Book review: "Stalingrad", by Antony Beevor

Synopsis: Detailing what most historians attest to be the turning point of the Second World War, "Stalingrad" takes readers through the build up to the horrific 5 month battle that would eventually prove that Hitler's troops were stoppable. With the deterioration of the Nazi-Soviet pact (the agreement between Hitler and Stalin that they could share Poland), Hitler's true objective, his campaign towards the East and the destruction of Bolshevism, becomes clear, and it's evident that war in Russia is imminent... As the Nazi troops storm across the Russian steppes, they push the Russians back against Stalingrad, on the Volga river. It's in this city, with the whole world watching, that the bloody, tactical and often hand-to-hand standoff between two ideologies, two worlds, will change the course of the war, and in doing so, write the words "The Battle of Stalingrad" into "The Big Book of unlikely outcomes".   
                                                                               

Review: If you're looking for a thorough, well-researched study of the Battle of Stalingrad, you're unlikely to find a better one than this. Beevor strikes an elegant balance between the facts and figures, and the personal reality of the war on both sides, occasionally speculating (but not without written testimonies from the soldiers as evidence) as to their personal feelings and views of the battle at the time. Furthermore, he even includes a faint narrative. This is not the focal point of the book (Beevor is, after all, a historian, not a historical story-teller), but does serve to keep the prominent generals in their place, allowing even the most novice historian (like myself) to keep track of events (of which there are a lot!) instead of getting mixed up in a whirlwind of Panza troops and Soviet generals.

Beevor provides photos- striking pictorial evidence of bleak eyed, freezing Russians in hasty retreat; jolly, bare-chested German soldiers loading artillery guns in summer; a black cloud of violent smoke rising like deadly mountains over the rubble of the city, with bright, flaming ships sitting helplessly on the river in the foreground, waiting to sink; a captured, solemn German general, snapped by surprise and against his will, being marched by soviets into captivity... past the frozen and disfigured corpse of a German soldier. It's these photos that shockingly remind you "This is not a fantasy- this was a reality that both sides lived". With that in mind, it's a shame that you have to wait to the very end of the book to see them (or partake in some relentless flicking back and forth!), instead of having them appropriately spread out within the text.

Something that is evident throughout "Stalingrad" is a fact that I think a lot of Western propoganda has omitted over the years- that the Soviet Union was Hitler's real nemesis. He had this whimsical fantasy that Britain would become his ally eventually, and although he was nervous about America entering the war, he didn't HATE them... but the Russians, he both feared AND hated. There was no negotiating or bargaining with the Russians- they received the brunt of Nazi aggression because Hitler believed that Russia could not be occupied like France, or become allies like Italy or Spain... they had to be completely wiped out. This may be best illustrated as so:

Has post-war propaganda convinced us otherwise? The apparent stream of WW2 based films being shot out like cannonballs from Hollywood every couple of years would certainly seem to confirm that. But in writing this book, Beevor has taken a large step in helping bust this myth. A quote from Napoleon (who, himself broke the golden rule of avoiding a Russian winter invasion!) seems appropriate here: "What is history, but a lie agreed upon by all?" 

So, "Stalingrad" dispels the fallacy about the insignificance of the Eastern front. However, one more important truth remains prominent throughout the book, which it seems only right to clarify right now. Up until 1991 and the fall of the Soviet Union (and possibly beyond), Russian text books would tell you that Stalingrad was a communist victory- the greatest achievement of the party, and a lone testimony to the strength of the ideology. However, throughout the book, it's evident and well attested that many ordinary Russians hated Communism almost as much as they hated Hitler. There is a description of Ukrainian peasants taunting Russian troops as they hastily retreat towards the Volga river, laughing "The Germans are coming to get you!". It describes countless tales of Russian soldiers deserting their positions and risking their lives to surrender to (and even join) German troops as a Nazi victory at Stalingrad looked inevitable (this problem was so rife, that Russian generals would execute soldiers who were caught discussing desertion)...

So, if love for "Comrade Stalin" was so overblown and exaggerated, and the victory didn't belong to the Communist regime, then who's victory was it? Frankly, the answer lies in the feeling that you get throughout reading this book, and that is that a combination of luck (Hitler underestimating the Soviet strength), daring tactics and surprise (essentially, besieging the besiegers!), circumstance (Russia's shear size and notorious winters), and Russian desperation (fueled by having the eyes of the world upon them, and facing imminent extermination) appear to be the main cornerstones of the outcome.

Let's leave it at this: if you're thinking of invading Russia any time soon, then just follow these 4 simple rules:

1) Don't invade Russia.

2) If you're going to invade Russia, do it in 9 months (before winter starts).

3) Don't get encircled, because Russia is too big and too cold to sustain you for long.

4) DON'T INVADE RUSSIA!

Score: 8/10