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RE: East Front book talk - 7/3/2010 10:50:56 PM

SNorth

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I'll check it out---Thanks!

(in reply to MarcA)

Post #: 91

RE: East Front book talk - 7/6/2010 10:29:18 PM

SGHunt

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Stephen

A much better fictional work is The Stalin Organ, by Gert Ledig (a great cover!)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stalin-Organ-Gert-Ledig/dp/1862076529
or Siege (about Cholm) by Russ Schneider
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Siege-Novel-Eastern-Front-1942/dp/0345475852/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1278451640&sr=1-1
plus the original Cross of Iron by Willi Heinrich (on which the film is based)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cross-Iron-Cassell-Military-Paperbacks/dp/0304352411/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1278451025&sr=1-1
and although it claims to be a real autobiography, I'm pretty sure it's a novel (and a very good read) there's The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Forgotten-Soldier-Cassell-Military-Paperbacks/dp/0304352403/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Hope these are helpful leads
Stuart

(in reply to SNorth)

Post #: 92

RE: East Front book talk - 7/6/2010 11:57:02 PM

SNorth

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Heinrich's 'Cross of Iron' was a great read, Stuart. I also enjoyed 'The Forgotten Soldier,' even if it was fiction. Really appreciate the other two recommendations---Hadn't heard of them. Thanks.

(in reply to SGHunt)

Post #: 93

RE: East Front book talk - 7/7/2010 2:13:52 PM

Adam Parker

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Great thread.

For an interesting series of books I would recommend in order:

Hitler's War on Russia by Carell. This is the deluxe version.

The Unknown Black Book - The Holocaust in the German-Occupied Soviet Territories. Tracing the ride of the Einsatzgruppen broadly across all German Army Group areas.

Masters of Death - The SS-Einsatzgruppen and the Invention of the Holocaust . "Invention" here, meaning genesis of the Holocaust. This is a no-holds barred narrative of the German rear echelons in the wake of Barbarossa.

Barbarossa Derailed v1 Glantz's latest book just released last week. Vol 2 is due in a couple of months time. Should be an indepth contrast to Carell.

Scorched Earth. Volume 2 of Carell's East Front magnum opus.

Decision in the Ukraine by Nipes. Takes the action from Kursk through to the pursuit against the German South.

The Korsun Pocket by Zetterling (of the Germans in Normandy fame). Where once there was a dearth of literature, many studies are now blossoming.

Soviet Blitzkrieg The Battle for White Russia 1944. Dunn's classic expose of Bagration (I bought this in hard cover years ago for $100 - what a dope!).

Then any number of books that cover the campaigns through Hungary, Poland and Germany. I particularly am interested in Glantz's treatment of Leningrad and the end of Army Group North in The Battle for Leningrad 1941-1944 .

I personally feel that any study of the East Front without an examination of the tragedy, logistics and economics of the Holocaust is meaningless. In this light, both Carell and the writings of the the Soviet-side specialists such as Glantz and Erickson become of equal value. Two sides to a war in which the goals of the protagonists were far from clear.

PS: I forgot to insert after Barbarossa Derailed the classic text on Stalingrad - Enemy at the Gates (1973). Not the book of the movie but the classic by William Craig that inspired of all things, the board game "Squad Leader" in its operational grit.

< Message edited by Adam Parker -- 7/7/2010 2:22:28 PM >

(in reply to SNorth)

Post #: 94

RE: East Front book talk - 7/8/2010 2:01:08 PM

wodin

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Joined: 4/20/2003
From: England
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quote:

ORIGINAL: von Jaeger

Stephen

A much better fictional work is The Stalin Organ, by Gert Ledig (a great cover!)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stalin-Organ-Gert-Ledig/dp/1862076529
or Siege (about Cholm) by Russ Schneider
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Siege-Novel-Eastern-Front-1942/dp/0345475852/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1278451640&sr=1-1
plus the original Cross of Iron by Willi Heinrich (on which the film is based)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cross-Iron-Cassell-Military-Paperbacks/dp/0304352411/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1278451025&sr=1-1
and although it claims to be a real autobiography, I'm pretty sure it's a novel (and a very good read) there's The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Forgotten-Soldier-Cassell-Military-Paperbacks/dp/0304352403/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Hope these are helpful leads
Stuart

Loved Seige....great novel...overlooked.

