Germans believed as a result of nazi propaganda that all slavs, including russians, were subhuman and would eventually need to be exterminated in order for germans to exploit the lands of eastern europe. Of the german troop losses on the eastern front against. Discover librarianselected research resources on world war ii eastern front from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic. Its relatively short for its subject much too short to be considered a serious study and readable. In the summer of 1941 german army was the strongest in europe and was preparing to use its superiority to defeat the soviet union in a threemonth lightning campaign. In 1949 it became the german democratic republic known in english as east germany. Asked in world war 1, germany in ww2, ww1 allied forces. During the course of world war ii on the eastern front, the germans waged a war of extreme brutality against the people of the soviet union. Another good memoir is eastern inferno diary of a panzerjager 19411943. What are the best books about the eastern front during ww2.
The soviet union and the eastern front the holocaust. Of course, we were not sure whether we would survive or not. So in this context the book is a gem and in content it shines. This book did not live up to the hype i was expecting. There were a number of reasons why hitler attacked the soviet union along the eastern front. There were major causes for loss of manpower in every army, the germans were no different. World war ii losses of the soviet union from all related causes were about 27,000,000 both civilian and military, although exact figures are disputed. Considering the amount of memoirs available form ww2 it is amazing how few are from a soviet perspective, at least in english.
More than probably any other book, this one captures the raw horror of war. Soviet occupation zone of germany was the area of eastern germany occupied by the soviet union from 1945 on. Jun 05, 2014 according to the military historian peter lieb, whose book on the landings was published this month, the main reason for this is the overpowering role in german memory played by the eastern front. None of the reasons seems quite logical or reasonable today. At first an exciting adventure, guy sajers war becomes, as the german invasion falters in the icy vastness of the ukraine, a simple, desperate struggle for survival against cold, hunger, and above all, the. Since the red army refused to let anyone record journals or any other form of communication its hard to really grasp what a russian soldier experienced. It goes through the events leading to the conquest of berlin by soviet forces in aprilmay 1945. Even a great historian like antony beevor talking of rape by german soldiers in russia says in his new book the second world war that reports of rape were few. Absorbing and thoughtprovoking, litvins story reveals the perseverance, resourcefulness, and astonishing toughness of the typical red army soldier, and is a mustread for anyone interested in the eastern front or soldiers experiences in world war ii. I am looking for a good book on the russian front of wwii. Revisionist interpretations about the war on the eastern front abound. The soviet union signed a nonaggression pact with nazi germany on 23 august 1939.
Which is unfortunate, since the central idea of the myth of the eastern front, that the wwii german military. When we were told that the war started, i was right at the border. The air war over the eastern front gobbled up men and machines. Initially focusing on the sovietgerman conflict in world war ii, the system can be used for any kind of oob representation. When the nazis invaded the soviet union in june 1941, they encountered a propaganda windfall. Another book that hit me in the gut was masters of death the story of the ss death squads in the east. Nazi germanys defeat on the eastern front, 19411945. On the 22nd june 1941 the day the germans invaded the soviet union georgy semenyak was a soldier with the soviet 11th mechanised corps. List of books and articles about world war ii eastern front online. Nearly 20 years after its publication, it remains a good starting point for further study, for either newcomers or dabblers. If you are english or french, eastern front was in france against the germans if you are german, eastern front was in russia against russia.
Ansky, the influential jewishrussian journalist, playwright, and politician, received a commission. It is just that we came across some readable literature on ww2, and thought it fit to share our thoughts with you. And that brothels were maintained for the soldiers. Conditions in the soviet union were often deplorable by german standards. In his book death traps belton cooper believes that the m4 got many american servicemen unneedlessly killed due to intentionally poor construction. People literally freezing in the streets, and melting the glue off of book spines to eat it like candy bars for precious protein, or kidnapping and butchering children for food, or hell, the main plot itself. Details about tiger heavy tank ww2 story book ussr soviet russian army. Two of the most popular eastern front histories are when titans clashed. In its scale of destruction, the war on the eastern front was unique. Mar 30, 2011 in its scale of destruction, the war on the eastern front was unique. Aug 21, 2016 with regards to ww2, many socalled experts have determined that the american m4 sherman tank was one of the worst weapons fielded by the allies. You should get the book dirty little secrets of ww2, a statistical analysis of ww2.
