THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion

This book is open for a group read and comment/discussion starting on 1st October 2012.

William Craig
Review:
Author William Craig begins his narrative in early August 1942, with the vaunted German Sixth Army, fresh from crushing victories in the Ukraine, poised to deliver what Adolf Hitler believes will be the final death blow to the Russian Army. In three years of warfare, the Sixth Army is undefeated, having scored stunning victories in Poland, France, Yugoslavia and Russia. Supremely confident, Sixth Army, commanded by General Friedrich von Paulus, is rapidly closing its pincers on two badly battered Soviet armies near the western bank of the Don River. Delighted with the latest war news, Adolf Hitler tells his dinner guests that the Soviet Union is on the brink of collapse, with victory on the Eastern Front almost assured.

Stalingrad, formerly called Tsaritsyn, now becomes the focal point as Hitler's invading legions attempt to destroy the remaining Soviet armies near the Volga. Soon, Stalingrad will become synonymous with a particularly brutal kind of warfare waged in and around its sprawling borders.

Enemy at the Gates is divided into two parts, with Part I detailing the German offensive and Part II covering the Russian counteroffensive. Taken together, they provide a powerful account of the historical battle, from both a large and small view perspective.

William Craig's Part I narrative of the massive 600+-plane raid conducted by the German Luftwaffe which opens the battle for Stalingrad is especially good, conveying the absolute terror of modern warfare as practiced from the sky. Other accounts are equally stunning, effectively illustrating the horror that was Stalingrad. Among the many examples:

•Following the German air raid, a group of naked adults wandered through the fire and smoke, unable to comprehend what had transpired. They were inmates from an insane asylum. Others were equally stunned, including the hundreds of orphans who sat beside the mutilated bodies of their dead parents, simply staring or babbling incoherently, trying to rouse them from their "sleep."
•When desertion problems threatened to destroy the effectiveness of the newly arrived Soviet 64th Division, stationed 25 miles north of Stalingrad, its commanding officer enacted his own solution. After haranguing the assembled troops, the colonel charged his men with the same guilt as those had already fled. With pistol in hand, the Russian colonel then began counting, executing every tenth soldier with a single shot to the head. When the last bullet had been emptied from his weapon, six soldiers lay dead on the parade field. The colonel holstered his gun, and an officer called out, "Dismiss!"
•In order to send a gruesome message, one German unit captured a Russian scout, laid him spread-eagled on the ground and thrust a bayonet into his stomach. A squad of Russians went berserk, jumping up from their fighting holes and rushing forward, killing all Germans in their path.
•One of the more amusing incidents involved Senior Lt. Ivan Bezditko, who commanded a mortar battalion. Bezditko – "Ivan the Terrible" to his men – possessed an incredible appetite for vodka. When any of his soldiers died, he simply reported them "present and accounted for" in order to get their daily vodka ration. After a Russian supply major learned of Bezditko's little scheme, he canceled the lieutenant's alcohol provision. Bad move, as the vengeful Bezditko then trained his mortars on the supply officer's warehouse, delivering three rounds right on the building. Out of the rubble staggered the shaken supply officer, who was simply told by headquarters to restore Bezditko's vodka pipeline, for the hard-drinking lieutenant had just been awarded the Order of the Red Star.

Also examined primarily in Part I is the deadly role the sniper played in the bombed-out streets, cellars and sewers of Stalingrad. "When the panzers bogged down in narrow streets," the author writes, "Russian soldiers doused them with Molotov cocktails. From windows, enemy snipers picked off whole squads of unwary foot soldiers."

German snipers proved to be equally lethal, with several of them methodically picking off seven Russian soldiers who had been holed up in an upstairs room. The Russians had previously repulsed their German attackers, flinging back the satchel charges the enemy had thrown at them. They finally fell when German sharpshooters, equipped with telescopic sights, arrived on the scene and tracked them through the windows.

Additional sniper stories also appear, including one on Tania Chernova, the female Russian sniper who claimed 80 kills during three months of combat. Her own tour of duty came to an end when the woman in front of her stepped on a mine. Other stories include a report on the impromptu Russian sniper school set up at the Lazur Chemical Plant whose graduates went directly to the edge of no-man's land to practice their newly-acquired craft, and the deadly cat-and-mouse game waged by two opposing super snipers, Russia's Vassili Zaitsev and Germany's Major Konings.

Russian infantry in white camouflage storm a factory in Stalingrad (Georgi Zelma, Izvestia)

Part II begins with the big Russian counteroffensive – dubbed Operation Uranus – which began at 6:30 AM on November 19, 1942. In less than 96 hours, the massive Russian counterattack proves to be a huge success, as the 250,000 troops of the German Sixth Army soon become encircled in a pocket 30 miles wide by 20 miles long. Hitler orders General von Paulus to hold his ground while the Luftwaffe is saddled with the impossible task of flying in 700 tons of supplies a day to the embattled Sixth Army.

As with Part I, the book's second section also features numerous stories which ably illustrated the madness of Stalingrad. Among the entries:

•Sgt. Albert Pfluger fired his .75-millimeter antitank gun at a Russian T-34 tank. The shell cut through the turret and out tumbled two Russians soldiers who were sent scurrying up a hill. Pfluger tracked one of the men with his rifle but let him go, thinking to himself, "My God, if you've been that lucky, who am I to shoot you now?"
•The Luftwaffe refused to allow army quartermasters to supervise their air shipments to the trapped soldiers. As a result, worthless supplies often showed up, such as thousands of right shoes only and millions of neatly packaged contraceptives.
•The famished German Army was forced to eat a variety of things in order to survive: field mice, horse brains, dogs and goats. One starving Italian officer consumed an entire box of automotive lubricant, thinking it was butter.
•A German shell burst neatly decapitated one Russian soldier. Before he died, he could be seen as a tiny, three-foot figure waving his arms wildly while his severed legs and hips lay nearby.
•The temperature, which sometimes dropped down to 30 degrees Fahrenheit or worse, exacted a terrible toll in frostbite cases and sudden heart attacks. In addition, many soldiers simply froze to death.
•Lice infestations nearly drove their human hosts to the brink of insanity, covering their victims from head to ankle. When a man died, the lice could be seen leaving the cooling body like a large gray blanket, searching for another live food source.

