Moscow Tram Stop: A Doctor's Experiences with the German Spearhead in Russia

by Heinrich Haape, Craig W.H. Luther (Editor)

First published in 1957 and out of print for decades, Moscow Tram Stop is a classic of World War II on the Eastern Front. Heinrich Haape was a young doctor drafted into the German Wehrmacht just before the war began. He was with the spearhead of Operation Barbarossa, tasked with taking Moscow, when it invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. Mere hours into the attack, Haape and his fellow soldiers learned the hard way that the Red Army fought with otherworldly tenacity even in defeat. The rapid advance of the early days slowed during the summer, and Haape's division did not begin the final push on Moscow until October. It was a hard slog, plagued first by rain and mud, then by cold and snow. By early December, German forces had reached the gates of the Soviet capital but could press no farther. By winter's end, Haape's battalion of 800 had been reduced to a mere 28 soldiers. The doctor's account is enthrallingly vivid. The drama and excitement never slacken as Haape recounts his experiences from the unique perspective of a doctor, who often had to join in the fighting himself and witnessed the physical and psychological toll of combat.

Genres: World War II, History

468 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

Reviews

[Aidan Mc Carthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this is a superb book and available again after many years. We follow the journey of a German doctor to the gates of Moscow.
But I must admit to being little annoyed at two rather silly statements within the introduction by Dr. Craig W.H. Luther.
The first is the declaration that Dr Haape was a "good German" just like every other German soldier who has written a memoir that I have read. It looks like a nazi was hard to find back then....
Then we have mention of the "surprise" the Germans got fighting the Soviet soldiers. Apparently the Soviets fought with "fanaticism" unlike the western armies on the western front. Their country just invaded and ravaged, would you expect the Russians to stand up and fight like gentlemen!!!.
The book though, is a must have, and we are lucky to have this reprint plus the update to the first edition…

[Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely powerful firsthand account of Operation Barbarossa. Some of the recounting of the attacks by the Red Army get to be a little repetitive but it's an incredibly powerful look at a very under-reported theatre of operations during World War II.