses, and more. Where sources disagree, he generally points out and attempts to reconcile the differences. Instead of simply providing the same old rote outline of operations, he explains how plans evolved as the campaign progressed. He observes the workings of headquarters and troops on both sides of the front, balancing the views from Moscow and Berlin. His account also fully integrates air operations with events on the ground. ...Many excerpts from firsthand accounts ... His final section, "The War of Annihilation" forcefully brings home the horribly murderous aspects of the war that can be too easily forgotten in strictly military works. The state of the art has come a long, long way since Hitler Moves East in 1964. Operation Barbarossa 1941: Hitler against Stalin is one of the results of that progress in scholarship, bringing better accuracy, balance, and clarity to the old story....

Stone and Stone