Barbarossa: Hitler's Invasion of Russia 1941 (Battles & Campaigns)

Barbarossa: Hitler's Invasion of Russia 1941 (Battles & Campaigns)
David M. Glantz | 1900-01-01 00:00:00 | Tempus Publishing, Limited | 256 | World War II
Reviews
David Glantz achieved in this book perhaps the most complete coverage of the initial six months of Operation "Barbarossa", presenting the reader with a wealth of material that is hard to be found elsewhere. He also has the talent to make overly complicated operational maneuvers to look very simple and clarified and some of the modern maps that are provided are a synopsis of the campaign themselves! It is true that the book has some annoying typos and most of the photos are retouched or with wrong legends, but this does not diminish the excellent quality of the text and the great work done by the author, especially on the issue of the correct military terminology (the German Army didn't have any Panzer Corps in 1941. Most authors mistakenly call Motorized Corps as Panzer Corps, but not David Glantz). There are also extensive orders of battle in the closing pages and many notes for the military history buffs who want to explore the subject further.
Reviews
A great introduction to the Eastern Front. Glantz did a great job with this book, a lot of information and sources (I especially liked the table that had which army was activated when and where it was moved, quite helpful). Glantz addresses Barbarossa and how it came about, he gives a good overall account of the invasion and the encirclement operations by the Germans and at the same time also discusses the 'myths' that have begun to circulate about the Eastern Front of 1941. A great addition to any library on the Eastern front and a source that I come back to time and time again for my needs when it comes to the invasion and Red Army actions in 1941.
Reviews
I don't want to dwell on, so let us consider just illustrations. In the beginning of the book you can find: "All illustrations are from the author's collection." Therefore, photos have been picked up by David Glantz and it is him who is responsible for their accuracy.
#202 (page 196) "Red army machine-gunners..." Excuse me, but on the photo there is an anti-tank rifle, not a machine-gun...

#91 (page 65), #139 (page 129), #147(page 137) #189 (page 178) #198 (page 192) the photos are definitely are not of Barbarossa time. Well, on these photos Soviets wear post-Stalingrad uniform...

How can we take seriously the rest of the book???
Reviews
This is pretty much the shortest and easiest read of all books written by Glantz. It's a great introduction to his more detailled analysis of the major battles of the russian front. The book would have gotten 5 stars if over 20 pages of barbarossa were not copied from his other book "when titans clashed". Or is it the other way around? Needless to say i was dumbfounded to reread the same thesis twice, in two different book. Anyways, it still a fascinating book.
Reviews
Mr. Glantz's book about operation Barbarossa probably has a number of qualities, which will appeal to WW II aficionados or armchair strategists: his a precise description of the orders of battle and of the forces in presence and he clearly spells out the various steps of the campaign. He tells the story clinically, with some maps and some pictures, but I found the book less than compelling reading for three reasons: the prose is, shall I say, uninspiring; there is absolutely no attempt at enlightening the reader as to the geopolitical context, except for a few allusions to Stalin's well known purges of his own army and the like; there is no human dimension whatsoever. A book primarily for readers with an interest in how the various army groups of the Wehrmacht interacted and how many infantry or armour battalions there were in a Panzerdivision, but the epic of this gigantic chapter in human history and tragedy is unfortunately to be found elsewhere.

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