Isbn: 9781932033724 - stalingrad: how the red army survived the german onslaught (2 Ergebnisse)

Hardcover. Zustand: Brand New. 270 pages. 9.25x6.50x1.00 inches. In Stock.

Hardcover. Zustand: Very good. Zustand des Schutzumschlags: Very good. Presumed First Edition, First printing. xxxiv, 270 pages. Forward by David M. Glantz. Illustrations. A Note on the Illustrations. Maps and Documents. Timeline. Notes. Further Reading. Index. Michael Christopher Emlyn Jones (born 5 December 1940) is a British historian, initially specializing in French medieval history. He is a member of many British and Breton historical societies, including the Royal Historical Society (1971), la Société d'Histoire et d'Archéologie de Bretagne (1972), Society of Antiquaries of London (1977), Société d'Etudes et de Recherches sur le Pays de Retz (1985), Society for the Study of French History. He is a member of the Breton L'Ordre de l'Hermine and Correspondant de l'Institut. He is also a fellow of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. As well as writing, he lectures regularly and have been consultant for a number of TV programs. He also led historical and battlefield tours. He is a regular contributor to the History of War Magazine. Jones' particular interest is in battle psychology, and the role of morale and leadership in situations of military crisis. He has worked extensively with WWII veterans, and his books draw on their powerful eyewitness testimonies, focussing on the human story behind the battles and campaigns. He is an enthusiastic and highly effective lecturer, who also works in the corporate field as a motivational speaker and trainer, bringing alive the present-day relevance of history's greatest battles and commanders. Michael Jones was historical adviser for the recent History Channel series Warriors and Russia Today's TV documentaries on World War Two's Eastern Front. This new history of Stalingrad offers a radical reinterpretation of the most crucial battle in World War II. Focusing on the first half of this epic clash, it reveals new information on how nearly the Germans succeeded, and the incredible courage of the Soviet fighters who held on. Red Army chief of staff Vasilevsky called August 23, 1942, when the Germans reached the Volga, an unforgettably tragic day. The Russians had never been able to stop a good-weather German offensive, and it appeared that Stalin's namesake city would be lost. Indeed, Soviet armies on all sides were falling back before Hitler's summer offensive, and only one, the 62nd Army, was assigned to hold out in the city to defy the Wehrmacht. Who could have guessed that this sole force, surrounded on three sides, the river at its back, hiding out in ruins, would create such a bleeding sore that the Wehrmacht was never to recover? Combining eyewitness testimony of Red Army fighters with fresh archive material, this book gives dramatic insight into the thinking of Soviet commanders and the desperate mood of ordinary soldiers. Col.-General Anatoly Mereshko, a staff officer to 62nd Army commander Chuikov, worked closely with the author and provided testimony that is entirely new. His accounts of the battle are supported by other key veterans and recently released war diaries and combat journals. For three months in Fall 1942 the Germans held a preponderance of force in Stalingrad as they tried to root out the diehards of 62nd Army. The latter force was nearly annihilated on several occasions, as guns from across the river failed to stem the German attacks and the Luftwaffe plunged into the chaos, bombing at will. The Russians could only respond by going underground, in caves near the river and in the labyrinthine ruins of the city itself. Yet, as the rest of the Motherland held its breath, the small, surrounded force motivated by inspirational leadership as well as a grave sense of the battle's vital importance, continued to deny the Nazis a victory. As we now know, Stalin was not idle while the courageous remnants of 62nd Army continued to defend his city. On November 19 and 21, new Soviet armies in overwhelming strength counterattacked across the Volga, turning the tables on the Germans to begin one of the most pitiful sagas in Western history. The more famous siege of the Germans, concluding on February 2, 1943, has dominated the literature of Stalingrad. This book reminds us that the greater timeline of the battle consisted of the Russians besieged, and just barely holding on.…