Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitler's Defeat in the East, 1942-1943 (Modern War Studies) [Paperback]

Joel S. A. Hayward (Author)

Book Description

Series: Modern War Studies | Publication Date: September 2001

By the time Hitler declared war on the Soviet Union in 1941, he knew that his military machine was running out of fuel. In response, he launched Operation Blau, a campaign designed to protect Nazi oilfields in Rumania while securing new ones in the Caucasus. All that stood in the way was Stalingrad.

Most accounts of the Battle of Stalingrad have focused on the dismal fate of the German Army. Joel Hayward now chronicles Luftwaffe operations during that campaign, focusing on Hitler's use of the air force as a tactical rather than strategic weapon in close support of ground forces. He vividly details the Luftwaffe's key role as "flying artillery," showing that the army relied on Luftwaffe support to a far greater degree than has been previously revealed and that its successes in the East occurred largely because of the effectiveness of that support.

Hayward analyzes this major German offensive from the standpoint of cooperation between ground and air forces to attain mutually agreed upon objectives. He draws on diaries of both key commanders and regular airmen to recreate crucial battles and convey the drama of Hitler's frustrations and reckless leadership. Ultimately, Hayward shows, the poorly conceived strategies of Hitler, Goering, and others in Berlin doomed the efforts of air commander Wolfram von Richthofen, a courageous and resolute leader attempting to come to grips with an increasingly impossible situation.

Stopped at Stalingrad is a dynamic case study in combined arms warfare that fills in many of the gaps left by other studies of the eastern war. By reconsidering the campaign in the light of a wider body of documentary sources and analyzing many previously ignored events, Hayward provides military historians and general readers a much deeper and more complete understanding of the Battle of Stalingrad and its impact on World War II.

This book is part of the Modern War Studies series.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"A comprehensive view of one of the most important air campaigns of World War II and an insightful study of the Luftwaffe's leaders and its way of war. A 'must read' for anyone interested in the airpower history of World War II."--James S. Corum, author of The Luftwaffe: Creating the Operational Air War, 1918-1940

"An outstanding and long-overdue campaign history that puts a human face on the military decision-making process."--Richard Muller, author of The German Air War in Russia

"A major contribution to the history of the Russo-German War."--Dennis Showalter, author of Tannenberg: Clash of Empires --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Joel S. A. Hayward lectures in defense and strategic studies at Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand. He is a research associate of the U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 412 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Kansas; New edition edition (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0700611460
• ISBN-13: 978-0700611461
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #284,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

113 of 114 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A genuine pleasure to read and packed with surprises., October 16, 2002

By 

Graham Henderson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitler's Defeat in the East, 1942-1943 (Modern War Studies) (Paperback)

"Stopped at Stalingrad" is one of those genuine surprises. Just when you think you have read everything you need to read or want to read about a given subject, along comes a book that forever alters your view of that subject.

This book's principle focus is on the Luftwaffe's role on the Eastern Front. It may, indeed, be the only book length treatment of the subject. Joel Hayward demonstrates with great care that the German's use of air power as a tactical, and not strategic, weapon in close support of ground forces was perhaps THE key factor in the German army's early successes in the East. Patton and the Allied Generals could only DREAM of tactical air-ground support on this level. Writes Hayward, "The Luftwaffe, together with the army meticulously co-ordinated their operations and created joint "Schwerpunkte"(points of main efforts)." I may be demonstrating my own woeful lack of knowledge, but this is the first time in all my reading about the German war effort that I encountered a discussion of the critical doctrine of Schwerpunkte.

But one of this book's best offerings, comes at the very beginning where Hayward outlines in detail the crucial role that oil, or the lack thereof, played in the entire German war effort. From the outset, the German's were running at a critical deficit. And even with the Rumanian oil fields running at full capacity, the German's were in terrible trouble. And every time they absorbed a new chunk of territory, their situation became all the more desperate.

So great was Germany's reliance upon the Rumanian oil fields that Hitler became obsessed with the potential for Russian bombers to turn them in to what he called, "an expanse of smoking debris." The fear proved, of course groundless, the Russians were never able to mount an effective long-range bomber command. But this fear led to a costly, Quixotic "cleansing of the Crimea" -- the so-called "Operation Bustard Hunt".

When the German's launched Operation Barbarossa, their requirements for oil became critical. And this chronic problem led Hitler to focus on the oil fields of the Caucasus. Indeed from this point on much of the German strategic war effort was geared towards securing a reliable oil supply (or developing alternatives).

The effort to reach the Caucasus proved, in many respects, to be Germany's undoing. And it was a fruitless effort to begin with. It assumed that: (A) they could reach the fields at all; (B) that if they reached them the oil fields were not so badly sabotaged that they could be put into production in time to make a difference; and (c) the oil supply once secured could be actually brought back to German over a SINGLE rail line of varying gauges that crossed thousands of miles of terrain open to sabotage and air attack. But Hitler was blind to all of this.

Hayward writes with great passion and precision. At times one feels a little overwhelmed by details. But his portraits of the individual German pilots and commanders, as well of the shocking conditions under which they fought and died, is truly memorable.

This is a book that is not only for the specialist. Anyone with an interest in the Second World War needs to read this book. It makes a brilliant companion to Antony Beevor's book, "Stalingrad".

77 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant blend of narration and operational explanation!!!, April 19, 2004

By 

Harry Raugh - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitler's Defeat in the East, 1942-1943 (Modern War Studies) (Paperback)

You'll have to search hard to find any book that better interweaves a rollicking good narrative with top-notch scholarly analysis of tactics, operational art and strategy. Added to that are good clear maps, a helpful glossary, thorough source and footnote details and a full index. This book initially upset a lot of buffs by slaying several sacred cows, yet Hayward's interpretations have not only survived, but they have been widely accepted by scholars and Stalingrad enthusiasts alike. This has indeed, as another reviewer noted, become a necessary "standard work" on Stalingrad.

88 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book on this portion of the Eastern Front, September 4, 2004

By 

D. Schlaudecker (New Orleans) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitler's Defeat in the East, 1942-1943 (Modern War Studies) (Paperback)

The author has done an outstanding job on this book. I was very pleased with the coverage of the Crimean battles of early 1942 and the launching of Operation Blue when Richtofen's Corps was moved north to support the attack. You get a good, solid picture of the decision's at Army Command, Group, corp, and Division level throughout. The best part for me about a book is when I learn not just one thing, but learn new info on several aspect's of this huge struggle in the East. Enough praise now purchase this book! Anyone interested in the Eastern Front of WW2 should have this book.