What do you think?
Rate this book
Stalingrad: The Battle that Shattered Hitler's Dream of World Domination
This is the new Popular Reference edition of the fully-illustrated title, ASIN B00BI2X3B2.
The bitter Battle of Stalingrad on the Eastern Front was the turning point of World War II. The relentless and unstoppable German advances that had seen the panzers sweep hundreds of miles into Russia was finally brought to a halt. The elite German 6th Army was first fought to a standstill, then surrounded and forced to surrender.
Over 1.5 million people lost their lives during the six months of fighting, many of them civilians caught up in the campaign. For the first time in the war, the German army had been defeated on the field of battle. Before Stalingrad the Russians never won; after Stalingrad they could not lose.
This book looks at the titanic struggle that ended in the total destruction of the second city of the Soviet Union, the greatest battle the world has ever seen.
The bitter Battle of Stalingrad on the Eastern Front was the turning point of World War II. The relentless and unstoppable German advances that had seen the panzers sweep hundreds of miles into Russia was finally brought to a halt. The elite German 6th Army was first fought to a standstill, then surrounded and forced to surrender.
Over 1.5 million people lost their lives during the six months of fighting, many of them civilians caught up in the campaign. For the first time in the war, the German army had been defeated on the field of battle. Before Stalingrad the Russians never won; after Stalingrad they could not lose.
This book looks at the titanic struggle that ended in the total destruction of the second city of the Soviet Union, the greatest battle the world has ever seen.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 29, 2012
26 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 26, 2018
An excellent introduction to what exactly happened in early 1940s in Eastern Europe and modern Russia territory. Unfortunately only an introduction, but an excellent one nonetheless.
The book opens up with general history of World War 2 and the pre-emptive events that would later lead on to the opening of another front - the invasion of Soviet Union by the German military. This of course gets continued with the battles and events at and around Stalingrad itself, as well as a very short (and I do mean very short) closing about those involved after the events.
Rupert Matthews has done a great job of structuring everything chronologically so that it's easy to read. Oh, and what an easy read it is! While it's not the most comprehensive historical literature, seemingly all major events are covered. Despite how huge the book is, the text itself is very large which is complemented by genuine photographs of the period. The language is easy to understand and does not get stale, even after you read the words "Army Group South" about 7 times in a paragraph. While being about 200 pages long, it's probably possible to rush through them all in just a couple of hours.
If one is not entirely a history buff, it probably would help to have a map of 1940s Soviet Union at hand in order to better understand the movements of the armies involved. There are a few illustrations that help visualize everything, but for those unprepared it might be a little overwhelming, that's just the way this topic is.
Individual battles are rarely covered in the book, the emphasis is put on the eastern campaign as a whole. There are a few tidbits here and there which are retreived directly from the memoirs, diaries, journals and post-war interviews with the commanders involved, which is pretty much as close to looking at anything under a magnifying glass this book gets. It's a nice little change of pace here and there, reminding a bit of the human perspective of the whole affair.
One peculiarity I found as a tank enthusiast is the common depiction of the soviet T-34/85 in the book. While it is true, that the T-34 medium tanks played a large role in the battles before, during and after the siege of Stalingrad, this was mostly the version equipped with a considerably shorter 76.2mm main cannon. I'd like to remind that the siege of Stalingrad had pretty much ended by January 1943. The T-34 with an 85mm tank gun was first put into service in February 1944 - an entire year later when Soviets were already at German doorstep. The author frequently gives pictures of the later variant and implies that this tank variant was involved in the fighting at Stalingrad. Well, unless the Soviets somehow managed to drag 35 tons of raw destruction embodied in hardened steel through a time and space anomaly, I highly doubt such fact.
Then there's a picture of a knocked out Soviet KV-1 heavy tank, with multiple perforations in its hull armour, and the text underneath claims that this tank model was indestructible by German guns. The irony is quite rich.
The similarly legendary German counterpart, Tiger H1 heavy tank (one that is almost out of shot, admittedly), later on gets misidentified for a late model Panzer IV as well.
I know, at this point I am just nitpicking, but it should give you an idea that Rupert Matthews can give you a very nice picture of the whole scene altogether, but when it comes to small little details there might be a mishap here and there. While an avid history enthusiast, I am not omniscient myself, but seeing these awkward momenst in my field of expertise, I would not hold back to speculate that if such scrutiny was applied to other fields of the work, similar issues would arise. Just speculating of course.
