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Zhukov at the Oder: The Decisive Battle for Berlin (Stackpole Military History Series)

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This is the best book ever written on the Battle of Berlin. The author to his great credit uses mostly primary sources, to include interviews and memoirs of participants, unit records and histories, and his own detailed knowledge of the terrain. This book is not a rehash of other books. It breaks new ground and is a must read for students of warfare. The first 1/3 of the book focuses on the period of January-March 1945 and the battles fought on the Oder River, as the Red Army struggled to seize and expand bridgeheads, while eliminating German ones, even as the remnants of the German Army's "Army Group Vistula" threw in desperate counterattacks to stabilize the frontline short of Berlin. The author does an incredible job integrating and explaining the tactical and operational pictures of the opposing armies, and interweaving the fighting with the immense psychological pressure Stalin and Hitler placed on their commanders. Zhukov's rivalry with Koniev is explained for the first time as a life and death matter for Zhukov, as Stalin moves his chess pieces and pits them against each other to ensure and secure his own postwar prominence and leadership. The second 1/3 of the book focuses on preparations the German NINTH Army made to defend Berlin and contrasts these to those Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front made to break through the German lines and seize the Reichstag. The last 1/3 of the book focuses on the first four days of the last major Red Army offensive and ends with the incredibly bloody seizure of the Seelow Heights. Throughout the book the author tends to divide individual chapters into easily readable and understandable segments dealing with each German Corps and the Red Army forces they opposed. The maps help you follow the action. The author also provides excellent order of battle information for each side. The Germans are clearly scrapping the bottom of the barrel, but some of the Wehrmacht's last-levy forces put up an incredible fight, to include obscure formations such as "Battle Group 1001 Nights." The surprising reliance the Soviets were forced to place on the Polish Army is a clear indication the Red Army's enormous manpower losses in previous campaigns has bled Russia white. The author also explains the doctrine the opposing forces used in this campaign, to include a new (1945) German doctrine on defensive operations that would cost the Red Army dearly in men and tanks. The book ends before the actual fighting in the city of Berlin. To read about this part of the campaign, read the author's superb book, "Race to the Reichstag" and then read his "Slaughter at Halbe" for an exciting and fascinating account of the German NINTH Army's breakout south of the city to the west.

Author Le Tissier is up to his normal very high standard with this work which is probably a reprint of his 1995 "Zhukov At The Oder", a book that I do not possess and therefore cannot verify the correctness of my statement. But no matter, if the reader is interested in the preliminaries to the Battle of Berlin, this is certainly the definitive work. I recommend that it be supplemented with the author's "Slaughter At Halbe" which describes the fate of the Ninth Army after the actions in the book being reviewed, and also his "With Our Backs To Berlin" which contains narratives (some of which are partially included in this work) of the fighting in and around Berlin. For a more comprehensive work on the fall of Berlin, try "The Fall Of Berlin" by Anthony Read and David Fisher.

One of the outstanding features of this book are the maps which allow the reader to follow the course of the Zhukov's attacks -- twenty-nine of them as a matter of fact. As one who often comments on the lack of maps to aid in comprehending the narrative, I was very pleased with the author's use of these supplements. The only negative I have to offer is a certain amount of repetition in the narrative and the author's use of the same stories and narratives in more than one of his works.

Part One discussed Zhukov and the Soviet and German military forces. Here I recommend reading "The Memoirs of Marshal Zhukov" (Delecorte Press: 1971) for more detail on Zhukov; David Glantz's "Colossus Reborn" on the Red Army; and the US War Department's "Handbook On German Military Forces" (Louisiana State University: 1995). The author's treatment of these subjects is very concise, and the interested reader will no doubt seek more detailed references.

Part Two presents the formations of the Soviet bridgeheads across the Oder from which they could launch the final attack on Berlin. The fighting in the Kuestrin Corridor was particularly intense, even though the German forces were cobbled together hurridly and were vastly overmatched. Zhukov's 1st Byelorussian Front had outrun its supplies, become disorganized and stalled by the dogged defense.

Part Three gives the planning of the Berlin offensive by Zhukov and what planning there was on the German side. The author also presents Stalin's tactic of playing Koniev off against Zhukov, supposedly in the sense of having the marshals compete for fame and glory, but actually to help keep Zhukov from becoming a personal threat to Stalin himself. The meddling by Hitler and Himmler are discussed, and fortunately for the Germans, the defense specialist, General Heinrici, was put in charge of the Oder Front (Army Group Vistula.)

