Nero's Cat Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 Hello everyone - can anyone please recommend any books for me on the Eastern Front during Second World War - any time period. Would be much appreciated - going to buy myself something for Christmas! Regards 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George MC Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 What sort of stuff you after? In depth strategic/photos/ first hand accounts? I've a whole list but me typing ain't up to it. Let us know Or you could check out using the search function cos there have been a load of other requests along the same lines maybe some of these will give you ideas? Cheers fur noo George 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nero's Cat Posted December 15, 2007 Author Share Posted December 15, 2007 Oops - sorry. Didn't think to check search function. Will do now. Kind of thing i'm looking for is a detailed overview - thought Antony Beevor's Stalingrad and Berlin were great but obviously only covered certain aspects - am looking for that kind of detail for other aspects. I've heard a lot about Glantz - is that the kind of thing i should be looking for and if so, which ones? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George MC Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 Anything by Glantzis superb - although it is rather dry, but just the stuff to read if you are after the detail regarding units (divisonal level and above) and what they were up too. So if it's detailed overview then Glantz is one of your men George M. Nipe Jnr has done a superb account of The Battle of Kharkov, and the Soviet counter offensive after Kursk - Decision in the Ukraine. Also Hell's Gate by Douglas Nash about the Korsun Pocket battles. Cheers fur noo George 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 For the whole war read - Barbarossa by Alan Clarke Road to Stalingrad and Road to Berlin by Erickson When Titans Clashed by Glantz and House Lost Victories by Manstein There are scores of good books on individual campaigns or battles, but those are indispensable ones for the war as a whole. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigduke6 Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 I would add Gudarian's Panzer Leader to Jason's list. Armageddon by Max Hastings is not just the East Front, but it gives an excellent general treatment of the Red Army's operations in 1945, and better puts those operations in context with what was going on in Italy and the West. I put it far ahead of Beevor's book on the Fall of Berlin. I recommend Zladoga's Red Army Handbook highly as the easiest way to learn how the Red Army was put together. Personally I think Nash's Hell's Gate is hugely one-sided, but YMMV. And if I had to pick one single book of them all, it would be When Titans Clashed. If a person wants to start learning about the Eastern Front, would suggest he read that one first. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreas Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 Originally posted by JasonC: There are scores of good books on individual campaigns or battles, but those are indispensable ones for the war as a whole. You forgot Ziemke/Bauer and Ziemke in this list: Moscow to Stalingrad Stalingrad to Berlin Far better than Erickson in terms of writing, and makes an honest attempt to take the Soviet side into account based on what was available. The German side is very thoroughly treated, much better than what you get in either Glantz or Erickson, using German army records. All the best Andreas 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leprechaun Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Originally posted by Nero's Cat: Oops - sorry. Didn't think to check search function. Will do now. Kind of thing i'm looking for is a detailed overview - thought Antony Beevor's Stalingrad and Berlin were great but obviously only covered certain aspects - am looking for that kind of detail for other aspects. I've heard a lot about Glantz - is that the kind of thing i should be looking for and if so, which ones? I just got finished reading Enemy at the Gates by Craig and really liked it. Preferred it to Beevor's treatment of the same subject. [ December 20, 2007, 04:08 PM: Message edited by: Leprechaun ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bannon DC Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Has anyone read: "A Writer at War: Vasily Grossman with the Red Army, 1941-1945" by Vasily Grossman? or "Ivan's War: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945 by Catherine Merridale? Also, wondering if anyone has read "Marshal of the Soviet Union" -- Zhukov's memoir. I picked it up a couple of months ago but have not gotten to it yet. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George MC Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Hi Bannon I've read a "Writer at War". It's an interesting and extremely well written IMO account and has some useful insights into the war experience for your average Soviet/Russian combatant and civilian. If it's stuff for scenarios you are after there is not a lot there. Only flicked through the latter whilst browsing a bookshop - looked a worthwhile read. Cheers fur noo george 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigduke6 Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I've read both. Neither book is worth much for CM and scenarios and shooting and tanks and stuff. I recommend the Grossman book highly. The Merridale book less so. The Grossman book is a window into the Red Army's propaganda and information machine, plus a study of what happens if you put a man in the line for close to three years. Probably most importantly, Grossman was with elements of 1st Ukrainian Front when they overran Treblinka and Majdanek. His report in Pravda of what a death camp was, and how the Germans ran it, was definitive - it got submitted into the Nuerenburg Trial process as evidence. It is horrific reading any one interested in the period should see, and it is generally accounted one of the most powerful news reports written by a reporter, ever. You can Google the report of course. But he was at pretty much every major battle (Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, Berlin, etc.) and his career is I think very interesting. Merridale's book essentially chronicles how the Red Army used its cannon fodder - how it recruited them, fed them, and expended them. The book makes clear how brutal the Red Army was, and how cheap human life was held in the organization. The criticism I have with the book is that it leaves the impression that the key to Soviet victory, essentially, was ruthless expenditure of the lives of Soviet citizens. This is true, but it really isn't the full picture - as pointed out by Glantz and others the Red Army learned from its mistakes and by the end of the war arguably was the most efficient land force the world had ever seen. You get none of that from Merridale's book. My two kopecks. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76mm Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Two good books for tactical accounts: 1) IN DEADLY COMBAT by Biderman; and 2) TANK RIDER by Bessonov. You can get in-depth reviews, etc. on Amazon, but basically both books are by soldiers (Biderman-German, Bessonov-Russian) serving at the company level during a couple years of combat, and are both pretty frank about the pluses and minuses of their respective armies. