What do you think?
Rate this book
Red Storm On The Reich: The Soviet March On Germany, 1945
On the night of January 11, 1945, fog, low clouds, and blizzards reduced visibility at times to literally zero along the Sandomierz bridgehead. So the German troops did not notice tanks, assault guns, and towed artillery pieces moving in position by the thousands along the east bank--the Russian side--of the Vistula River. Within seconds after the order to fire was given by the Soviet commander, General Konev, the air became incandescent with unnatural light. A sky of fire and smoke lowered over the country across the Houses flared up like torches, bunkers collapsed, roads were broken up, and men were ripped apart. The ferocity of the first attack shook the Germans so badly that they thought they were dealing with the main assault, and not just a reconnaissance in force. So they were completely unprepared for the principal attack and the horrors it held. Thus began the Red Storm on the Reich-- the largest, costliest, and fastest-moving military operation in European history.
"Essentially, the Second World War was won and lost on the Eastern Front," writes renowned historian Christopher Duffy. Until this book, however, the most dramatic events surrounding this part of the war have been little understood. Utilizing a wealth of recently released Soviet materials from Moscow archives, and cross-referencing these with German accounts, Duffy has uncovered a military campaign of unprecedented scale and intensity during which thirty million lives were lost. Red Storm on the Reich brings to life not only the Russian military assault on Germany, but also the human drama behind the epic sieges of Danzig, Kolberg, and Breslau. Duffy's gripping narrative is essential reading for all those interested in modern European history.
"Essentially, the Second World War was won and lost on the Eastern Front," writes renowned historian Christopher Duffy. Until this book, however, the most dramatic events surrounding this part of the war have been little understood. Utilizing a wealth of recently released Soviet materials from Moscow archives, and cross-referencing these with German accounts, Duffy has uncovered a military campaign of unprecedented scale and intensity during which thirty million lives were lost. Red Storm on the Reich brings to life not only the Russian military assault on Germany, but also the human drama behind the epic sieges of Danzig, Kolberg, and Breslau. Duffy's gripping narrative is essential reading for all those interested in modern European history.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
8 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Duffy
48 books36 followersChristopher Duffy (born 1936) is a British military historian. Duffy read history at Balliol College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1961 with the PhD. Afterwards, he taught military history at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and the college of the British General Staff. He was secretary-general of the British Commission for Military History and vice-president of the History Society of Ireland. From 1996 to 2001, he was research professor at the De Montfort University, Leicester. Today he lives and works as a freelance author.
Duffy's special interest is the military history of the European modern age, in particular the history of the German, Prussian and Austrian armed forces. He is most famous for his writings about the Seven Years' War and especially Frederick the Great, which he called self-ironically "a product of the centuries-old British obsession with that most un-British of creatures". Duffy is fluent in six languages and has published some twenty books about military history topics, whereof several were translated into German.
Duffy's special interest is the military history of the European modern age, in particular the history of the German, Prussian and Austrian armed forces. He is most famous for his writings about the Seven Years' War and especially Frederick the Great, which he called self-ironically "a product of the centuries-old British obsession with that most un-British of creatures". Duffy is fluent in six languages and has published some twenty books about military history topics, whereof several were translated into German.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 13, 2020
Don't be fooled by the cover photo. Virtually nothing takes place during the final battle for Berlin. But he does a serviceable job telling the story of the Soviet campaign from the Vistula, i.e., vicinity of Warsaw, to the Oder/Neisse Rivers just a short distance from Berlin. Duffy is a lecturer at Sandhurst and this is a mostly academic work for military studies. You get little drama and stories from the men and women caught up in the battle. You get the big strategic and major operational moves of the Soviet horde and the disintegrating German forces. The story of the campaigns is almost antiseptic, and he meant it to be that way. What he does well is explain why things developed as they did. Why the Soviets stopped just at the Oder River, with the Nazis on the run. Why the Eastern campaign developed and was altered from the plan. How the Germans were able to stave off collapse until May instead of January or February. And I have to give stars here for good maps, with clear information at the right place in the book.
Overall 3 Stars. Initially I was not intending to keep this book but at the end, a good companion to more dramatic accounts of the race to Berlin.
