199 Days: The Battle for Stalingrad [Paperback]

Edwin P. Hoyt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1999

The story of the siege by the acclaimed author of Hitler's War

In 199 Days, acclaimed historian Edwin P. Hoyt depicts the epic battle for Stalingrad in all its electrifying excitement and savage horror. More than the bloodiest skirmish in history-a momentous conflict costing three million lives-the siege was a hinge upon which the course of history rested. Had the Red Army fallen, the Nazi juggernaut would have rolled over Russia. Had the German's not held out during those last few months, Stalin would have painted Europe red. Now, over 50 years after the most extraordinary battle of the second millenium, the truth about this decisive moment is finally revealed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hoyt serves the battle almost shot by shot...more powerful than any fiction" -Stephen Coonts

"Mr. Hoyt never loses sight of the agonies of combat"-New York Times Book Review

"As readable as the best wrought novel, as persuasive as the most authoritative history"-Seattle Post-Intelligencer"Gripping reading."--Dallas Morning News

"Hoyt's work is truly fascinating and very illuminating."--The Pittsburgh Press

From the Publisher

"Hoyt serves the battle almost shot by shot...more powerful than any fiction." --Stephen Coonts

"Mr. Hoyt never loses sight of the agonies of combat." --The New York Times Book Review

"A master historian!" --Bestsellers

"As readable as the best wrought novel, as persuasive as the most authoritative history." --Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"A thrilling account of war on a grand scale. Hoyt's superb account, which incorporates new information from the Russian archives, is a fitting memorial to the three million who died at Stalingrad." --Publishers Weekly

"Rings with the sound of truth, unembellished and unadorned." --Baltimore Sun

"A vivid reconstruction of the conflict....Military history of very high caliber." --Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1 edition (January 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312868537
• ISBN-13: 978-0312868536
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #429,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK tertiary resource., August 2, 2001

By A Customer

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This review is from: 199 Days: The Battle for Stalingrad (Paperback)

I have changed my mind about this book...from bad to mediocre. The problem is that this book is marketed from the publisher as a scholarly study of the battle, drawn from the newly opened Russian archives, as well as the older German archives. This is not the case, & Mr. Hoyt never claims this in his book. Mr. Hoyt simply got a bunch of older Stalingrad books, and rewrote the words into his book. I respect Mr. Hoyt for actually admitting this in his appendix, which he does in great detail, to my amusement. Mr. Hoyt's choice of books to use as the basis for his are generally good secondary sources, but unfortunately are only English titles. Therefore, the well read Stalingrad student will just see a rehash of material he/she has already read. I would recommend this book for the person who just wants to read ONE Stalingrad book in his life. If you read Hoyt, you have essentially read Erickson, Chuikov, Ziemke, & a host of others.

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well written regurgitation of known story, June 20, 2003

By 

Perry Walthom (Devon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 199 Days: The Battle for Stalingrad (Paperback)

This book is typical of Hoyt; very well written and nicely presented, but also unoriginal and non-innovative. Readers wanting to learn new things about Stalingrad, or even to get a detailed analysis as opposed to a mere chronicle, will find this book disappointing. So buy this book if you want a good yarn, but buy Joel Hayward's STOPPED AT STALINGRAD, Antony Beevor's STALINGRAD: FATEFUL SIEGE, John Erickson's THE ROAD TO STALINGRAD if you want substance, new findings and real analysis. Stalingrad enthusiasts are unanimous that these are the three "standard works" on Stalingrad. Although I give Hoyt's book three stars, I give all the other three five stars.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, July 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 199 Days: The Battle for Stalingrad (Paperback)

Reading The Triumph and the Glory heightened my interest in WWII, particularly in the savage fighting on the Russian Front. Wishing to delve into the subject further, I bought a copy of Hoyt's book from Amazon and have to say it was very well done. Hoyt has written quite a number of books about WWII, all of them good. He doesn't quite go into great depth with any of his topics so his books are more for the general public than for more serious students of the war. "199 Days: The Battle for Stalingrad" is well worth reading, but not as definitive as Beevor's "Stalingrad", nor the classic "Enemy at the Gates".