The Greatest Urban Battle of the German-Soviet War The milestone in war nonfiction Antony Biever - "Stalingrad: The Fatal Siege 1942-1943" Summary and Impressions
I would like to introduce a book titled "Stalingrad - The Fateful Siege 1942-1943" written by Antony Beever and translated by Tahoko Hori, published by Asahi Shinbunsha in 2002.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
Based on thorough research that unearthed unpublished documents from the former Soviet Union, including personal diaries and letters, the film recreates the battle between Germany and the Soviet Union that decided the outcome of World War II and is said to be "the harshest and most brutal in the history of mankind. The film is now available. Winner of the Samuel Johnson Award, the Wolfson History Award, and the Hawthornden Award.
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The siege of Stalingrad was one of the largest battles that had a major impact on the outcome of the German-Soviet war.
The Battle of Moscow was a defensive battle in the suburbs, while the Battle of Leningrad was a siege. In contrast, this battle was characterized by a large-scale urban battle as well as the area surrounding Stalingrad. It was a battle in which the two sides hid from each other, deceived each other, and engaged in fierce fighting in a city in ruins from air strikes and artillery bombardment. The death toll in Stalingrad is said to have exceeded 800,000 on the Soviet side alone.
Let's look at the book further from the commentary at the end of the book.
This book is a complete translation of the controversial war non-fiction book Stalingrad, published in 1998 by British military historian Antony Beevor.
This book, which painstakingly depicts the battle of Stalingrad, a turning point in World War II, based on new German and Soviet documents, was a huge hit upon its release, and both the hardcover and paperback editions reached the number one bestseller list in the United Kingdom. Both the hardcover and paperback editions reached the number one bestseller list in the U.K., an unprecedented achievement for a war nonfiction book.
Leading British military historians such as M. R. D. Foot, John Keegan, and Max Hastings have also lavishly praised the book in reviews in such prestigious newspapers as "The Times" and "The Daily Telegraph.
Why has a nonfiction book about the Battle of Stalingrad, a famous, fierce battle that influenced the Second World War and has been considered to have already been told all over the world, attracted so much attention? One reason, of course, is that the book makes use of material newly made available to the West with the collapse of the Soviet Union, but what the reviews have all praised is the book's excellent storytelling.
The author, a former British Army officer in the Armored Corps, has published four novels in addition to war nonfiction since his discharge from the Army to pursue his writing career. In other words, he has both military knowledge and talent as a storyteller.
Thanks to this, the book is neither a tasteless analysis of the war situation that merely lists troop movements and casualties, nor does it degenerate into a war diary that merely summarizes anecdotes of uncertain provenance.
The author painstakingly pored over a vast amount of documents and materials in German and Soviet archives to determine their authenticity as a military expert and present them to the reader as incontrovertible evidence. Like a skilled lawyer, he effectively piles up facts to reveal the true horrors of the Battle of Stalingrad.
Asahi Shinbunsha, Stalingrad - The Siege of Fate 1942-1943, by Antony Beever, translated by Tahoko Hori, p529-530
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As you can see in this quote, the realism of the book is tremendous. And the circumstances of the battle are told in great detail, and the stage unfolds as if you were reading a novel.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of Biever's narrative is the effective insertion of the flesh-and-blood voices of soldiers from both armies. (omitted).
In order to write this book, Bieber interviewed many people in the German and Soviet militaries, and these testimonies are interspersed throughout the book. Quotations from memoirs and memoirs published in the immediate postwar period are also used effectively to enhance the realism of the book.
What is particularly striking about this book, however, is its use of diaries and soldiers' letters written at the time of the Battle of Stalingrad. The vivid words of the German and Soviet soldiers who were facing death on the front line cannot help but burn a strong impression on the reader's mind of the fear on the battlefield and, on the other hand, the optimism and a glimmer of hope. （The book is a must-read for anyone who wants to know more.)
The author, while infusing his work with such flesh and blood, calmly depicts the movements and tactics of the German and Soviet Reichswehr over Stalingrad, while eliminating myths and coloring as much as possible. He casts doubt on the propagandistic Soviet documents and refutes the Wehrmacht's claim that it was not involved in the massacre of the Jews with evidence.
What is revealed is the astonishing disregard for human life in the two countries, Germany and the Soviet Union, both of which are under dictatorships. Soviet soldiers who speak out against the Soviet Union are mercilessly gunned down by political officers, while German soldiers ordered to defend Stalingrad die like rags from hunger and cold, without adequate food or warm clothing.
Mystery writer Antonia Fraser, who has also written historical fiction, described the book as "shivering to the bone, even though I was reading it in the middle of summer.
Asahi Shinbunsha, Stalingrad - The Fateful Siege 1942-1943, by Antony Beever, translated by Tahoko Hori, p. 530-531.
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By incorporating the voices of the people who were there, a story with flesh and blood emerges, rather than a mere analysis of the war situation or a list of events. This is what makes the book unique.
As a former officer in an armored corps, the author has a correct grasp of tactical situations that are sometimes extremely complex, and he uses his talent as a writer to explain them in language that is easy to understand for the average reader. This high level of readability is probably the main reason why the book has gained so many readers in the U.S. and the U.K.
This book is not only the definitive nonfiction book on the Battle of Stalingrad, but also a milestone in war nonfiction that marks the end of the 20th century. This is a book that should be read not only by readers interested in military history, but also by those who rarely read military history.
Asahi Shinbunsha, Stalingrad - The Siege of Fate 1942-1943, by Antony Beever, translated by Tahoko Hori, p. 531
Some line breaks have been made.
This book was highly praised in the translator's commentary, and this book was indeed interesting. I read it in one sitting.
In this book, you will learn all about the battle of Stalingrad, which decided the course of the war between Germany and the Soviet Union.
After this battle, the Nazi German army was quickly rolling down the road to defeat.
Moscow Offensive and DefenseNow for a huge battle in the suburbs and the arrival of General Winter.
Siege of Leningrad (1944)Then the tragedy of the unbelievable starvation deaths.
The Battle of Stalingrad will witness the largest urban battle in history.
Each battle in the war between Germany and the Soviet Union has had its own battles. And all of them are huge battles that are out of the ordinary.
It was my recent reading that shocked me with the sheer scale of the war between Germany and the Soviet Union.
This book is also highly recommended. It will give you an insight into the horror of urban warfare, in which deadly battles were fought to the death over positions only a few meters wide. I hope that you will pick up a copy of this book.
The above is "'Stalingrad - The Fatal Siege of 1942-1943,' a milestone in war nonfiction.
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