Ostfront: Hitler's War on Russia 1941-45 (General Military) [Hardcover]

Charles Winchester (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 1998 | Series: General Military

"Ostfront - the War on the Eastern Front 1941-45" details the decisive theatre of World War II. The War in the East remains the greatest land campaign in history in every sense; it was fought on a 1200 mile front from the Arctic Circle to the Caspian Sea, involved more personnel and cost more casualties than any other. Most popular books on the Russian front are based on German sources. The testimonies of de-briefed German officers together with published memoirs have dominated in the English-speaking world. Now, with the availability of hitherto secret Russian archives, a much fuller picture is emerging. Charles Winchester examines the structure, doctrine, leadership, strengths and weaknesses of the Red Army and the German armed forces in the summer of 1941. He focuses on factors such as the way in which rapid expansion of the army of 1940 had diluted the proportion of mechanized forces in the German Army; the logistics nightmare created by the acquisition of motor transport from all over western Europe; how lopsided technological progress in the Red Army sees vast numbers of tanks and aircraft but few radios; how an army built around a culture of the offensive faced a formidable upcoming defensive task. The detailed analysis of the war in the east which follows explodes a range of myths and tackles the key issues; how the Nazi system squandered huge economic advantages; correction of the commonly held myth that the Soviets enjoyed overwhelming industrial and numerical strength; how German racial policies in the east alienated largely sympathetic populations; and the importance of the Allied air campaign against Germany in diverting resources to defend the Reich.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (October 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855327112
• ISBN-13: 978-1855327115
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 7.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,541,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive study of the German-Russo War, October 5, 2003

By 

Dudley Ristow - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ostfront : Hitler's War on Russia 1941-45 (Paperback)

To this Ostfront fanatic Winchester's book represents the definitive study of the 1437 day German-Russo conflict. I particularly liked how he steered away from the tendency of prolonged military division detail of other works whilst through great statistics, never seen before photographs, good graphics and vivid maps his wonderful book brings home to the reader the incredible scope of this campaign and the full horror of its "total war" base. Considering the deep supply lines that the Germans had to maintain their successes in Russia were phenomenal as to was the patriotism of the Russian soldier and civilian whose tenacity turned the tide of the entire war. Indeed a most unlikely accomplishment if it had not been for the "Ostfront" For all students of WW2 this is an absolute must.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete and Interesting, April 20, 2000

By 

Thomas J. Kraby "tkraby" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ostfront: Hitler's War on Russia 1941-45 (General Military) (Hardcover)

This text is an excellent overview of the war in the east. It really drives home the vastness and overwhelming scope of the eastern front...the front where WWII was won and lost. This book provides you with a platform for which to read further into the many areas of interest on the eastern front. I found myself intrigued with several relatively unknown areas of conflict such as Sevastapol and the bagration. Very interesting and highly recommended.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise Overview, January 8, 2001

By 

Jeffrey L. Thurston (Oakland, Ca USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ostfront : Hitler's War on Russia 1941-45 (Paperback)

This is the clearest book I've read on WW2 ever. Period. Absolutely absent is the author ego and non-historical hype so prevalent in the field today. Absent also is the strange Cold War hangover which takes the credit for defeating Germany away from the Soviets and makes it seem WW2 was won on the shores of northern France. The facts which become clear to an impartial student of WW2 are presented perfectly in this work: the Soviets bore the brunt of the land war in WW2 and the main contribution of the Western Allies was their destruction of the Luftwaffe and their strategic bombing campaign. The overwhelming scale of the war on the Eastern Front and its horrible consequences are sketched out clearly with both words and pictures. This book was a pleasant surprise.