The German Way of War on the Eastern Front 1941-1943Jaap Jan BrouwerLabel: Pen & Sword MilitaryDescription: On 22 June 1941 at 0410hrs Operation Barbarossa began. More than 3 million German soldiers crossed the border with the Soviet Union and moved east where 4.7 million Soviet soldiers were waiting for them. Hitler expected his troops would be on the Volga before the end of the year and that important cities such as Moscow and Leningrad would have been captured. But the reality was very different; the Germans made impressive territorial gains but their offensive eventually came to a halt at Stalingrad in December 1942 which proved to be a turning point in the war.This titanic battle is illustrated here using eyewitness accounts from generals soldiers and civilians. Attention is not only paid to the course of the battle but also to the tactics and organizational dimensions of the armies involved the challenges of the vastness of the country the dilemmas for people in the conquered areas and the way the Germans tried to conquer their hearts while at the same time fighting a fierce guerrilla war. The role of the Reichsbahn in the field of logistics is also examined as is the importance of the innovation and production capacity of both armies.
