A riveting dissection of Hitler’s greatest strategic mistake and the operation that turned the tide of the Second World War in the Allies favour, Dimbleby examines Barbarossa from all angles with a sweep that is positively cinematic.
Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's invasion of Russia in June 1941, aimed at nothing less than a war of extermination to annihilate Soviet communism, liquidate the Jews and create Lebensraum for the German master race. But it led to the destruction of the Third Reich, and was cataclysmic for Germany with millions of men killed, wounded or registered as missing in action. It was this colossal mistake -- rather than any action in Western Europe -- that lost Hitler the Second World War.
Drawing on hitherto unseen archival material, including previously untranslated Russian sources, Jonathan Dimbleby puts Barbarossa in its proper place in history for the first time. From its origins in the ashes of the First World War to its impact on post-war Europe, and covering the military, political and diplomatic story from all sides, he paints a full and vivid picture of this monumental campaign whose full nature and impact has remained unexplored.
At the heart of the narrative, written in Dimbleby's usual gripping style, are compelling descriptions of the leaders who made the crucial decisions, of the men and women who fought on the front lines, of the soldiers who committed heinous crimes on an unparalleled scale and of those who were killed when the Holocaust began. Hitler's fatal gamble had the most terrifying of consequences.
Written with authority and humanity, Barbarossa is a masterwork that transforms our understanding of the Second World War and of the twentieth century.
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780241979198
Number of pages: 656
Weight: 480 g
Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 46 mm
The best single-volume account of the Barbarossa campaign to date - Andrew Roberts, author of 'Churchill: Walking with Destiny'
It's a vital story, one everyone should know, and Dimbleby tells it with verve and elan - Laurence Rees, author of 'Hitler and Stalin'
Should be on everyone's reading list for 2021 - Dr Amanda Foreman, author of 'A World on Fire'
Masterly - General Sir Mike Jackson
Vivid and engrossing - Brendan Simms, author of 'Hitler: Only The World Was Enough'
An impressive achievement . . . a fast-paced, gripping read - Julia Boyd, author of 'Travellers in the Third Reich'
A great read . . . he brings Barbarossa very vividly to life, as if you are there - Robert Kershaw, author of 'War Without Garlands: Operation Barbarossa 1941-1942' and 'Borodino Field 1812/1941'
Thought-provoking . . . a captivating eye-opener - Prof Dr Gerhard Hirschfeld, University of Stuttgart, former President of the International Committee for the Study of the Second World War
Superbly well-written . . . the most comprehensive study of Hitler's invasion of the USSR in years - Keith Lowe, author of 'Savage Continent'
Expertly narrated and written with piercing clarity - Frederick Taylor, author of '1939: A People's History'
A chilling account of war at its worst - Bear Grylls
Superb . . . stays with you long after you have finished - Henry Hemming, bestselling author of 'Our Man in New York'
Brilliant . . . a wonderful piece of history - Robert Fox
Epic . . . captures all of Barbarossa's drama and magnitude - Martin Sixsmith
Brings to life the sheer, staggering scale of these events... with great skill, care and attention to detail - Sunday Times
[An] encyclopedic new account... a vivid, meticulous tapestry, densely weaving the threads of German and Soviet military strategy, political calculation from Washington and London to Moscow, and war's pitiless human cost - The Telegraph
[Dimbleby] skilfully tracks the shifts and turns of the campaign, sparing no detail . . . a riveting account - Daily Mail, Book of the Week
Dimbleby tells the story of strategic miscalculation and (self-)deception on all sides, and then Hitler's 'war of extermination', magnificently - The Spectator
Amazing . . . fascinating - Jeremy Vine
My best history book of 2021 -- a masterful account of maybe the biggest event ever . . . essential! - Lee Child
Mr Dimbleby's books may not be full of new insight and revelations, albeit there is some essence of these, but in terms of telling the story well and in capturing the horrors of this conflict this is quite... More
An excellent account of the horror of the war on the eastern front. Not one for the faint-hearted. Probably as good as has been written on this subject.
Thanks to Penguin for sending me a proof copy in exchange for an honest review, which you can find below.
The struggle between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union played a crucial role in the Second World War, and yet...
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