Island of Fire

The Battle for the Barrikady Gun Factory in Stalingrad

by

Jason D. Mark

 

 Death in a small place would be a better title for this book. This is a reference book of the fighting around the Barrikady factory in Stalingrad. It is also much more than that. Reading the book also gives an overview of the entire battle from November 1942 until the bitter end. The author, Jason D. Mark, has become a specialist on the Battle of Stalingrad, and it definitely shows in this work.

 The book itself is a large, almost coffee table sized book. It is also long, as it is almost 600 pages in length. Almost every page has a photo of the men, machines, or aerial views of the battlefield. The author has also jammed it full of what is needed in every military history book- maps, and has them by the ton. This is especially needed to help the reader follow along with the actions that are described. The maps zoom down to house by house level, so you are never at a loss in following the attack and defense descriptions.

 For those of you who like personal accounts of the fighting, this book is a goldmine. For me, who for the most part eschews individual stories of battles, the book has enough overview and dry history to keep me interested. I have never been interested in where private Daniels slept the night before Waterloo. So for this book to have so many recollections and diary blurbs and still keep my attention on every page is quite an accomplishment. The book does almost too good a job in describing the hell on earth the combatants had to face, sometimes separated by floors or just a few feet. This book is so good I have gone out and purchased one of the author's other books, 'The Death of the Leaping Horsemen'.

 Even though I am very acquainted with the battle I was still rapt on every page by the story at this level. For anyone with even a slight interest in Stalingrad, this is a must buy. The book is a steal at its present price of $49.95. Thank you, Rowman & Littlefield for the chance to review this excellent book. I am looking forward to anything Mr. Mark will write next.

Island of Fire link:
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780811719919/Island-of-Fire-The-Battle-for-the-Barrikady-Gun-Factory-in-Stalingrad

Rowman & Littlefield link:
https://rowman.com/


Robert

 

Streets of Stalingrad 4th Edition News!

 

 

 

The 4th Edition website has gone live!  This is the ultimate Stalingrad boardgame. A Kickstarter goes live in September.

 

Game will be reviewed when released on here!

 

This is one game you should start saving for now..you really don't want to miss out.

 

http://www.sos-4.com/

 

 

 

 



THE BOOK OR BOOKS OF THE WEEK OR MAYBE BI WEEKLY, WHO KNOWS?

 

 

 

 Hello everyone! With any luck this maybe become a regular feature. Each week or maybe bi weekly a AWNT team member takes a turn in recommending a book or even a set of books chosen from their book shelf. The book doesn't have to be a new release or even something they've just read. It doesn't even have to be historical. It could be fiction or non fiction, educational, scientific, a graphic novel, anything except porn..sorry to disappoint:)

 

 So I'll kick start this new and exciting (ahem) feature off with a series of books I've just recently got into. It's a series of novels set in WW2. We are transported to the East Front and follow a squad of Axis soldiers who come from different Axis nations plus one Hiwi (Russian volunteer). The author does a decent job in convincing the reader that this set up could possibly exist under the circumstances they find themselves in. The first book I bought was the paperback omnibus of his first set of novels, Bloody Stalingrad, that follow the squad during Stalingrad and the subsequent encirclement. Then as I was given a Kindle Fire for Xmas I went and bought the next omnibus, Rise of the Bloody Phoenix,  which consisted of the next two novels this time focussing on the 2nd battle of Kharkov. Also waiting in the wings is the next book, Bloody Citadel, which is yet to be published which appears to centre around Kursk.

 

 

 

 I'm normally pretty dubious about all these self published novels you now find on Amazon. Especially historical novels were far to often you'll come across glaring historical issues that make you throw the book away in disgust (this has happened on more than one occasion). However I'm obsessed over Stalingrad and certainly didn't want to miss out on a possible gem so I took a chance and bought the trilogy. Thankfully Andrew (the author) has done his research and it shows. Yes like many war novels liberties are taken and truths possibly stretched abit but I've not come across anything that has ruined the book or read any startlingly obvious historical errors (I see a book on sale that follows the SS in Stalingrad, that sort of thing annoys me).

 

 The author at times has a habit of being a touch repetitive and yes he isn't the most accomplished writer I've come across, however I can forgive him these minor indiscretions because he has done an excellent job in getting the reader invested in the main characters. You really do warm to them and want to spend time in their company, routing for them has they battle through the harsh winter conditions of the East Front.

 

 

 

 I actually can't think of many, what I'd consider, truly great war novels (The Red Horse is an epic tale of the Italian war experience, written by an Italian veteran of the East front. He has also wrote an account of his experiences during the retreat across the steppes). I can think of quiet a few really enjoyable war novels and  even more absolutely dire ones. Andrews books easy sits in the really enjoyable category. It's a typical War novel in many respects and it doesn't profess to be anything else. Maybe if you have little interest in the East front you may not view it in the same light as I do, however if you do have an interest and enjoy films like Cross of Iron (the book is very good aswell) then it wont disappoint.

 

 So if you own an E Reader go buy the books so far. Defiantly worth the money:) Even the paperback of the Stalingrad omnibus is worth the price, well I don't regret paying for it.

 

So that concludes my BOOK OF THE WEEK OR MAYBE BI WEEKLEY HOPEFULLY COULD BE MONTHLY... feature. As you can see from the excellent title you may, possibly, see another team member pick a favourite book or two or maybe more if they pick a series....yeah OK I'll shut up..bye!

 

STOP PRESS: I'm sure many of you have seen the excellent German war film Stalingrad? Well I've just discovered the actual book the film was based off. At first I thought the author had just seen the film then wrote the book, however after abit of research I found out it was originally released pre the film in Germany. The book is called Stalingrad: The Loneliest Death by C Fromm

STOP PRESS AGAIN: Below is a list of other recommended East Front fiction. In no particular order.

1. Cross of Iron
2. The Forsaken Army
3. Stalingrad by T Plievier
4. Pavlov's House
5. The Kindly Ones
6. The Red Horse
7. Siege
8. Scar of Honor
9. Black Cross
10 Into the Gates of Hell Stug Command '41
11. Devils with Wings: Frozen Sun (Book three of a trilogy that follows a Fallschirmjager unit. The other two books are set during the para drop at the fort Eben-Emael in Norway and the second book at Crete)