ABSTRACT

 Victory at Stalingrad tells the gripping strategic and military story of that battle. The hard-won Soviet victory prevented Hitler from waging the Second World War for another ten years and set the Germans on the road to defeat. The Soviet victory also prevented the Nazis from completing the Final Solution, the wholesale destruction of European Jewry, which began with Hitler’s "War of Annihilation" against the Soviets on the Eastern Front.

Geoffrey Roberts places the conflict in the context of the clash between two mighty powers:their world views and their leaders. He presents a great human drama, highlighting the contribution made by political and military leaders on both sides. He shows that the real story of the battle was the Soviets’ failure to achieve their greatest ambition: to deliver an immediate, war-winning knockout blow to the Germans.

This provocative reassessment presents new evidence and challenges the myths and legends that surround both the battle and the key personalities who led and planned it.

chapter 1|14 pages

Introduction

Battle of the century

chapter 2|31 pages

War of Annihilation

The German campaign in Russia, 1941 – 2

chapter 3|28 pages

Hitler's Quest for Oil

The road to Stalingrad, April – August 1942

chapter 4|30 pages

State of Siege

Stalingrad, September – October 1942

chapter 5|32 pages

Red Gods of War

Soviet victories, German defeats, November 1942 – February 1943

chapter 6|25 pages

Aftermath

Revenge and retribution on the road to Berlin, 1943 – 5

chapter 7|17 pages

The Stalingrad Story

The battle that history changed, 1945 – 2000

chapter 8|14 pages

Conclusion

The battle that changed history?