Glantz's "Stalingrad Trilogy"

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aktionman

aktionman

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May 10, 2006
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Perhaps this news has been mentioned, but again it seems so appropriate to RO:HOS that it probably needs to be stacked beside every player and mapper's keyboard for reference... :D

The trilogy on Stalingrad is in the making by the well-known Ostfront historian David Glantz.

Volume 1 of the Stalingrad Trilogy was published only a few months ago and covers events from April to August 1942.
(Obligatory amazon.com reference: http://www.amazon.com/Gates-Stalingrad-Soviet-German-Operations-April-August/dp/0700616306)

Volume 2 is due for publication this month. No news on the 3rd volume, but not to be confused with his work called "After Stalingrad".

These are monsters of books and it is very likely that the trilogy will eventually number over 2000 pages.

2o8IH3up51L-Stalingrad
 
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Nestor Makhno

FNG / Fresh Meat
Feb 25, 2006
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Yeah - just got the first book about the months leading up to the main battle.

So far I haven't got very far into it - in fact I am having a hard time dealing with the name/date/unit spam of the introductions to the dramatis personae - I feel like I need to make a database to assimilate all the info that is presented and that is not really a good thing.

I am hoping that it will become clearer as we get into the action itself. There is no denying Glantz's depth and breadth of knowledge but the accessibility of this information or the ability to turn the material into an engaging read is not yet proven.

I notice that Mike Jones provided part of the back-cover blurb. Good for him - hope it helps sales of his own book about Stalingrad, which is excellent.
 
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Nestor Makhno

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Feb 25, 2006
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Well, I've got some way into the descriptions of the campaigns now and the style of writing has improved slightly.

Still rather dense and spammy but I guess you have to make allowances for the fact that the guy is a historian first and writer second.

One thing that comes across very clearly is the effect of poor communications on the Russian command structure at all levels. It seems that very often units were encircled wholesale before the ciommander had even had time to react to the news that his units were in any great danger.

..and as for the effect of this kind of situation on armoured assaults, the kind of counterstroke by the newly formed tank armies that Stalin wanted to see - well let's just say that co-ordination of forces simply was not there at that stage of the war for the Russians. Tanks without radios is a pretty poor start to that kind of venture.
 
fiftyone

fiftyone

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May 6, 2006
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I'd be interested to know Nestor, what you thought about Beevor's Stalingrad ?
I found it a little vague.

A bit like the Sun, without the titbit's.
 
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Nestor Makhno

FNG / Fresh Meat
Feb 25, 2006
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I am afraid I am not a big fan of Beevor's book.

It's like he did some research but, where he didn't have info or just couldn't be arsed, he tended to trot out some of the old stuff that the US interrogators got from German POWs when the POWs were trying to justify their presence in the Soviet Union. I mean repeating all these accounts where the Soviets were basically orc hordes or something who threw themselves at the German guns 'cos they were being forced to by the NKVD.

A good example of what I mean is where Beevor talks about the commander of the 64th Rifle Division shooting every tenth man in his ranks (literally 'decimation') to encourage the others not to desert.

I can find no references to this act in any other texts and Beevor himself does not give a reference for this. I personally do not believe that decimation like this would STOP desertion, rather that it would encourage it. This story, however, has since become 'common knowledge' amongst people who discuss Stalingrad. This is, simply put, bad history.

In general the book is quite well-written and well-presented but little 'bombshells' such as the one I mentioned lead me to question the impartiality of the author.
 
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fiftyone

fiftyone

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May 6, 2006
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Thanks Nestor, that sums up my own thoughts.
I was being overly polite when referring to The Sun.
 
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