The Battle of Seelow Heights and the Oderbruch is contained in Part 4 in four chapters -- one for each of the first four days -- and Zhukov's planning and operational decisions are shown to be close to disasterous. Fortunately for the Soviets, the German forces were simply too weak to accomplish anything more than make the Soviets pay dearly for every yard. In addition, Koniev was able to create a breakthrough in the South by Gorlitz, and Stalin changed his axis of advance to approach Berlin from the South. Zhukov was not able to make a clean breakthrough until the third day of atacks, but when he did, he was able to beat Koniev to the heart of Berlin. It must also be mentioned that Heinrici pulled his men back from the forward lines immediately before the Soviet artillery barrage and attack, so that the attack not only hit air, but it became disorganized and bogged down in the churned-up bottom land in front of the Seelow Heights. Untouched by the heaviest barrage of the war, the Germans on the Heights took a very heavy toll of Soviet soldiers and tanks. Nonetheless, the foruc is on Zhukov's generalship, and in this instance his performance was less than stellar.

The remainder of the book covers the operations following the breakthrough, the fate of the German 9th Army, and Zhukov's later years. He was greatly mistreated by Stalin, not so much for his excessive losses before Berlin, but for his popularity and potential as an opponent to Stalin.

Through all of this the author discusses the operations and sprinkles first-hand accounts of the fighting and situations to give the reader a clearer concept of what was actually happening. Personally, I think these personal accounts are what makes the author's works so compelling, easy to read and interesting. One can readily fall asleep reading about some corps capturing some town and losing however many tanks in the process. But the personal accounts bring the situation into the reader's living room.

The end notes are even important, particularly in explaining such things as "Seidlitz-Troops" and resolving conflicting accounts. The bibliography is also an excellent list of references although I would like to add "Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg, Vol 10/1, Der Zusammenbruch des Deutschen Reiches 1945, Die Militaerische Niederwerfung der Wehrmacht" (2008). This is the official German history of World War Two and the volume covering the events of the author's work.

In conclusion, this is an important and thorough scholarly work. I recommend it to all students of the European conflict in World War II.

I like reading books on the subject of the Berlin War of 1945 when the Reds stormed across Eastern Europe and ready to plunge into Berlin, the heart of the Reichstag.John Le Tissier knows very well of this War and he researched thoroughly of the subject, like the blunders Zhukov committed at Sellow Heights, and the endurance as well as the misery of the 9th Army under General Busse, not to mention the decimated German Army and the preparation for the showdown in Berlin.I believe this book is not just a book of WWII, but rather a good book on Courage, Sacrifice, Endurance of the German Army as well as the Germanic people, and also the madness of Hitler and his cronies in the Highest Command of the OKW.

This review is from: Marshal Zhukov at the Oder: The Decisive Battle for Berlin (Hardcover)
The book begins with a three chapter introduction that starts with describing the life of Zhukov and ending with the military conditions of Russia and Germany. It then progresses with the campaign of the Russian Fronts advancing from central Poland to the Oder River. The progression continues with the establishment and then the expansion of the bridgeheads across the Oder. The story culminates with four chapters, one for each day of the battle for Seelow Heights and the Oderbruch. This is the main theme of the book and the narrative and the accompanying maps is very good though Mr Le Tissier's writing style is not always the smoothest though the tactical coverage is pretty good but brief in spots.
In the last chapter, the discussion falls on the difficulties Stalin placed on Zhukov after the war, not wanting to share the glory of victory with the Field Marshall. The chapter concludes with a brief summary of Zhukov's life post war.

A commendable Notes section and an impressive Bibliography of noted authors as well as an excellent Index is presented. A few photos are also provided as well as an Appendix showing troop strengths. The 29 black and white maps were very good and you'll probably spend a lot of time studying them.

I have to play Devil's Advocate. Even though I enjoyed the book; the coverage of what the author gave you is good and the many maps are really helpful to understanding the advance, but the book is too incomplete to be called "The Decisive Battle for Berlin". The author shows you a third of the Battle for Berlin. I submit that taking Seelow Heights and the Oderbruch is not the decisive battle for Berlin, only an important first step. The author stops 12 days short of capturing Greater Berlin, the true decisive battle for Berlin. Plus, he only summarizes the Halbe pocket and the fate of 9th Army. And calling this book "The Decisive Battle for Berlin", completely ignores and minimizes Konev's accomplishments to the south.

