The End Of The Third Reich

by Vasily Chuikov

War memoirs from a Soviet General.

Genres: History, Biography, War, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov (Russian: Васи́лий Ива́нович Чуйко́в; 12 February 1900 – 18 March 1982) was a Soviet lieutenant general in the Red Army during World War II, commander of the 62nd Army during the Battle of Stalingrad, twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945), and after the war a Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Reviews

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining (even somehow subjective, but that's History, it depends on who's winning and who's writing...) story of the fall of Germany by one of the most prominent Soviet generals, the hero from Stalingrad.
We have to read such books and learn something from...

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book found me- as it was one of only three books in English on a massive pile of Greek books at a stand in an alley in the Athens Agora. It was my last day in Europe- and seeing Marshal Chuikov's book for a mere Euro was impossible to pass up. Chuikov was the Russian General whose ruthless but sagacious management of men and resources had won the actual battle of Stalingrad- and this was his memoir of the last phase of the war when he commanded a Soviet Front- a collection of Divisions and independent Brigades in the conquest of Germany and Berlin itself. I am glad I read it - I had hoped to find it in my travels but not such a "cute Meet'- but it is certainly a period piece- very much a product of 1967, when it was published more than 1945, when it was lived.

A lot of the book is basic military history and command memoir, but the hand of Soviet Propaganda is a massive element to this book. If you want to know where the sort of injections of Soviet talking points, and anti -Western digs into speeches and sound bytes that present Russian Federation supporters make all the time come from- this book will teach about the cold war. One might be ready for self congratulatory passages in command memoirs, and some blame handed out to contemporary officers, but I had forgotten about how "Official" Soviet authors would launch into full Leninist rants or anti capitalist screed at the drop of a hat. Chuikov knows that his book is going to get a lot of readers (he was pretty famous after WWII and a respected Warsaw Pact Official) and he is mindful of his role as a Communist Leader for political indoctrination. Once one gets used to it- it adds period flavour to the read- but at first it might seem intrusive. I think non-Military history buffs will find the period feel as interesting as the narrative itself. When he's not rambling on about the weakness of the Western Allies then and now- you get really interesting memories from a real Soviet General with a real track record, so it's a read I'd recommend to anyone.

There are a few adult themes, lots of Soviet Propaganda, and a little bit of graphic violence passage here and there that make this best for the Junior Reader over 14/15 with some knowledge of Soviet History. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, it is an interesting resource, but more indirectly than directly. The Gamer does get some tactical advice and descriptions of key battles , along with maps, but it might be too strategic and not tactical enough to translate right off. For the Modeler there are a lot of diorama ideas but that's about it. The Military Enthusiast gets a free ride inside the head of a Soviet General in the Great Patriotic War - with a few side trips into the Marxist Leninist theory lecture zone. I think Cold War and WWII student alike will find value in reading this story.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

La 5 iunie 1944 trupele Armatei 8 de gardă au fost scoase din capul de pod de pe Nistru şi trecute în rezerva Frontului 3 ucrainean.
Armata nu avea de îndeplinit în acel moment vreo misiune de luptă; ea îşi făcea în grabă completările în personal şi armament, se pregătea în vederea redislocării. Bănuiam eu ceva, dar nu mă puteam bizui în întregime pe această presupunere. La început se zvonise că vom fi trimişi mai spre nord, apoi ni s-a adus şi în mod oficial la cunoştinţă că Armata 8 de gardă urma să intre în compunerea Frontului 1 bielorus, pentru a acţiona pe direcţia loviturii principale a trupelor noastre.
Ni se făcea o mare cinste. Dar printre cei de la armată erau puţini care să fi cunoscut ceva, iar noi nu aveam dreptul să vorbim despre asta. Era un important secret militar. Trebuia ca redislocarea întregii armate să se înfăptuiască pe neobservate pentru inamic şi prin surprindere.
Statului major al armatei îi revenea o sarcină imensă: să pregătească şi să înfăptuiască această redislocare, să stabilească căi, itinerare, raioane de concentrare, să repartizeze mijloacele de transport, să ia măsuri pentru dispunerea în noile locuri a unităţilor, a depozitelor de muniţie şi de alimente.

[Steve Deakin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping and imformative

Gripping and informative, Chuikov gives details of his command of 62, and eighth guards armies as they advanced from Stalingrad all the way to Berlin

[Laura Florea · Rating 3 out of 5]

O carte excelenta dacă ești pasionat de tot ceea ce ține de război și de planificare detaliată a luptelor/ofensivelor/cotropirilor. Pentru mine, însă, nu a fost foarte catchy pentru ca mă așteptam la mai multe detalii legate strict de război și organizare militară de ambele părți (rusi și germani), de aceea recunosc că nu am terminat-o si nici nu am de gând. :D Cartea este scrisa de un fost comandant rus, conține detalii precise cu privire la acțiunile Armatei Roșii, însă un lucru odios mi s-a părut povestirea cu caracter peiorativ a acțiunilor germanilor în Polonia, cum ar fi înlocuirea denumirilor poloneze ale restaurantelor/cafenelelor etc cu denumiri germane, deportarea populației, interzicerea pronunțării anumitor referințe la țările dușmane Germaniei ș.a.m.d., spun odios pentru ca exact aceleași lucrurile catastrofale le-au aplicat rușii după incorporarea Moldovei în 1940, deci nu prea ar avea dreptul la o critica care sa ii pună pe ei intr-o lumina favorabila în ochii cititorilor care nu știu evenimentele din Moldova. În rest, cartea este una bună, foarte detaliată, însă doar din perspectivă rusească.

[Melmutkidgmail.com]

good