Stalingrad Inferno: Death of the 6th Army
Gordon Rottman & Ronald Volstad
Of all the grim battles of WWII, surely few can compare with that
of the Battle of Stalingrad. This gargantuan and bloody struggle
marked a turning point in the course of the war. Hitler was
obsessed with capturing this industrial city on the Volga River
that bore Stalin's name, yet it was the ordinary soldiers of the
Wehrmacht that bore the brunt of trying to achieve that elusive
victory.
This handy volume details the German efforts to reduce Stalingrad,
with the focus entirely on the German army rather than on their
Russian counterparts. The knowledgeable author has provided a clear
and accurate text that backgrounds the conflict and the key phases
of the battle, from the German approach to Stalingrad on 22 August
1942, through to the capitulation of the remnants of
Generalfeldmarschall Von Paulus' 6th Army on 2 February 1943. In
between was a ferocious battle that the German "landsers"
christened "der Rattenkrieg" ("the rat war"). The text also lists
an order of battle for the German 6th Army that was annihilated at
Stalingrad, and a description of a typical Wehrmacht infantry
regiment.
This inspirational volume is filled from cover to cover with
carefully selected photographs that chronicle this historical
Battle of Stalingrad. They start with the summer approach to the
Volga River, and the early successful incursions. The photos then
chart the horrifying descent into urban warfare amongst the rubble,
and the freezing clutches of winter that ravaged both sides in the
conflict. These black and white photos are accompanied by highly
detailed captions that offer excellent explanations about such
matters as uniforms, weapons, vehicles, and the course of the
battle. A set of four high quality color plates by the renowned
artist, Ronald Volstad, is also a welcome complement to this work.
In total, the Stalingrad campaign cost the Germans 400,000 lost, as
well as 450,000 of their allies. For the serious student of WWII
history, or the modeler looking for inspiration from this savage
battle, they need look no further than this volume!
Format 21 x 28 cm, Paperback, 52 Seiten, 135 s/w-Fotos, 2
Farbtafeln, englischer Text, Best.-Nr. Con6509