What is the best 1 volume overview book of the East Front in WWII?

[Nabla]

Originally posted by Little_Black_Devil:

I would highly reccomend Professor John Erickson's two volume set on the Eastern Front;

"The Road to Stalingrad"

and

"The Road to Berlin".

I've heard good things about these books, but I've also heard that their problem is the lack of maps. Could someone recommend a map source to go with these two volumes?

[astroboy]

A few from my shelf ,

Hitler's War on Russia, by Paul Carell, a three volume series. They're in paperback (Corgi Books, a UK publisher), with colour photos. Writes in a lively way, so much more readable than some of the painfully dull German generals that are almost impossible to slog through. Volume 1 is 'Invasion - they're Coming'. Volume 2 is 'Hitler Moves East'. Volume 3 is 'Scorched Earth'. Carell is more lightweight than the Generals, but you'll pick up a good picture of what happened. Just remember, there's more opinions than facts out there! Search secondhand bookstores for this lot.

Schiffer Military History publishers (US company) also have some glossy hardbacks by Paul Carell, such as 'Operation Barbarossa', and 'Stalingrad'. Both are notable for the photos, many in colour, which are a real strong point with Carell books.

Also 'Zhukov' by Otto Preston Chaney Junior,. University of Oklahoma Press, a favourable biography of the famous General. As he had a finger in most Soviet military pies, it's almost a history of the whole Eastern war (and the bits about pre-war clashes with the Japanese in Manchuria are interesting, anyway).

[Danny Chung]

I recently read Russia's War - the author's name has slipped my mind, Christ, I'm still only 33!. I think it only came out a few years ago.

As you can imagine, a nice paperback from the Russia point of view. At times, Stalin seemed to be at war simultaneously with both the Germans and the Russians...

[Panzer Leader]

Anyone read a (new?) book I saw called "Russia's Heroes?" It looked like it might be good.

Also curious about the book "Berlin Dance of Death" which looks pretty good.

Note: these books are personal accounts, NOT strategic histories.

[Lars]

Originally posted by von Lucke:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Lars:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Panzer Leader:

Or Panzer Commander by von lucke?

But he wasn't a staff general. Or on the Eastern Front, IIRC.</font>

[Wol]

For the Soviet view, Erickson's books and articles are a MUST read, especially his article on soviet sources. Read with albert Seatons book. Beyoind this...If you read Guderin, make sure you read Yeremnko's "The arduous begining", also Chuikov's 'The begining of the road", Rokossovski's "Sodatski Dolg" ( A soldiers story), etc. Other places are the various editions of Journal slavic(formerly soviet) military studies, technical books by Glantz, Zaloga, Bellamy (Red God of War), Michael Parrish and so on. Your local library will hold many of these, and there are also the various editions of the history of the great patriotic war.

[Michael Emrys]

The Military Book Club is currently offering The Atlas of Eastern Front Battles by Will Fowler as part of their sign-up package. I haven't seen this one personally so can't speak to its quality. Said to contain 56 maps and illustrations. At the price you can hardly go wrong. Several other tasty offerings as well, such as Tanks of the World by Chamberlain & Ellis. I may rejoin.

Michael

[ September 17, 2002, 05:22 PM: Message edited by: Michael emrys ]

[Little_Black_Devil]

I've also got "The Atlas of Eastern Front Battles" by Will Fowler.

While I admit that I have not actually read it yet, I have skimmed through it. From a cursory glance, the book does appear to be written for the casual reader, or those new to the history of the Eastern Front.

Its very colourful, and there are a fair amount of maps.

I'm hoping to have some time in the near future to read this book, so I can provide a substantially more informative overview of what its all about.

[Michael Emrys]

LBD,

How are the maps? Do they look comprehensive? There are few things more aggravating than maps that don't show what you are looking for. I'm not interested in the text; I'm sure I can find better histories elsewhere. But the maps are what interest me in this volume.

Michael

[Diceman]

Originally posted by Michael emrys:

LBD,

How are the maps? Do they look comprehensive? There are few things more aggravating than maps that don't show what you are looking for. I'm not interested in the text; I'm sure I can find better histories elsewhere. But the maps are what interest me in this volume.

Michael

I have a copy. There are a few descent illustrations: Leningrad, Stalingrad, Berlin, Prokhorovka, but overall I walked away from the book thinking I should have checked no instead of yes. I expected more detailed information based on the advertising I saw. It's not a bad book, I just felt the reading was a bit light.

The maps are not comprehensive by my standards. Movements are displayed in sweeping arrow format at the corps level and larger, far less detail than you find in Guderian's "Panzer Leader", and somewhat less detail than found in Michael Reynolds "Men of Steel, 1 SS Panzer Corps" for example. Just my take on it.

[rvalle]

Originally posted by Michael emrys:

The Military Book Club is currently offering The Atlas of Eastern Front Battles by Will Fowler as part of their sign-up package. I haven't seen this one personally so can't speak to its quality. Said to contain 56 maps and illustrations. At the price you can hardly go wrong. Several other tasty offerings as well, such as Tanks of the World by Chamberlain & Ellis. I may rejoin.