Another book....Scar of Honor...good read...you can get it from another online bookshop as Amazon havent got it in stock...

http://www.amazon.com/Scars-Honor-Novel-Russian-Front/dp/1585006440/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1278594020&sr=1-1

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My website

https://www.awargamersneedfulthings.co.uk/

(in reply to SGHunt)

Post #: 95

RE: East Front book talk - 7/13/2010 8:21:27 PM

Adam Parker

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From: Melbourne Australia
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FYI, for whatever reason Amazon is now showing a release date of August 2010 instead of June for volume 1 of the new Glantz series on Barbarossa. Volume 2 has now been pushed back to December:

quote:

ORIGINAL: Adam Parker
Barbarossa Derailed v1

(in reply to Adam Parker)

Post #: 96

RE: East Front book talk - 7/23/2010 6:07:03 AM

Grisha

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Two facets of Soviet operational art in WWII that are still little understood are their conduct of deception (maskirovka) and of intelligence (razvedka). It was a force multiplier at the operational level, which meant that at the tactical level its effect was magnified significantly. For example, prior to the Vistula-Oder operation of 1945, the Germans did not detect or identify roughly half the Soviet forces present in that operational area, a number that amounted to a million soldiers.

Glantz wrote two books that address these two aspects of Soviet operational art:
a) Soviet Military Intelligence in War.
b) Soviet Military Deception in the Second World War.

Other good books that address Soviet operational art or those aspects of intelligence and deception are:
i) In Pursuit of Military Excellence by Shimon Naveh
ii) Red Army Legacies by Richard Armstrong
iii) The Soviet Conduct of Tactical Maneuver by Glantz
iv) The Nature of Operations of Modern Armies by Triandafillov

Admittedly, these books can make for dry reading, but if the objective is to understand Soviet military operations in WWII, then these are strongly recommended.

_____________________________

Best regards,
Greg Guerrero

(in reply to Adam Parker)

Post #: 97

RE: East Front book talk - 7/23/2010 11:28:14 AM

ComradeP

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Much of the impact of the maskirovka is associated with the poor operational level intelligence gathering of the Germans after the Luftwaffe lost air superiority. Arguably, there wasn't much the Germans could do about that, even if their intelligence services were more capable than they were historically.

(in reply to Grisha)

Post #: 98

RE: East Front book talk - 7/26/2010 6:40:23 PM

Grisha

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From: Seattle
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Granted, German air reconnaissance was hindered once the bulk of the jaeger arm redeployed for home defense, but even during Kursk Soviet deception measures had proved reasonably effective. The other point to remember is that Soviet deception was a complex methodology, and was certainly not limited to how well you physically covered regroupments. For example, intelligence agents were given false information on the understanding some would be caught. The same for partisans. Merely the act of conducting large intel operations in false areas was a deception move.

A last point to ponder is that even at late as January 1945, German tactical intelligence was second to none. A mere two weeks following the launch of the Vistula-Oder Soviet operation, the Germans knew the location of every significant Soviet military unit in the area. Considering the severity of the Soviet breakthrough and the extensive exploitation that followed, it's an amazing feat.

_____________________________

Best regards,
Greg Guerrero

(in reply to ComradeP)

Post #: 99

RE: East Front book talk - 7/26/2010 10:43:02 PM

Pipewrench

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx

Gotta read your Glantz. There's just a ton of stuff there you won't find elsewhere, and even Erickson is rather dated at this point.

If you want a nice taste of it, check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Clz27nghIg

great video, thanks for the link. hope there are more jewels out there.