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSP Posted December 26, 2007 Share Posted December 26, 2007 Black Cross+*Red Star, Vol's I,II&III are some great books about the Air War on the Eastern Front. As a big fan of the Game IL-2, these have been worth every penny. https://eagle-editions.com/la_7.htm 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sudowudo Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 just finished and can recommend "The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer a mid war Gross Deutchland recruit who somehow survived until the end.not a book to read if you are depressed or have suicidal tendencies though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Except he wasn't, and made it up. Mike Dorosh will be along in a few minutes to give you details, if you require them. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sudowudo Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 not necessary.i used the power of google and read through this page........... http://members.shaw.ca/grossdeutschland/sajer.htm certainly an entertaining book even if it is fiction. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtcm Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Well, is it or isn't it ? (Guy Sajer actually writes graphic novels in French, under the nom de plume Dimitri-- either right-wing political satire, or Landser" type WWII (or WWI) combat narratives. I used to read them, and think "The author's some kind of Nazi", and was surprised to find out that Dimitri was actually Guy Sajer-- i.e. (as far as I believed, and still believe) a real ex-WWII Nazi soldier.) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bannon DC Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Originally posted by 76mm: Two good books for tactical accounts: 1) IN DEADLY COMBAT by Biderman; and 2) TANK RIDER by Bessonov. You can get in-depth reviews, etc. on Amazon, but basically both books are by soldiers (Biderman-German, Bessonov-Russian) serving at the company level during a couple years of combat, and are both pretty frank about the pluses and minuses of their respective armies. Both good books... interesting and quick reads. Good tactical level CM stuff, especially from Bidermann. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonsBoy88 Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Cat , I've recently read a very good book on Stalingrad, by Michael Jones. This book gives the account of the battle from the Soviet point of view, using many sources and first person accounts . Another great book about a city under siege is; The siege of Budapest - 100 Days in WW2, by Krisztian Ungary. This time the Soviets are the ones doing the besieging, and the book details not just the various warring factions, but also the terrible suffering of the trapped civilians. I could not recommend ; The siege of Leningrad by David Glantz. While the book is full of details, is well sourced and has some great photos it reads like stale toast. Infact this book has put me off Glantz's works for life. Operation Barbarossa - The war in Russia as photographed by the solders By Paul Carell. While people can argue about Carells politics this picture/ text book is simply superb. It's chock full of amazing photos from both sides with some in colour . It's one of my all time favourite WW2 books. God, Honor, Fatherland Grossdeutschland on the Eastern Front 42/44 This is the best pictorial divisional history I've ever seen. The photos are crystal sharp and cover the division through training and into action. Also included are some nice bios on a number of officers. If your interested in the Wehrmacht this is a must buy in my opinion. Platz Der Leibstandarte The SS - Panzer - Grenadier - Division LSSAH and the battle of Kharkov 43 Similar to the previous title in quality and again highly recommended. Two books that relate well to CMBB are; German Report Series - Small unit actions during the German campaign in Russia. Department of the Army Pamphlet Number 20-269 Panzer Tactics - German small - unit armour tactics in WW2 By Wolfgang Schneider Essential reading for the understanding of German combined arms tank doctrine and it's use in every day situations. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Nero's Cat, If you did indeed run the search, you should now be in complete overwhelm as a book buyer, faced with way more options than you have budget. Past threads on your topic have listed dozens, if not hundreds, of books, with more written every year. It took practically forever, but I am heartened to finally see Russian first person combat accounts show up. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinHarry Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Not just good for XMas, rather for all your wargaming life: Guderian´s "Panzer Marsch!" and Middeldorf´s "Taktik im Russlandfeldzug" (tactics in the russian campaign) No idea whether these are available in english translations. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zalgiris 1410 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Originally posted by Bigduke6: Personally I think Nash's Hell's Gate is hugely one-sided, but YMMV. What does YMMV stand for? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der Alte Fritz Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 If you want Russian material You should have a look at the huge list of official accounts that you can get from David Glantz himself. They tend to be pricey but have lots of Soviet detail unavailable elsewhere. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt AA Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Originally posted by 76mm: Two good books for tactical accounts: 1) IN DEADLY COMBAT by Biderman; and 2) TANK RIDER by Bessonov. You can get in-depth reviews, etc. on Amazon, but basically both books are by soldiers (Biderman-German, Bessonov-Russian) serving at the company level during a couple years of combat, and are both pretty frank about the pluses and minuses of their respective armies. Read both now, and thanks for telling me about them. They both very good and I learned a lot. Like Biderman best, more details there, but I missed maps or at least "sketches" over some situations. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeatEtr Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 I agree about the "In Deadly Combat" its a good read. Not too sure about the "Tank Rider" book. It seemed kinda iffy about how almost all the german tanks he saw were tigers and panthers. Nothing major though, on par with other diary/memoir type books. As for other book recommendations, I liked "Blood Red Snow". I would also like to echo the "Enemy at the Gates" recommendation. I'm about half way through this excellent book about Staingrad. I'm already liking it much better than Beevors book. I consider a must read for Stalingrad fans. I got a good deal on a hardcover from Amazon . Is in great condition, like new, for only $12. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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