Michael

Oh... that Book Club is going to be evil. I signed up and picked up Ostfront, Hitler's Panzers East, The atlas of eastern front battles of world war II, Eastern Front: The unpublished photographs (500 b/w pictures!) and Panzers on the eastern front. Total cost plus shipping is 19:98 and that includes a $4 charge for them to ship it out quicker.

Thanks for the heads up.

rv

[zahl]

Originally posted by Nabla:

[The Road to Stalingrad, The Road to Berlin]

I've heard good things about these books, but I've also heard that their problem is the lack of maps. Could someone recommend a map source to go with these two volumes?

I can't give any recommendations, but I think that no atlas has the level of detail that is needed here. Erickson's operational narrative is painfully detailed. To get an idea, the maps should show Rzhev-Vyazma area locations like Osuga, Semelevo, Pogoreloe, Solnenino and Certolino. And that was just one page worth of obscure towns/villages! The Cassell Atlas of the Second World War by Peter Young, for example, has 48 Eastern Front maps, but is hopelessly inadequate. West Point maps are even worse. The maps should also show minor rivers, lakes, heights, woods and marshland.

[Andreas]

While Erickson's books are excellent, I think that as introductory texts they are worse than useless. I find myself reading them again now that I have a much deeper knowledge of specific operations. Now I use them to pinpoint specific occurances, and set these into a larger frame.

As an accessible one-volume text, you can not get anything better than Glantz/House 'Clash of Titans'. I think the accolades speak for themselves.

Yes, it does only give one page on Kursk, but if that is not enough for you, then you just get the full treatment on Kursk in Glantz/House 'The battle of Kursk'. Provided you are still interested.

[Stacheldraht]

For more on the Soviet POV, Russia at War: 1941-1945 by Alexander Werth. 1100 pp. of accounts by a Russian-born English journalist who was in the Soviet Union for most of the war. More of an overall focus than just some divisions-on-the-map approach. Gives you some appreciation for the political, diplomatic, social, and economic forces at work and lets you know what it was like for ordinary people and common soldiers, not just the generals.

Many have recommended Glantz & House's When Titans Clashed, which is indeed a useful book, but be forewarned that it's dry as dust and tedious for the most part and gives you little appreciation for the sorts of things Werth and other authors have covered. Rather, it's primarily (though not exclusively) limited to "Division X then approached the Y river and met with heavy resistance." Sadly, the authors rarely give you any idea about those divisions' nominal and actual strengths, equipment, or histories, so it doesn't mean much. Iirc, it gives almost no significant impression of fighting on the tactical level (i.e., that of CMBB). (Been a while since I read it, admittedly.) Limited maps, too. So, caveat lector.

[chaos]

I see that Glantz has a self-published book called "Atlas of the war on the Eastern Front: 1941-1945", with 85 supposedly detailed maps. Does anyone here have this book, or know anything more about it?

chaos

[Michael Emrys]

Originally posted by Diceman:

It's not a bad book, I just felt the reading was a bit light.

The maps are not comprehensive by my standards. Movements are displayed in sweeping arrow format at the corps level and larger...

That is as I feared. Well, I'm giving it a pass then. I already have things pretty well covered at that level.

MBC has gotten into the unfortunate habit (just from my point of view, mind you) of publishing a lot of "history lite" books that just recycle the same old clichés about whatever. They do put out some neat books from time to time, but one has to tread carefully.

Michael

[Sgian Dubh]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. SO far I have been able to find a copy of Barbarossa and Panzer Leader. The bookstoe I go to didn't have any of the other titles in stock and were all special order.

I found it odd that they had multiple copies of Barbarossa on hand but not a single copy of A Clash of Titans. When I inquired I was told that they hadn't had a copy of "A Clash of Titans" for over 2 years.

*sigh*

[BDW]

check out Powells Books for a huge selection of (new and used) military books! It is much better than amazon or anything else I have found online. They have many of the books listed in this thread in stock.

[ September 18, 2002, 05:03 PM: Message edited by: BDW ]

[Michael Emrys]

I was in Powell's store once several years back for just a little while. Their section on Russia and the Great Patriotic War covered a section about six feet long and eight feet high.

Yeah, they've got a lot of books.

Michael

[Panzer Leader]

Could be because the title is "When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler" but anyhow, it is a little to stiff for many mainstream bookstores.

Anymore, I find most of the stuff at even the better bookstores, like Barnes and Noble, Borders, etc. to be a bit too *lite* for my taste. If I see another god-damn photo-history of Pearl Harbour or Normandy I think I will puke.

If you want a REAL book, go to one of the small publishers like Fedorowicz Publishing. Expensive, but oh so good.

[Flipper]

try paul caurel's book hitler moves east 41-43 as well as some other titles he wrote on the eastern front interesting anecdotes in thier.Been awhile since I've read them.

[Crimguy]

Originally posted by Lars:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Panzer Leader:

Mellinthin wrote another book besides Panzer Battles?

Whoops, maybe I posted too quickly.

Must have been because I was looking through my bookshelf for something to read and Panzer Battles caught my eye.

Perhaps he means Panzer Leader by Guderian?</font>

[scribble]

How about anything by Paul Carrel and also Anthony Beevor (Stalingrad and Berlin)