Nov 04, 2011 according to the chart, the percentage of german combat divisions which were concentrated on eastern front were never more than 60% after october 1943, and there were only about half of german combat divisions were stationed on eastern front at the time of dday, and the percentage stayed under 50% level after dday germany only had about 44%. Rather, the war was a genocidal mission designed to destroy the ussrs access to natural resources. World war ii casualties of the soviet union wikipedia. Letters from the east it consisted mostly of excerpts from letters from soldiers reporting on conditions they. The initial axis invasion of the soviet union had ended with their forces being overextended and the red army counterattacked them during the winter. Oct 19, 2016 the eastern front was the decisive theater of world war ii in europe. The waffen ss on the eastern front the epic of the volunteer wallonian legion, a unit of the paneuropean waffen ss, as told by its leader, leon degrelle the russians came at dawn, the better part of two regiments, men and tanks silhouetted against the bloodred sun as they moved forward across the steppe. The soviet union ussr the union of soviet socialist republics ussr was founded in november 1917 by the bolshevik party. Originally written only for his daughter, armin schedierbauers adventures in my youth chronicles his time. According to the military historian peter lieb, whose book on the landings was published this month, the main reason for this is the overpowering role in.
Sep 09, 2019 why the eastern front of world war ii was hell. The eastern front of world war ii was a theatre of conflict between the european axis powers and cobelligerent finland against the soviet union, poland and other allies, which encompassed northern, southern and central and eastern europe from 22 june 1941 to 9 may 1945. Walter warda, a soldier in the german army during world war ii, was captured. Mosiers book presents an interesting set of suppositions that if true, explode the myths surrounding the eastern front campaign. World war ii losses of the soviet union from all related causes were about 27,000,000, both civilian and military, although exact figures are disputed.
The eastern front was the decisive theater of world war ii in europe. The postsoviet government of russia puts the soviet war losses at 26. The memoirs of a german soldier on the eastern front by gunter k. I felt i read more about him driving around during the 800 days on the eastern front then fighting. Jul 28, 2019 war between russia and germany along with other axis powers.
The biggest cause of death was combat, which accounted for 46 percent. Strength and loss data eastern front christos military and. Pair of ww2 soviet ussr banners 1940s period time made of cotton 70x20. In january 1942, the nazis published a 60page booklet titled german soldiers in the soviet union. In 1939, the total area of polish territories occupied by the soviet union including the area given to lithuania and annexed in 1940 during the formation of lithuanian ssr, was 201,015. Soviet frontline soldier eastern front testimonies. The secret protocol of the molotovribbentrop pact stipulated poland to be split between soviet union and nazi germany. Although stalin and subsequent soviet leaders deride the contribution made by the allies, a close investigation of casualty statistics, especially the disparate loss ratio between the wehrmacht and soviet show that. According to the chart, the percentage of german combat divisions which were concentrated on eastern front were never more than 60% after october 1943, and there were only about half of german combat divisions were stationed on eastern front at the time of dday, and the percentage stayed under 50% level after dday germany only had about 44%.
Eastern front military nazi occupied soviet union nazi soldier place name in title cold weather 12. Jan 06, 2020 nazi germanys defeat on the eastern front, 19411945 this is a guide to the fighting on the eastern front during world war ii. The fateful siege, 19421943 by antony beevor, hitler moves east 19411943 by paul carell, battleground. The poisonous myths of the eastern front the red army was the single greatest contributor to the defeat of nazi germany sixtyfour years ago, a truly evil empire based on slavery and oppression, and responsible for the genocide of millions of slav civilians, jews, soviet pows and roma by gas, bullets and starvation. Fritz, a professor of history at east tennessee state university, shows the eastern front from the german perspective. Poland was the first country to be occupied by the soviet union during world war ii. But a new book soldaten by soenke neitzel and harald welzer explodes the myth. Online shopping for eastern front from a great selection at books store. In 1955 the republic was declared by the soviet union to be fully sovereign. Awardwinning historian serhii plokhy talks to us about his new book forgotten bastards of the eastern front, which describes a littleknown world war two joint operation between the us and ussr. Nazi germanys defeat on the eastern front, 19411945 this is a guide to the fighting on the eastern front during world war ii. German premier adolf hitlers disastrous 1941 order to invade the vast soviet union mired nazi.
