The turning point of Germany's war in the east was the battle for Stalingrad on the shores of the Volga River. This is one of those moments in history when things could have turned out much differently than they did, but for a few poorly made decisions on the part of German leadership, and the tenacity of the Russian defenders.

Author Peter Antill takes an in-depth look at the campaign over the course of the few months that it ran, going from the German onslaught to the successful Russian defense and the change in the tide of the war. It is really a battle that should never have happened to the extent that it did for Stalingrad was not the major focus of the push to the Caucuses, it was the oil fields farther south. By expending resources in Staingrad, that goal was never reached, though it could have been quite easily, as it turns out.

In line with other books in the Campaign series, this one has the origins of the campaign, a look at the opposing leaders, forces and their plans. Then it goes into the heart of the campaign with the various offensive operations on both sides, and then looks at what the results were of the campaign. This is followed by a look at what the battlefield is like today.

All of this is superbly illustrated by  Peter Dennis, who provides diagrams and paintings to help us understand the operations involved in the campaign. It is a book that I found both fascinating to read and one that dispelled a few myths about the operation on both sides. It is one that I know you will enjoy just as much as did I and so I can highly recommend it and others in this series to you.

June 2007

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