War of the Century: When Hitler Fought Stalin

by Laurence Rees

This text offers interviews with witnesses who knew Stalin and Hitler, together with documents from Russian archives. It explores in detail the reasons why Hitler invaded Russia, why it was a mistake to believe Hitler was a reasonable conqueror, and, ultimately, was Stalin another Hitler?

Genres: History, War, World War II, Nonfiction, Military History, Military Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

In addition to writing, Rees has also produced films about World War II for the BBC.

In New York in January 2009, Laurence was presented with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by ‘History Makers’, the worldwide congress of History and Current Affairs programme makers

In 2011 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (DUniv) by The Open University(UK).

Reviews

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Visión global del enfrentamiento en el Ostfront.-

Género. Historia.

Lo que nos cuenta. Repaso general de las circunstancias que supusieron el caldo de cultivo para el ataque a Rusia en junio de 1941 durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la situación previa, la concepción y ejecución de la Operación Barbarroja, sus modificaciones sobre la marcha y el posterior desarrollo de los acontecimientos, con especial interés y cuidado en señalar los aspectos diferenciadores de la guerra en el Frente Oriental frente al resto de la contienda.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This topic is interesting, though sad & disturbing, and worth learning about. However, I felt that this book wasn't as good as it could have been. The best part of it is the first-hand anecdotes and quotes that give context and personalize a tragedy so large that it can seem beyond humanity. The large-format photos also help to personalize the history. I thought that the book overall, though, doesn't present a whole & connected picture. It felt as though instead of a framework of the history, with personal anecdotes hung on it to make it more real and personal; the anecdotes are themselves the purpose and the framework is not well-connected between them. I think that if the purpose is to present personal accounts of the war, it could have been done better by focusing more directly on the people and their stories; but if the purpose is to present the history as a whole with the anecdotes as context, then it could have been done better by using a more structured and full telling of the history with more nuance & depth. The wandering way it is told here, for me, felt voyeuristic - peeping into the most sensationally awful moments of lives without, necessarily having the surrounding purpose for doing so.

As a positive, I felt like the big picture movements of troops was described well here and illustrated nicely with large maps.

On a format note, the lack of a marking within the text on the page makes the end-notes much less helpful than normal.

In the end if you are a history-reader and you would like to learn about this period and place in history, I recommend Timothy Snyder's book Bloodlands instead, or in addition to this. If you aren't used to reading history, this might be a good introductory book to read.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A BBC tie-in book to a documentary series about the Eastern Front (Russia vs Germany) in World War 2. Much of the story is familiar - the violation of the Non-Agression Pact, the horrors of war in the frozen wastes, the sieges of Leningrad & Stalingrad, the bloddy retreat of the defeated German army - but it is fleshed out by interviews done in the Soviet Union after the fall of Communism with eyewitnesses & participants.

The author's primary focus is on the bestial behavior on both sides - which makes for less than enjoyable reading. (Note: it's not that I want my history of war books to read like someone injected them with sunshine & lollipops - but this was prett relentless.)

[Manolo González · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excluding the last 2 chapters of the book, it's an average east front theme book, some testimonies are really interesting though.

[Connie Pomeroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an engaging, though average view on both sides of the Eastern Front. I found the testimonies interesting. I purchased this at a flea market for fifteen dollars.

[Alberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bueno, bien explicado y con suficiente material gráfico. Espeluznante la foto de los prisioneros rusos en medio del campo. No tenían ni alambrada ni vigilantes suficientes para tanto prisionero. De hecho su intención era matarlos a todos de hambre frío y enfermedades varias. Como todos los libros de este autor también tiene su equivalente en serie de TV "La guerra del siglo" disponible en su red habitual de peer to peer

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book - kind of a picture book, really, based on a PBS series. Using new documents available after the fall of the Soviet Union, the author reviews the German-Russian conflict in WW2. The full-page photos are fabulous. The author presents a great perspective on, and new information about the role of Hitler and Stalin in the military strategies of their armies.

[Steven]

Enjoyed the book and the DVD. Great subject matter. Well put together.

[Sergio Uribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

 La segunda guerra mundial fue una guerra entre Alemania y la Unión Sovietica, quien puso la sangre mientras el resto de los aliados colocaron el hierro. Este libro describe con toda la crudeza el terrible destino quienes quedaron entremedio de l conflicto, como los ucranianos, que de día debían soportar a las tropas alemanas y de noche a los partisanos rusos, como la historia narrada de una mujer cuyo esposo fue asesinado por los nazis y su hermano por los pro-sovieticos. Este libro es el guión de la serie de la BBC, así que es un relato bien hilvanado.