AT_Stalky wrote (View Post): |
Hm, surely more ppl here read books..
Well, finished Iron Coffins by Herbert A. Werner. (In Swedish: Döden från djupet, Jag var Hitlers ubåtschef) |
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Artem Drabkin and Alexei Isaev are well known to Russian/former Soviet readers of the Great Patriotic War. Drabkin has taken on the mission of interviewing as many veterans of the war before they pass away and making their reminiscences and memoirs accessible to the public (including publishing a few as full-length books) while Isaev is a well known military historian with close to a dozen titles to his name, ranging from the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa to the battle of Berlin. This very slim volume (some 175 pages of text) makes for a compelling account of the first twenty-four hours of Operation Barbarossa that Nazi Germany unleashed on the Soviet Union. Some of the newest research is included but overall for those familiar with the Eastern Front there is nothing so compelling that one could say it is a must read (especially when weighing the price of the book against the information offered). A plus is the intermixing of the historic account with eye-witness testimony (here the cooperative efforts of Drabkin and Isaev are at their best). Unfortunately, for those unfamiliar with the war between Germany and the Soviet Union much of what's presented here will be interesting but much more will be without adequate context to situate the reader with the needed knowledge of the various personalities, events, and ideas being presented. On the one hand I cannot say this is an original work as there are no new arguments being put forward. On the other hand the authors do address some of the myths that have persisted to this day that revolve around the first day of the war and showcase Soviet mistakes and German hubris, including some of the initial disasters that befell Red Army men and the civilian population in general. So, overall, a recommended book for those with some knowledge of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Front who are interested in seeing what the newest research has to say on the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa from Russian historians and eye-witness accounts from those on the ground. |
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