Operation Barbarossa: The Largest Military Campaign in History - Hitler Against Stalin by Christer Bergström

Don't miss this BOOK OF THE BOOKS in large format
about OPERATION BARBAROSSA!

 

To be published by Vaktel förlag and Casemate Publishing in June 2016, in connection with the 75th anniversary of Operation Barbarossa!

Christer Bergström, author of the book, is a well-known and highly acclaimed expert and author of books on the Second World War, and in particular on the Eastern Front. He has written 26 books on the Second World War, about half of them dealing with various aspects on the Eastern Front. For instance, his series ”Black Cross/Red Star: Air War over the Eastern Front” from 2000 and onward is very successful and is commonly regarded as THE standard work on the air war on the Eastern Front.

Christer Bergström’s two latest books, ”The Ardennes 1944-1945: Hitler’s Winter Offensive” (2014) and ”The Battle of Britain” (2015) have been quite successful and have received very positive reviews.

Based on decades of research work in both German and Russian archives, as well as interviews with a large number of key figures and veterans, ”Operation Barbarossa: The Largest Military Campaign in History: Hitler Against Stalin”, will bring the knowledge on the war on the Eastern Front several big steps forward. It reveals and dispels very many myths and misconceptions regarding the war on the Eastern front. Here is a sample:

* The myth of mass surrenders by Soviet soldiers

* The myth of the vast differences in troop casualies between the two sides on the Eastern Front.

*The myth about the Master Spy Sorge’s contribution to the alleged relocation of the Soviet Far East armies that are supposed to have saved Moscow.

* The myth of the Soviet partisans.

* Myths and legends concerning Finland’s participation in Operation Barbarossa.

* The myth that it was the Arctic cold that halted the German offensive.

Moreover, several previously unkown facts are presented in this book, such as the massive scale of rapes committed by German troops on the Eastern Front. (At the same time, the modern version of ”the criminal Wehrmacht” is nuanced. War crimes are described, and at the same time exaggerations are dispelled.)

”Operation Barbarossa: The Largest Military Campaign in History: Hitler Against Stalin” is an objective account, balanced 50-50 between both sides in the narrative. The book is based on first-hand archive material from both Russia and Germany, as well as on interviews with numerous veterans from both sides.

Dramatic eye-witness accounts play an important role in the book, and are given a generous space.

The book is in large format (like ”The Ardennes” and ”The Battle of Britain”) and illustrated with over 250 photos (many of them absolutely unique, never previously published), and a several clear and detailed maps.

22 June 2016 will be the 75th anniversary of Operation Barbarossa. That will definitely be commemorated to a quite large extent in the media, and it will increase the interest in learning more about it. ”Operation Barbarossa: The Largest Military Campaign in History: Hitler Against Stalin” will be published in time for the 75th anniversary. It will be published simultaneously in English, Spanish, Swedish and Finnish.

 

 

 

Contents

Glossary and guide to abbreviations                           
Rank equivalency
Time line
Preface
Brandenburgers in the Night
Chapter 1: Hitler against Stalin
Chapter 2: Lebensraum
Chapter 3: The Wehrmacht versus the Red Army
Chapter 4: Towards the Abyss
Chapter 5: Strike at Dawn
Chapter 6: The First Battles of Annihilation
Chapter 7: Tank Battles in the North
Chapter 8: The Advance Towards Kiev
Chapter 9: The Advance Towards Moscow
Chapter 10: The Blitzkrieg is halted
Chapter 11: Annihilation in the Ukraine
Chapter 12: Leningrad Holds Out
Chapter 13: The Finnish front
Chapter 14: The Final Attempt Against Leningrad
Chapter 15: Typhoon Against Moscow
Chapter 16: The Race for “the Soviet Ruhr area”
Chapter 17: The Battle of the Crimea
Chapter 18: The Red Army Strikes Back
Results and Conclusions. I: The Military Scene
Results and Conclusions. II: The War of Annihilation
Appendix 1: Order of Battle on 22 June 1941.
Appendix 2: German and Soviet unit structures in June 1941.
Appendix 3: Tanks in Operation Barbarossa
Appendix 4: Aircraft in Operation Barbarossa
Appendix 5: Loss tables

 

Book facts

Hardcover
Pages: 332
Format: 210 mm x 298 mm
250 photos, many never previously published
Many clear and detailed maps

 

 

 

Some previous books by Christer Bergström


Luftwaffe Fighter Aircraft in Profile, 1997
Black Cross/Red Star: the Air War over the Eastern Front, vol. 1, 2000
Black Cross/Red Star: the Air War over the Eastern Front, vol. 2, 2001
More Luftwaffe Fighter Aircraft in Profile, 2002
Graf & Grislawski: a Pair of Aces, 2003
Jagdwaffe: Barbarossa – the Invasion of Russia, 2003
Jagdwaffe: The War in Russia January-October 1942, 2003
Jagdwaffe: The War in Russia November 1942-December 1943, 2004
Jagdwaffe: War in the East 1944-1945, 2005
Black Cross/Red Star: the Air War over the Eastern Front, vol. 3, 2006
Barbarossa: The Air Battle, 2007
Stalingrad: The Air Battle, 2007
Kursk: The Air Battle, 2008
Hans-Ekkehard Bob, 2008
Max-Hellmuth Ostermann, 2008
Bagration to Berlin, 2008
The Ardennes 1944-1945: Hitler's Winter Offensive, 2014
The Battle of Britain, 2015

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