Overall 3 Stars. Initially I was not intending to keep this book but at the end, a good companion to more dramatic accounts of the race to Berlin.
June 10, 2020
Duffy is better known for his work on warfare in the age of horse & musket, but his foray into World War II is good and benefits from his independent thinking. Instead of a triumphalist account of the destruction of the the Third Reich, the tone is more tragic since the war was already won well before 1945. Duffy discusses the mass atrocities carried about a Red Army seeking vengeance. The numbers are not known, but some 2 to 3 millions German civilians were murdered in the closing months of World War II. The ethnic Germans of the east, a fixture of the region for centuries, were no more.
Duffy is kinder to the Soviets in one important respect. He does not think the pause before Berlin was made simply so the Soviets could conquer more land. He stresses the collapse of Soviet logistics and discipline on the Oder River, as well as stiffening German resistance and the need to secure the flanks. In fact, he says the final drive on Berlin was something of a rushed affair which led to heavy losses. Lastly, the overall military argument is that by 1945 the Soviets were the masters of the operational art of war. Yet, on the small tactical level, the Germans were proficient. Except for the January push to the Oder River, the Soviets paid a high price in taking the east.
All in all, this is a thoughtful and lucid account of one of the most important and murderous campaigns of World War II, with more nuance and tragedy then one finds in the average Anglo-American World War II histories.
Duffy is kinder to the Soviets in one important respect. He does not think the pause before Berlin was made simply so the Soviets could conquer more land. He stresses the collapse of Soviet logistics and discipline on the Oder River, as well as stiffening German resistance and the need to secure the flanks. In fact, he says the final drive on Berlin was something of a rushed affair which led to heavy losses. Lastly, the overall military argument is that by 1945 the Soviets were the masters of the operational art of war. Yet, on the small tactical level, the Germans were proficient. Except for the January push to the Oder River, the Soviets paid a high price in taking the east.
All in all, this is a thoughtful and lucid account of one of the most important and murderous campaigns of World War II, with more nuance and tragedy then one finds in the average Anglo-American World War II histories.
January 2, 2012
The content of the book is nothing like the jacket cover describes. Only those with an extensive knowledge and interest in equipment, troop sizes and especially eastern Europe geography circa 1944-45 should bother to read this book. This is merely a recounting of troop movements with very little narrative detail of the actual events. It's books like this that make history boring. This may serve as a military history textbook of the Russian advance on Berlin but that is about all.
November 11, 2020
This book discusses events that occurred at the end of WWII from the perspective of Soviet and Nazi operations and strategies on the eastern front. By 1945, German forces have been demoralized and under resourced for years, but the allies did not see that. In perpetration for a large operation in January, Russian troops were mobilized in secret with a campaign of disinformation about troop movements. When the operation began and broke through German front lines, they were able to gain long tracks of land without any battles due to the lack of German resources. Only at Berlin were the Soviets halted.
Over the course of the war, the Nazi command became more centralized. Strategies and decision were increasingly in the hands of Hitler all the while the armies were becoming fractured and disjointed. Generally, Hitler listened to military officials when the news was good such as a victory, but could never take a loss. Nazi military equipment was really powerful but only a fraction of the army was mechanized. The technology was superior up until the end of the war when the Allied technology started to catch up and supersede. The units that were mechanized tended to run out of resources such as ammunition and oil. Many tanks were abandoned not because they were destroyed, but because they did not have the oil to make them run.
Soviets entered the war with a deficiency in experienced army officials due to political purges. During the battles, Russians lost four units per every German one, which is partly why Russians lost the most people during the whole war. The only reason Russia was able to withstand the losses was because they were supplied with more people than they were losing. Resources available to the Russians were abundant, no matter how much ammunition was used.
The book presents information before and after the war which was very helpful to understand the situation in 1945, but most of the book deals with a few months in early 1945. Generally well written, but the war interactions lack depth into why the particular battles were important to the whole war. Most of the book is about the particular movement of troops but the way it is written does not facilitate an understanding of relevance to the whole situation. The maps shown do not aid much in showing what particular events are being described. Would have helped to add small map icons in pages describing movements to facilitate better understanding.
