Operation Barbarossa 1941

"...a tour de force on operation Barbarossa and all of its facets...Where this new rendition goes beyond all others in its field is where the author challenges, and proves, many of the items that we take as gospel in the earlier histories, and shows them to be false. Some of these myths are about the mass surrender of Soviet soldiers and the disparity between the casualties suffered on both sides. The book is a treasure trove of information about subjects that have never before been brought to print. It goes deeply into the partisan and anti-partisan part of the war. The author does not shy away from the many ugly facts about this time in history. He goes into detail about the Nazi 'cleansing' and the amount of cooperation that the Nazis received from some of the indigenous populations. There is even a part of the book that goes into the amount of rapes committed by the German soldiers. The author also shows in detail that the Axis armies actually outnumbered the Russian forces on June 22 1941....The text with all of its tons of details of the day to day operations and human involvement is without a doubt the best covering of this campaign in print." ~A Wargamers Needful Things

"...Takes on the conventional 'wisdom' boldly; good photos; well organized; unafraid to confront German and Finnish atrocities; boldly states the Nazi goals in eastern Europe; very readable/accessible...This book will get you thinking, especially if you have not read some of the more recent scholarship on the eastern front. If you like a good dose of history alongside your models this is an excellent book. It is easy enough for a first-time student of the eastern front, but thoughtful enough for those who have done extensive reading. Bergstrom is better at posing important questions than he is at answering them. I found myself thinking this book is the beginning of several debates, not the end. ~Armor Modeling and Preservation Society

...Bergstrom offers far more verifiable facts about far more facets of the war. In particular, he quotes specific numbers of tanks, troops, casualties, aircraft, victories, losses, and more. Where sources disagree, he generally points out and attempts to reconcile the differences. Instead of simply providing the same old rote outline of operations, he explains how plans evolved as the campaign progressed. He observes the workings of headquarters and troops on both sides of the front, balancing the views from Moscow and Berlin. His account also fully integrates air operations with events on the ground. ...Many excerpts from firsthand accounts ... His final section, "The War of Annihilation" forcefully brings home the horribly murderous aspects of the war that can be too easily forgotten in strictly military works. The state of the art has come a long, long way since Hitler Moves East in 1964. Operation Barbarossa 1941: Hitler against Stalin is one of the results of that progress in scholarship, bringing better accuracy, balance, and clarity to the old story.... ~Stone & Stone Second World War Books

“Takes on the conventional 'wisdom' boldly; good photos; well organized; unafraid to confront German and Finnish atrocities; boldly states the Nazi goals in eastern Europe; very readable/accessible… This book will get you thinking, especially if you have not read some of the more recent scholarship on the eastern front. If you like a good dose of history alongside your models this is an excellent book. It is easy enough for a first-time student of the eastern front, but thoughtful enough for those who have done extensive reading… Very HIGHLY RECOMMENDED” ~AMPS

"This is a very impressive piece of work, that gives us a much more convincing account of Operation Barbarossa, with convincing reasons for both the German successes and their eventual failure." ~History of War