"Stalingrad
- The fateful Siege : 1942 - 1943"
by Antony Beever 
This is a fascinating and well written book of history. It is a glowing testament to the monumental greed, vanity, stupidity, and brutality of man. It describes in detail the strategic blunders made by both sides and the horrible consequences for the civilians and soldiers caught in the conflict. I was particularly appalled by the behavior of the Russians. They executed tens of thousands of their own soldiers to set examples. They also had special units that followed the regular units into combat with orders to shoot anyone that showed the least hesitation. There were also tens of thousands of Russians and their allies fighting for the Germans, so hated were their own leaders. The Russians also shot their own starving children to prevent them from filling German canteens in exchange for food.
Read how Hitler refused to save the German army units because he refused to admit defeat. Read how the fat pig Goering guaranteed that the Luftwaffe could supply by air the provisions needed to sustain the cut off German units when the resources to do so were not available. Much of what supplies that were flown in were not what was critically needed. Little things like winter clothing, food, medical supplies, and ammunition.
It is hard to decide which leader to hate the most: Hitler or Stalin. They were both monsters! But monsters treat their own well. Of the high ranking Germans taken prisoner, 90% survived. Of the other German officer ranks, 50% survived. As for the Enlisted and NCO ranks, only 10% ever returned home. The rest were starved, executed, died of exposure, or worked to death. Those most responsible got off easy and the ordinary grunt paid the price (as usual).
One can only shake their head at the complete folly of the whole mess. This book also contains many fascinating pictures and detailed maps that allow the reader to follow the great number of actions over the vast area of the conflict with ease.
Available from:
Viking Penguin
35 Hudson Street
New York, New York, 10014
Reviewed by Ken Smith, November 18, 1998