Serhii plokhy on a usussr operation in ww2 historyextra. Steam community guide myths about the ussr and the. The eastern front of world war ii was a theatre of conflict between the european axis powers and cobelligerent finland against the soviet union ussr, poland and other allies, which encompassed central europe, eastern europe, northeast europe, and southeast europe from 22 june 1941 to 9 may 1945. As plokhy reveals, the military collaboration hinted at the cold war tensions that were to come. Going beyond dry and faceless military accounts of the eastern front of the great patriotic war and the soviet. Military occupations by the soviet union wikipedia.
See more ideas about ww2, eastern front ww2 and world war two. Of the german troop losses on the eastern front against the. This is the horror of world war ii on the eastern front, as seen through the eyes of a teenaged german soldier. A journey through the jewish pale of settlement during world war i. The personal memoir of a nazi soldier, from joining the german army in 1941 through his time as a panzer on the eastern front. This is the worstwritten book i have read in some time. How the red army stopped hitler by david glantz and jonathan house and russias war. Led by vladimir lenin and, after 1923, by josef stalin, the bolsheviks later known as the communists established communist rule in the former russian empire after the conclusion of a bitter civil war in 1921. List of all ussr russian films about world war ii refine see titles to watch instantly, titles you havent rated, etc. A russian soldier remembers world war ii modern war studies paperback paperback january 20, 2017.
In absolute war, acclaimed historian and journalist chris bellamy crafts the first full account since the fall of the soviet union of world war iis battle on the eastern front, one of the deadliest conflicts in history the conflict on the eastern front, fought between the soviet union and nazi germany between 1941 and 1945, was the greatest, most costly, and most brutal conflict on land in. With regards to ww2, many socalled experts have determined that the american m4 sherman tank was one of the worst weapons fielded by the allies. In july 1917 he directed the successful german response to the russian brusilov offensive. What is a good book about the eastern front in wwi answers. The war on the eastern front was not fought for lebensraum if that was the case, annihilation would not have been required. May 20, 2018 in the summer of 1941 german army was the strongest in europe and was preparing to use its superiority to defeat the soviet union in a threemonth lightning campaign.
They should be comprehensive and full of details, without being dry and boring. It has been more than 60 years since the end of the second world war, a conflict that shaped the second half of the twentieth century. A figure of 20 million was considered official during the soviet era. In addition to stipulations of nonaggression, the treaty included a secret protocol that divided territories of romania, poland, lithuania, latvia, estonia, and finland into german and soviet union spheres of influence, anticipating potential territorial and political rearrangements of these countries. We were going to russia, the eastern front, and there was not one soldier. World war ii memoirs of hero of the soviet union, dmitriy loza by d. German premier adolf hitlers disastrous 1941 order to invade the vast soviet union mired nazi germany in a bloody, grinding. Tiger heavy tank ww2 story book ussr soviet russian army. The conflict on the eastern front, fought between the soviet union and nazi. All in all, the book is a lively survey of the eastern front told from a soviet perspective.
He ends the book with his comments on what germany could have done to win the war. German army veteran of world war ii remembers the eastern front. The epic siege of world war ii, 19411944 by anna reid, stalingrad. Having read them i can say that they have serious mistakes since they rely on soviet sources for information on german strength and loss statistics. It would be great if they also contained plenty of personal accounts, reports, anecdotes etc from people especially soldiers who were involved in the fighting rather than just describing battle after. Mar 17, 2015 the poisonous myths of the eastern front the red army was the single greatest contributor to the defeat of nazi germany sixtyfour years ago, a truly evil empire based on slavery and oppression, and responsible for the genocide of millions of slav civilians, jews, soviet pows and roma by gas, bullets and starvation. Ww2 1940s russian ussr officer cockade badge star military. From the 1950s onward, cold warera americans were receptive to a view of world war ii similar to the view held by many germans and. War crimes against germans on the eastern front world war.
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