Over the course of the war, the Nazi command became more centralized. Strategies and decision were increasingly in the hands of Hitler all the while the armies were becoming fractured and disjointed. Generally, Hitler listened to military officials when the news was good such as a victory, but could never take a loss. Nazi military equipment was really powerful but only a fraction of the army was mechanized. The technology was superior up until the end of the war when the Allied technology started to catch up and supersede. The units that were mechanized tended to run out of resources such as ammunition and oil. Many tanks were abandoned not because they were destroyed, but because they did not have the oil to make them run.
Soviets entered the war with a deficiency in experienced army officials due to political purges. During the battles, Russians lost four units per every German one, which is partly why Russians lost the most people during the whole war. The only reason Russia was able to withstand the losses was because they were supplied with more people than they were losing. Resources available to the Russians were abundant, no matter how much ammunition was used.
The book presents information before and after the war which was very helpful to understand the situation in 1945, but most of the book deals with a few months in early 1945. Generally well written, but the war interactions lack depth into why the particular battles were important to the whole war. Most of the book is about the particular movement of troops but the way it is written does not facilitate an understanding of relevance to the whole situation. The maps shown do not aid much in showing what particular events are being described. Would have helped to add small map icons in pages describing movements to facilitate better understanding.
June 12, 2023
Excellent book on the last year of the war on the Eastern Front. Duffy isn't the most eloquent writer, but he tells his tale in a commendably lucid way. "Red Storm on the Reich" also has vignettes where Duffy provides real pictures of what was happening to soldiers and civilians in this maelstrom, especially in the cities along the Baltic Coast. Duffy's book thus has portions of interest to general history readers as well as military, with the latter of course his primary focus.
April 21, 2015
Many popular books have been written about the fall of Berlin, but this covers the Eastern front for the period January 1945 to May 1945, from the opening of the last great push into Germany from Poland to the outskirts of Berlin. The Russians invaded on three massive fronts, a north, south and central (or Berlin axis) and the author deals with each in turn at a largely strategic level.
Originally written as a military manual, the book is perhaps not the most accessible (if you like Beevor's imponderable style then look elsewhere) but I found it well laid-out and logical with good maps.
Interesting reading about how the Russians repeatedly attacked weak point in the German defense to systematically break up, divide and isolate the German forces. Once surrounded in cauldrons, the German defenders were then methodically wiped out.
In the words of the author, an atrocious book. Short paragraphs deal with the deaths of thousands of people; a minor engagement leaves a hundred or more tanks destroyed. The scale of the suffering is hard to comprehend. Neither side can avoid criticisms of brutality, from the Russian discovery of the Nazi concentration camps to the shelling of massed German units and civilians in the cauldrons.
Highly recommended.
Originally written as a military manual, the book is perhaps not the most accessible (if you like Beevor's imponderable style then look elsewhere) but I found it well laid-out and logical with good maps.
Interesting reading about how the Russians repeatedly attacked weak point in the German defense to systematically break up, divide and isolate the German forces. Once surrounded in cauldrons, the German defenders were then methodically wiped out.
In the words of the author, an atrocious book. Short paragraphs deal with the deaths of thousands of people; a minor engagement leaves a hundred or more tanks destroyed. The scale of the suffering is hard to comprehend. Neither side can avoid criticisms of brutality, from the Russian discovery of the Nazi concentration camps to the shelling of massed German units and civilians in the cauldrons.
Highly recommended.
October 19, 2016
This is a book about military campaigns and I have zero knowledge about that sort of thing. I read this book because I have family connections to these battles. My dad would have been one of the German soldiers...captured and handed over to the Soviets in the last weeks of the war. My mom—one of the civilians caught in the March Heiligenbeil Cauldron. After reading this book I have a much better appreciation of those months on the eastern front. The maps helped. First person accounts and a trip over there might complete the picture. I'd take this book along. What an incredible amount of research the author must have done to write this.
October 4, 2011
Excellent book for gaming. The Soviet March on Germany, 1945. Very good. The appendices have good tactical info, and the maps are good.
need-to-finish
February 23, 2013This was given to me by a friend to read. Interesting, but dry. The author even complains about history books that try to tell personal stories; he sounds like a fun guy.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews