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Bset book on Russian Military in WW2


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Getting a new game normally spurs me to buy books on the subject .Since the game Russo German war just came out and Comabt Mission 2 is hopefully coming out around X-mas .I have been buying books on the russian militaty .I just got Stalin Eagles anyone have any other books to recommend ?

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I just got The British Army Handbook 1939-1945, which is one of a series which covers most of the main armies during the war. I haven't read it yet but on cursory examination it seems very thorough and quite impressive. The Russian version would probably be worth a look. The Red Army Handbook 1939-45, Steven J Zaloga and Leland Ness, ISBN 0 7509 1740 7.

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A couple of real good books on Eastern front are "With our Backs to Berlin" Tony le Tisser. It gives a soliders perspective on the the last days of Berlin. There are about 10 stories from germans on what it was like to defend germany from the "russian hordes" during the last weeks of the war. A simialr book "Gotterdammerung 1945" by Schneider is a broader look of the 6 months or so of the war on the eastern front. Both books I would recommend as engaging, more than just statistics and maps.

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If you're looking for more personal accounts, and ones from the Soviet perspective, give serious consideration to the book "Russia's Heroes, 1941-45: An Epic Account of Struggle and Survival on the Eastern Front"

I found it pretty original, since for once, you had some Russian oriented battle accounts. Explores many little-known forces, people, etc. Like Cossacks in battle for example.

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If you want a Soviet perspective I'd say buy When Titans Clashed by Glantz, and Russia at War by Alexander Werth. The first book covers the enitre war as a military operation, and examines the factors responsible for the Soviet forces' victory. The second book covers the big political picture, and also the 'man on the street' angle as well. Mr.Werth was a BBC journalist, living in Moscow during the war, and had intimate contact with Soviet society during this time.

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What level of the military? At the Combat Mission level (Company to Battalion sized combat group), Red Army Handbook is a strong start. If you want to learn more about what really makes the Eastern Front historically interesting when compared with the other theaters, you need to look at a level above that represented at Combat Mission.

Scott

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Ok here are the books that I have based on russia in WW2 .Red army tank commanders ,Red army hand book ,Russsian tanks and armored Vechicles 1917 to 1945 ,Stalins Eagles , .All the osprey books

Have I missed any major ones .THe next one I am lookiong to get is Red star Black cross

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Eriksson "The road to Stalingrad" and "The road to Berlin" massive full coverage of the war from Russian perspective at political, strategic and operation level

Carell "Scorched earth" dated but great narrative from German point of view with a lot of details from strategic to tactical fighting.

I've read also with great pleasure some German memories from the Russian front.

1) Manstein: Lost Victories

2) Mellenthin: Panzer battles

3) Guderian: Panzer leader

4) Von Luck: Panzer commander

5) Sajer: The forgotten soldier

6) AA.VV: In deadly combat

7) Knappe: Soldat. Reflections on a german soldier

At operative level all the books of Glantz.

Many others

Massimo

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just took out an excellent library book --

"Commanding the Red Army's Sherman Tanks" by Dmitriy Loza -- ISBN 0-8032-2920-8

It will help dispell notions that the Russian hordes were faceless or thoughtless. The book starts in January '44, basically, so the Soviets were much more tactically advanced than in, say, 1941.

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  • 3 months later...

Another vote for Glantz's When Titans Clashed for a dry as dust but informative operational account with rather more interesting (yet limited) assessments of strategic issues. Despite claims to the contrary, it doesn't put a face on the Soviet war machine since there's no focus on the commmon soldier or civilian experience at all, nor hardly any information on tactical concerns.

Zaloga's Red Army Handbook seems quite impressive from what I've read of it so far. Like Glantz, Zaloga is considered an expert in the field and makes use of Soviet archival material. The book is divided into essay chapters that discuss the evolution of the various sections of the Ground Forces branch of the Red Army: armor, cavalry, arty, etc. It also features chapters that discuss the equipment of the Army and its evolution, including armor, small arms, etc. Lots of TOEs and photos, and some fascinating tables on Soviet tank production by model and Soviet tank losses to guns of different calibers.

[ 01-18-2002: Message edited by: Stacheldraht ]</p>

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Ericksson is not for the faint of heart - you are probably better off getting Glantz.

'In deadly combat' written by Gottlob Herbert Bidermann, is a specific account of a soldier in 162. ID and has nothing from the Soviet perspective.

A very interesting Glantz book is 'Zhukov's greatest defeat - Operation Mars', and it is written in a very accessible style, with readable maps (something that 'From the Don to the Dnjepr' lacks). Also from the Glantz school: 'Hitler's greatest defeat' by Adair, on Operation Bagration. Excellent work.

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A vote for Stalingrad, by Antony Beevor. Not very tactical, but VERY engaging. Beevor sets the battle in context - events before and after - as well as illustrating the overall story with first-hand accounts, many never published before.

He's currently working on a book about the Battle of Berlin, which IIRC is due to be published in the spring - one to look out for.

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Anyone here read 'The Russo-German War: 1941-1945' by Albert Seaton? I picked up a copy of this a few years ago but I haven't had a chance to really get started. I've seen VERY mixed reviews of both the author and the book.

Anyone?

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