by
June 22nd 1941; Hitler said of this day "the world will hold it's breath".
This book is entirely about one day during World War II. This was
probably the most decisive day of the war. Hitler's decision to attack
the Soviet Union sealed his and the 1000 year Reich's fate, although at
times during Barbarossa it seemed like the Germans were close to
victory.
The book starts with
Hitler making his decision to attack the Soviet Union. It continues with
the planning behind Barbarossa. The author shows that there was a
fundamental difference in the thinking of Hitler and his General Staff.
The General Staff's plan was always based on taking Moscow and then
finishing the other operations. Hitler, however, had no interest in
taking Moscow. He wanted to take Leningrad and the resources of Southern Russia. His thinking was
to link up with Finland, but mostly he needed the oil and ores of Southern Russia.
The
author has filled the book with everything he could: facts, figures, and
maps galore. From the build up of the German Army on the Russian (right
under the Soviets' noses) frontier to the unleashing of Barbarossa, the
book brings you all of the background and information you would want. It
also has a good number of photos showing the action, troops, and
military hardware during that fateful first day.
The
story of all three German Army Groups are shown (North, Center, and
South). It also shows the day from the Soviet side as well. From the
outside, it seemed that the Germans had the day all their way. However,
there were signs that showed how brutal and difficult this invasion was
going to be for the Germans.
The book covers all of the ground from the highest strategy of the attack to the tactics used by the combatants. The book is interspersed with first person accounts of the fighting as well. The book is separated into the planning, and then has chapters on the actual fighting taking place within all three German Army Groups' territory. It then goes into the Air War. The next chapter goes into the different thoughts and actions taken by both High Commands after the first day. The author shows, through their letters etc., that the simple German soldiers already knew on this first day that their war was now different. The savagery and brutality of the Eastern front was apparent to all even during the first twenty-four hours.
The
book comes with numerous appendices and copious notes. It shows the war
in the air, and on the ground. I can recommend it to anyone who is
interested in the military history of the Eastern Front. Thank you Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group for
the chance to review this excellent and well written book.
Robert
Author: Craig W. H. Luther
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Distributor: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
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