For you to see the complete capture of Berlin from Mr Le Tissier, you will also have to read: "The Race to the Reichstag", "The Battle of Berlin", "Slaughter at Halbe" and "With our Backs to Berlin". If Mr Le Tissier would write an unabridged version that encompasses these 5 books, that would be an awesome read.
The book is good and covers the critical first step of moving on Berlin; just be aware the coverage is just a fraction of the Battle for Berlin and the title is a little misleading.

Retired British Army officer Tony Le Tissier, with long service experience in Germany, originally wrote Marshal Zhukov at the Oder in 1995. At the time, this book offered an unprecedented look in English at the final Soviet offensive that brought the Red Army to the gates of Berlin in April 1945 (although German language books by authors such as Wilhelm Tieke had been around for more than a decade). Unfortunately for Mr. Le Tissier, David Glantz came along afterwards and discovered a great deal about Zhukov and the Red Army that was not recognized earlier. Nevertheless, Marshal Zhukov at the Oder is a carefully written and well-researched book that remains of great value to military specialist readers, although general readers may find the author's wooden writing style and agglomeration of tactical details too dense to plod through. This is the kind of book that needs to be read a couple of times before it sinks in, although it is worthwhile once accomplished.

Marshal Zhukov at the Oder consists of five parts: (1) the opposing forces, (2) the creation of the Soviet bridgeheads over the Oder River in January-February 1945, (3) the preparations for Operation Berlin, (4) the breakthrough battle and (5) beyond the breakthrough. I was surprised by the first chapter which focused on Marshal Georgiy Zhukov, since it contained a number of important errors and omissions (particularly no mention of Zhukov's defeat at Rzhev in 1942, his failures at Korsun and Kamenets-Podol'skiy that allowed trapped German armies to escape) - it seemed that the author accepted much of Zhukov's politicized memoirs at face value. The next two chapters, on the Red Army and the German Army in 1945, are also quite succinct and don't really say all that much.

The author's narrative begins to take off in part 2, with the initial Soviet lunge across the Oder River, following the successful Vistula-Oder Offensive. A couple interesting points come out here; despite the virtual obliteration of the German Heeresgruppe Mitte (again) in Poland, Zhukov's spearheads had great difficulty getting tanks across the virtually unguarded Oder River and were then stopped by a couple of hastily-transferred German divisions. The Luftwaffe - far from being down and out - made a major appearance in attacking the Soviet crossing sites. Zhukov comes off rather conservative in this section, since he apparently failed to consider the use of paratroops as he did at the Dnepr crossing and was diverted from Berlin by a half-baked German counterattack in East Pomerania. Zhukov squandered two vital months dealing with secondary issues, which allowed the Germans to build new defenses to contain the Soviet bridgeheads over the Oder. These are very interesting chapters, including the siege of Kustrin, with considerable give and take on both sides. By the end of March, the Soviets have linked up most of their bridgeheads over the Oder, but the Germans have built three lines of defensive between the river and Berlin.

The heart of the book lies in the breakthrough battle, which does not go as Zhukov planned. Despite shortages of men, ammunition and fuel, the German 9. Armee puts up a desperate defense on the Seelow Heights, while Zhukov's handling of the battle is described as clumsy and dependent upon mass, rather than skill. Since the Soviet artillery preparation was so important to the battle, I was expecting the author to go into some depth on this subject, but unfortunately he doesn't. After four days, Zhukov finally smashes through all three German lines but he has suffered enormous losses, including nearly half his armor. One wonders what the result would have been if the Germans had transferred their best SS Panzer Divisions here, instead of Budapest - probably even worse for Zhukov's reputation. The book has 29 very detailed B/W tactical maps (mostly 1:50,000 scale) and two appendices (Soviet strength for 1st Byelorussian Front and German 9. Armee strength). The maps are a bit difficult to use because they sort of link together, but not always - this book desperately needs an overview map of the entire sector. Readers should bookmark the map on page 130, which is the only one that really shows the fighting in the south. The northern sector, with the Polish 1st Army, is likewise covered only in part. Also, the author mentions the German fortified lines such as Wotan and Stein, but they are only depicted in part and not on all maps.

Overall, Marshal Zhukov at the Oder is a very good book on this subject, although it will not please all readers. Specialists will note that some units/formations just appear with little explanation and the author has a tendency to rely too heavily on anecdotal accounts while skimming over critical issues. It is also noticeable that the author wants to criticize Zhukov's conduct of the battle but there is not a lot of supporting analysis. For example, Zhukov's premature commitment of his two tank armies is frequently cited as causing confusion on an already crowded battlefield, but there is little evidence presented to confirm this charge. General readers are likely to focus on the personal accounts - almost all from the German viewpoint - which are similar to those in the author's other books on the final Battle for Berlin.