All in all, a very solid read. Readers who are not very familiar with the events that unfold in these pages will find themselves at home as they get slowly eased in by an easy to understand structure and engaging style. History enthusiasts would find themselves asking for perhaps a little bit more, but nonetheless would probably find a thing or two new to them.
The book opens up with general history of World War 2 and the pre-emptive events that would later lead on to the opening of another front - the invasion of Soviet Union by the German military. This of course gets continued with the battles and events at and around Stalingrad itself, as well as a very short (and I do mean very short) closing about those involved after the events.
Rupert Matthews has done a great job of structuring everything chronologically so that it's easy to read. Oh, and what an easy read it is! While it's not the most comprehensive historical literature, seemingly all major events are covered. Despite how huge the book is, the text itself is very large which is complemented by genuine photographs of the period. The language is easy to understand and does not get stale, even after you read the words "Army Group South" about 7 times in a paragraph. While being about 200 pages long, it's probably possible to rush through them all in just a couple of hours.
If one is not entirely a history buff, it probably would help to have a map of 1940s Soviet Union at hand in order to better understand the movements of the armies involved. There are a few illustrations that help visualize everything, but for those unprepared it might be a little overwhelming, that's just the way this topic is.
Individual battles are rarely covered in the book, the emphasis is put on the eastern campaign as a whole. There are a few tidbits here and there which are retreived directly from the memoirs, diaries, journals and post-war interviews with the commanders involved, which is pretty much as close to looking at anything under a magnifying glass this book gets. It's a nice little change of pace here and there, reminding a bit of the human perspective of the whole affair.
One peculiarity I found as a tank enthusiast is the common depiction of the soviet T-34/85 in the book. While it is true, that the T-34 medium tanks played a large role in the battles before, during and after the siege of Stalingrad, this was mostly the version equipped with a considerably shorter 76.2mm main cannon. I'd like to remind that the siege of Stalingrad had pretty much ended by January 1943. The T-34 with an 85mm tank gun was first put into service in February 1944 - an entire year later when Soviets were already at German doorstep. The author frequently gives pictures of the later variant and implies that this tank variant was involved in the fighting at Stalingrad. Well, unless the Soviets somehow managed to drag 35 tons of raw destruction embodied in hardened steel through a time and space anomaly, I highly doubt such fact.
Then there's a picture of a knocked out Soviet KV-1 heavy tank, with multiple perforations in its hull armour, and the text underneath claims that this tank model was indestructible by German guns. The irony is quite rich.
The similarly legendary German counterpart, Tiger H1 heavy tank (one that is almost out of shot, admittedly), later on gets misidentified for a late model Panzer IV as well.
I know, at this point I am just nitpicking, but it should give you an idea that Rupert Matthews can give you a very nice picture of the whole scene altogether, but when it comes to small little details there might be a mishap here and there. While an avid history enthusiast, I am not omniscient myself, but seeing these awkward momenst in my field of expertise, I would not hold back to speculate that if such scrutiny was applied to other fields of the work, similar issues would arise. Just speculating of course.
All in all, a very solid read. Readers who are not very familiar with the events that unfold in these pages will find themselves at home as they get slowly eased in by an easy to understand structure and engaging style. History enthusiasts would find themselves asking for perhaps a little bit more, but nonetheless would probably find a thing or two new to them.
June 25, 2017
This is a good book that can be read quickly, in my case in two days. It gives a good overview of the lead up to Stalingrad, the circumstances of the war and the actual battles of Stalingrad. For a quick but detailed enough introduction I found this a good read.
February 27, 2023
Cannot consider this good history
The first thing to bear in mind while reading this is that the author is not a historian, but a journalist. His other published works are about the paranormal: ghosts, UFOs, Bigfoot and the like. The book is based on outdated Cold War era historiography about the Soviets and the Red Army which had been gleaned mainly from German sources and was found to be entirely untrustworthy. It should have occurred to more people that what you read in Nazi propaganda shouldn't be taken at face value.
The author never misses a chance to discredit, demean and vilify the Soviets. He gives them no credit for their tenacity other than saying it was achieved at gunpoint by their own command, and no credit for their victory other than luck or German mistakes. He even goes so far as to say that the Red Army achieved no successes for the rest of the war other than through the use of German Blitzkrieg tactics, because all they had otherwise was brute force frontal assault and enormous casualties.
The first time one reads something in a supposedly objective work of history that is known to be untrue, one cannot trust anything else the author says. There is really no excuse for this as the Cold War is over and Soviet archives related to World War 2 had been available to historians for a decade before this book was written. There are far better and more accurate accounts of this battle available.
