Stalingrad

Viking, London, 2010. reprint. Hardcover. Very Good Condition/Very Good. List of illustrations, introduction and preface by author, list of maps, to appendices, references, source notes, select bibliography and index. Photographic end pages, both different, though both show the devastation and harsh conditions of the Stalingrad siege. The text is illustrated with four inserts, of eight pages each, of black-and-white photography. Charcoal coloured cloth covered boards with black embossed illustration to the front panel and black and white coloured titles the back strip. The front edge of the slip case has a photograph of fighting in the ruins of Stalingrad, the other panels are of a black colour. A compulsive narrative of the harrowing siege that was the psychological turning point of World War II, drawn from sources never-before seen by Western scholars. In June 1941, German forces swept across Soviet territory in an offensive that finally brought them within twenty-five miles of Moscow. But in August 1942, the overconfident Hitler chose the wrong target, Stalin's namesake city on the Volga. The battle of Stalingrad is extraordinary in every way: the triumphant invader fought to a standstill; then the Soviet trap sprung, surrounding their attackers; and the terrible siege, with Germans starving and freezing, forced to fight on by a disbelieving Hitler. The story has never been told as Antony Beevor tells it here. He writes of the great Manichaean clash between Stalin and Hitler, and the strategic brilliance and fatal flaws of their generals. Stalingrad is first and foremost the story of the man on the ground, a soldier's-eye view of fighting house-to-house on an urban battlefield, with helpless civilians caught in the crossfire. Beevor has gained access to Russian reports on desertions and executions that have never been seen by Western scholars, German transcripts of prisoner interrogations, and private letters and diaries. These help re-create the compelling human drama of the most terrible battle in modern warfare. Minor rubbing of the book corners. The slip case is a little rubbed otherwise no damage. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. [4], V - XX, [2], 3 - 400 [1] pages,. Please refer to accompanying picture (s). Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: 1-2 kilos. Category: Military & Warfare; 1917-1991 (Soviet Union) - History; Russia; World War II; Russia. Inventory No: 0289170. .