This book provides a detailed description of the German Armageddon at the end of World War II. It gets down to individual unit experiences and even the experiences of individuals. The book provides the perspective of both the Germans and the Russians, although the Germans are in more detail probably due to the availability of source materials.

On the negative side, for the Kindle version, the maps again are difficult to read and so you can't follow the events on the map with a clear understanding. Also, there is a lot of bouncing around between units and individuals and it is hard to keep up with that at times. Although the book does a good job of putting the events into an outline, by day and part of the battlefield.

All in all, this is a good book for an individual who has read other books on the Russo-German war of 1941-45. However, I wouldn't recommend it for the casual reader on WWII.

The author presents an interesting narrative. It is easy to get lost in the narrative because there is little to refer to in regards to good the clear maps and the names of the towns in the battle area are not exactly names familiar to most military historians other than Kustrin, Frankfort on the Oder and a few others. The main problem is that good maps are needed to follow the action. The publisher reduced the maps to the size that is difficult to clearly read them and find the places mentioned. The hardback copy most likely has larger maps and possibly a better section for the reader. I do not recommend the paperback simply because the format of the book is too small for easy reading - this has nothing to do with the author's work since the text is well done.

The book's focus is on the Soviet strategic planning on the final push to Berlin in 1945, not of the Berlin battle itself. The book provides information from both the German and Soviet High Commands. The information on the politics between Joseph Stalin in denying credit to Marshall Zhukov is very interesting. This denial reduced Zhukov's authority in fear of his popularity and power in being to overthrow Stalin after WW2. This resulted in a reduced Soviet unity of effort that gave the Germans some flexibility to possibly prolong their inevitable defeat.

However, the German High Command was far more hampered by the delusional H*tler with his ineffective and harmful appointments of political cronies in key military command positions, not to mention removal of professional officers, and demanding soldiers needlessly sacrifice their lives for every inch of ground. The first mistake was the transfer of the only combat capable mobile SS Panzer Corps in the ill fated defeat in trying to protect Hungary and its oil fields from capture. Their loss prevented the Germans from having their best fighting unit to defend and counterattack the Soviet breakouts from the Vistula and Oder Rivers.

The multiple failures by H*tler and his cronies resulted in fruitless and ill prepared counterattacks by under equipped and poorly trained formations against cohesive, experienced, and organized Soviet units along the Oder River. The irreplaceable casualties reduced German efficiency and future capability to mass and perform coordinated attacks to eliminate the initially weak Soviet bridgeheads, who were relying on an overstretched supply system. The Soviets were also having significant manpower shortages that hampered their ability to capture Berlin.

The tenacity of the German defenders resulted is significant Soviet casualties and the defense of Kustrin gave the Germans the needed time to prepare for the Berlin battle. Unfortunately for the Germans, H*tler's demands to defend every inch of ground resulted in the senseless loss of needed soldiers to defend Berlin. Had the Kustrin defenders been allowed to fall back to Berlin a week earlier, several thousand soldiers would have been able to fight rather then taken away as prisoners to Siberia.

The book does describe the final fate of the German 9th Army and its attempt to escape to the west with many civilian refugees. The ignorance and denial of the truth by the German propaganda system in not informing their civilians of impending danger, resulted in preventable civilian casualties, suffering, and brutal treatment of the women when captured by the Soviets. The Soviets were venting their revenge after having their civilians treated in a similar way when the Germans had invaded Russia. Had the civilians been allowed to evacuate a month earlier, it would have saved thousands of civilians from this brutality.

Really enjoyed learning the battle from the Soviet perspective, as it is not commonly provided. The description of Zhukov's post World War 2 career is very informative as to the oppressive Communist political system. Many political powers viewed their greatest general and national hero as their biggest political threat, having Zhukov tried for treason with the constant worry of being given a death sentence.

The author provides both the strategic level planning and some first hand accounts to describe the fluid situation. The one negative of the book is the small font size, found it difficult to read at times. Overall, this is a good book for a person seeking to learn.

Le Tissier furthers strengthens his hold on excellent reporting for the German-Soviet conflit in 1945.
Look for all of his works and when you have them all you have the most complete telling of Germany's final days in the east.