The first thing to bear in mind while reading this is that the author is not a historian, but a journalist. His other published works are about the paranormal: ghosts, UFOs, Bigfoot and the like. The book is based on outdated Cold War era historiography about the Soviets and the Red Army which had been gleaned mainly from German sources and was found to be entirely untrustworthy. It should have occurred to more people that what you read in Nazi propaganda shouldn't be taken at face value.
The author never misses a chance to discredit, demean and vilify the Soviets. He gives them no credit for their tenacity other than saying it was achieved at gunpoint by their own command, and no credit for their victory other than luck or German mistakes. He even goes so far as to say that the Red Army achieved no successes for the rest of the war other than through the use of German Blitzkrieg tactics, because all they had otherwise was brute force frontal assault and enormous casualties.
The first time one reads something in a supposedly objective work of history that is known to be untrue, one cannot trust anything else the author says. There is really no excuse for this as the Cold War is over and Soviet archives related to World War 2 had been available to historians for a decade before this book was written. There are far better and more accurate accounts of this battle available.
May 7, 2025
This is not a fiction book, so I judge it on its ease of comprehension and conciseness. It is an exciting read that describes in just the right amount of detail the turning point in world war two for the German forces. After Stalingrad, the war was inevitably lost. Maybe Hitler realised at that point, but it had yet to dawn on many people, and there was still a lot of fighting left for the allies to win victory, but everything had changed from this moment on. A good read for those who like war history.
November 10, 2018
Omg I finally finished it. I think the print length of my edition must be wrong because this was definitely well over 400 pages. Interesting but at times very dry, and I found it hard to keep track of who exactly was who, and where, and what... so I didn't learn as much as I'd have liked.
August 9, 2025
This provided a detailed insight into this battle.
The day by day account of how this battle developed.
This is the book that I told my long time friend (sixty plus years) he needed to read.
The day by day account of how this battle developed.
This is the book that I told my long time friend (sixty plus years) he needed to read.
August 7, 2018
Great insight into what must have been hell on earth.
A great book, very readable. One I would recommend on one of the bloodiest battles in history. Well worth reading.
A great book, very readable. One I would recommend on one of the bloodiest battles in history. Well worth reading.
September 6, 2018
A basic overview of the campaign.... mislabeled photos and some general inaccuracies but overall... a nice easy overview for more detailed reading
December 27, 2013
When it comes to war books, I often want to start with an overview. For instance, I would prefer to start with Walter Borneman's book on the French of Indian War and then try to tackle Fred Anderson's Crucible of War as I get more interested.
Knowing next to nothing about the Eastern Front of WWII, I needed a good overview and this was that book. It basically starts at Poland & Finland and ends with Gobbels' Totaler Krieg speech.
I have often wondered why Hitler made some of the choices he did or why his Generals did not advise him differently, or why did he waste 2 months attacking Greece? Now I know, and it is a lot more than "He's a madman and they are yes men." This book goes into the political maneuvering and withing too much detail explains the why's behind the decisions.
Knowing next to nothing about the Eastern Front of WWII, I needed a good overview and this was that book. It basically starts at Poland & Finland and ends with Gobbels' Totaler Krieg speech.
I have often wondered why Hitler made some of the choices he did or why his Generals did not advise him differently, or why did he waste 2 months attacking Greece? Now I know, and it is a lot more than "He's a madman and they are yes men." This book goes into the political maneuvering and withing too much detail explains the why's behind the decisions.
September 3, 2015
I should probably add horror to my genre tags above because the battle of Stalingrad was true to life horror. This book will tell you all about the battle and how the Germans failed and why they failed and how the Russians managed to hold on to the end. Lots of generals names and fates, more proof that Hitler was and a**hole, (Stalin, too) and the heroics of the average soldier.
May 11, 2016
One of the best books on WW2 You picked it up and very hard to put down
As an ex service man you live through every page of the story and feel for the men as taking part in those battles
As an ex service man you live through every page of the story and feel for the men as taking part in those battles
October 25, 2020
Great book about Stalingrad
Kinda short but very detailed. It gives the details very accurately and quickly. Unlike many longer versions of the battle.
Kinda short but very detailed. It gives the details very accurately and quickly. Unlike many longer versions of the battle.
May 3, 2017
Frozen meat.
No wonder the Wehrmacht soldiers call campaign medals after the battle, the order of the Frozen meat. Horse meat was nicknamed giddy up soup.
No wonder the Wehrmacht soldiers call campaign medals after the battle, the order of the Frozen meat. Horse meat was nicknamed giddy up soup.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews