The Best Books On Stalingrad

Honza

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In the last week I have recieved "Island Of Fire" and "Angriff - The German Attack On Stalingrad In Photos" both by Jason Mark. They cost me over $200 including shipping in total.

I was wondering which are the other great books on the battle?

In particular I'm interested in the battle for the city proper and the factories. Not so much the prelude and aftermath.

Any recommendations?
 

Blind Sniper

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Last year I bought this one: Armageddon in Stalingrad: September-November 1942 (The Stalingrad Trilogy, Volume 2) (Modern War Studies)
Very good, excellent research, nice read.

There are two other titles but I never read them:
An Infantryman in Stalingrad: From 24 September 1942 to 2 February 1943
AN ARTILLERYMAN IN STALINGRAD - Memoirs of a Participant in the Battle.
 

Bambooz

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You might also try "Stalingrad The Fateful Siege: 1942 - 1943" by Antony Beevor and "Enemy at the Gates the battle for Stalingrand" by William Craig
 

Delirium

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A dissenting voice on A Beevor's history of the Stalingrad battles. I read quite a lot of history, although not much military history, and I certainly thought Beevor's Stalingrad book did not deserve the massive praise it received on publication. A substantial proportion of the book focuses on the post defeat fate of the German POWs, which is certainly an interesting subject, but is somewhat beyond the bounds of the Stalingrad battle, per se.

Perhaps I'll be in a minority of one, but I was very much underwhelmed by the book.
 
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Blind Sniper

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Perhaps I'll be in a minority of one, but I was very much underwhelmed by the book.
I agree, if I'm looking for a military history book centred on the battle I would not buy his book.
 

Chas Argent

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A dissenting voice on A Beevor's history of the Stalingrad battles. I read quite a lot of history, although not much military history, and I certainly thought Beevor's Stalingrad book did not deserve the massive praise it received on publication.
My personal jury is still out on Beevor's skill as a military historian, but I find his writing style to be unbearable. I just made it through Stalingrad and have tried to read both Berlin and D-Day without making it past the first 100 pages in either case.
 

Psycho

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Another vote for Enemy at the Gates by William Craig. :thumup:
 

Carln0130

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Honza, you should PM Tom Morin. He is a walking Stalingrad library. I am fairly sure he could supply some good ones for you.
 

M.Koch

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"Death of the leaping Horsemen" by Jason D. Mark. Excellent book about the 24.Panzerdivision on it´s approach to and
their destruction in Stalingrad.
 

Paul_RS

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In the last week I have recieved "Island Of Fire" and "Angriff - The German Attack On Stalingrad In Photos" both by Jason Mark. They cost me over $200 including shipping in total.

I was wondering which are the other great books on the battle?

In particular I'm interested in the battle for the city proper and the factories. Not so much the prelude and aftermath.

Any recommendations?
Most already mentioned are a good buy. If you are looking for material for scenarios then the 'leaping Horseman' books are pretty difficult to beat if indeed they could be.

A slightly more zoomed out view, but with plenty of personal anecdotes, then the Glantz books are also good. I have mentioned it before but I have a feeling that the Glantz triolgy, when complete, will probably become the definitve study of the battle for most people.

Cheers

Paul
 

Casta

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I have a feeling that the Glantz triolgy, when complete, will probably become the definitve study of the battle for most people.
I totally agree with this assessment.

Peace,

Casta
 

Martin Mayers

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Enemy at the Gates by William Craig and Island of Fire by Jason Marks in that order for me
Quite enjoyed War of the Rats recently too but I got the impression a significant proportion of it was flight of fantasy.
 

Barryrk

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Read the first Glantz book and into the second- both are good IMO. not ready to purchase Island of Fire-..yet.
 

Michael Dorosh

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Michael K. Jones wrote a not bad book called STALINGRAD: How the Red Army Triumphed, which has the unique perspective of not having been written from the point of view of the Germans.

I'd also recommend the title from the Ballantine Books series.

I could have sworn we covered this topic just before Christmas, actually. Anyway, the BB title has good, clean maps and is a perfectly functional primer. The Osprey title on the battle, in their CAMPAIGNS series, is not as good as their other titles and struck me as rather poor to be honest.

Edit - yes, we discussed it here: http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?95918-Island-of-Fire...the-Battle-for-the-Barrikady.......Jason-D-Mark&p=1322255&viewfull=1#post1322255

There is a good summary of the battle by Tarrant also, which also has okay maps in it.

Two books that might appeal to you, Jan, are fictionalized accounts of the battle. STALINGRAD by Theodore Plievier and THE FORSAKEN ARMY by Heinrich Gerlach. While fictional, they get at the "emotional" truth of the battle, from the German perspective, and I think would appeal to your sensibilities, knowing what we know about your artistic and sensitive side. They're easily found on the second-hand pocketbook market.

You'll find this fascinating as well:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_Plievier

Stalingrad has been regarded as the most important work of literature to emerge from the eastern front during World War II. Its pitiless descriptions of battle and the failures of the German military leadership indicts Hitler's megalomania and illustrates the senselessness of war.
I have copies of both and while they are indeed fiction, they are still broad in scope and deal with the battle in the city proper in 'historical' terms in addition to being character studies.

Link to Gerlach on amazon - it is well reviewed there:

http://www.amazon.com/Forsaken-Army-Stalingrad-Military-Paperbacks/dp/0304362786/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295654956&sr=8-1

and apparently still in print in English.
 
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Ray Woloszyn

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Nice look from the Soviet commander's side, though you have to strip out the pro-communist drivel on your own.
I guess Chuikov would know what he is talking about. What amazes me is that I do not have that in my 1970's collection of about eighty paperbacks on WWII.
 

Paullus

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My recomendations would be:

Michael K. Jones - STALINGRAD: How the Red Army Triumphed
Jason D. Mark - Island of fire
David M. Glantz - Armageddon in Stalingrad: The Stalingrad Trilogy v. 2: September - November 1942

All of them are great reading.
 

Martin Mayers

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My recomendations would be:

Michael K. Jones - STALINGRAD: How the Red Army Triumphed
Jason D. Mark - Island of fire
David M. Glantz - Armageddon in Stalingrad: The Stalingrad Trilogy v. 2: September - November 1942

All of them are great reading.
Out of interest Paullus is the third in the Glantz trilogy available yet? I can only see the first two in my search.
What format does the book take? I'm more interested in personal story than units....I get headache reading about I/IIIrd of the 368th regiment of the 456th division of the 4th Army and all that kind of stuff.
 
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