Despite Hitler's insane order to fight to the death, Field Marshal von Paulus surrenders his defeated Sixth Army to the Russians in order to avoid complete annihilation. Marching into captivity are Paulus and 23 other generals, 2,000-2,500 officers and over 90,000 enlisted men – the broken remains of the once mighty German Sixth Army. In all, more than 500,000 Germans, Italians, Rumanians and Hungarians are herded up by the victorious Red Army in a battle which claimed nearly two million lives.

The late William Craig (1929-1997) spent five years researching and writing Enemy at the Gates, poring over countless documents and traveling to three continents where he personally interviewed hundreds of survivors from the battle. His efforts paid off handsomely, as Enemy at the Gates is a must book for any serious student of the Second World War.

This thread is now open for those wishing to post or discuss aspects of the group read; Enemy at the Gates.

For those who are about to start reading Enemy at the Gates and want some background information on Fall Blau ("Case Blue"), the German offensive into southern Russia, here is a link that provides some detailed information:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_Blue

One thing to remember for those reading this book for the first time is that it was published in the early 1970's and although it is still one of the best accounts covering Stalingrad you will find that the book has no maps except for the end papers and one map of Stalingrad itself on page 31 (1973 HB edition). Make sure you don’t miss the Prologue.

Here is a map outlining the German offensive for Fall Blau:

A detailed map of Stalingrad:

Hope to get into the book this week if not this evening. Dipped into it a few weeks ago but got seriously distracted by a seriously great read.

Hi David, hope you can get stuck into it soon. The Fall of Berlin is a very good book, glad to hear you enjoyed it.

I'll be starting this book sometime this week when I get time. Due to my schedule it may take a while for me to get through it though. Thanks Rick for posting those maps. I hate when military history books don't include good maps.

Hi Chrissy, no rush, the thread will be open for some time and I'll be keen to hear your thoughts on the book once you get started.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Hi David, hope you can get stuck into it soon. The Fall of Berlin is a very good book, glad to hear you enjoyed it."

Hope so too Aussie Rick. And thanks for the maps.

Has anyone else started on Enemy at the Gates yet and if so what are their initial thoughts?

I think for those reading this book for the first time will find it a very easy to read account covering the battle for Stalingrad.

It’s not an in-depth military analysis of the battle but a general narrative of the fighting using numerous first-hand accounts and as such offers an interesting insight into this horrific battle.

Here is an iconic image from the battle for Stalingrad and some details about the fountain that you will read about in the book.



The Barmaley was a fountain in the city of Stalingrad, installed in front of the Museum of Defense of Tsaritsyn. Its official name was Children's Khorovod. The statue was of a circle of six children dancing around a crocodile. It was made famous by several photographs by Emmanuil Evzerikhin that juxtaposed the carnage of the Battle of Stalingrad with the image of children at play.

The fountain was restored after World War II, but was later removed in the 1950s. The statue featured prominently in the movie "Enemy at the Gates".

So cool! I actually just read about Stalingrad in "A Writer At War." Stunning details describing soldiers, snipers, generals, weapons and battles. Looking forward to reading this.

Hi Helen, I think you should enjoy this book, it's a nice general account with lots of material from the soldiers on both sides who fought there.

The casualty rate for the Russians during the initial stages of the fighting for Stalingrad were horrendous as shown in this quote from page 125, chapter 11:

(view spoiler)[“ …. In this manner, nearly one hundred thousand new troops had been ferried into Stalingrad by October; an influx equalling seven full divisions and two brigades. But they were killed so quickly that Chuikov still had only fifty-three thousand troops left who were capable of bearing arms. In less than a month, the Sixty-second Army had lost more than eighty thousand men, killed, wounded, or missing." (hide spoiler)]

Aussie Rick-

I started today - thanks for maps.

Hi Brian, good to see you here and I will look forward to your comments as you get into the book.

Here is a funny account that occurred during the retreat from the flanks of the Kessel. Chapter 16, pages 193-194:

(view spoiler)[“At the bridge he held, Lt. Eberhard von Loebbecke commanded the rear guard as a Russian tank appeared on the roadway. Loebbecke, who has lost his left arm to a French machine gunner in 1939, was standing upright before the T-34 which fired one round at him. The shell ticked his empty sleeve and exploded some yards behind him. Knocked down by the explosion, the lieutenant rose almost immediately to direct return fire. In their open turret, the Soviet crew stared in amazement at the man who had apparently lost his arm to the shell and yet bounced up off the ground without any discomfort. While they hesitated, a German antitank gun put a round into the T-34, and it blew up in front of Loebbecke’s eyes.” (hide spoiler)]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Has anyone else started on Enemy at the Gates yet and if so what are their initial thoughts?

I think for those reading this book for the first time will find it a very easy to read account coverin..."

One of my favorite nartives..this is at least my 3rd time 'round on Mr.Salisburys book...Thanks for posting the maps Mr.Rick...

My pleasure Wade :)

I'm on page 31 (of 1972 coronet edition) A shocking statistic of 800,000 German soldiers dead in Russia by summer 1942. And still amazingly no dissent from hitlers generals.

Some horrendous losses on the Eastern Front during WW2 for both sides David. Below is a link to a site offering some interesting WW2 statistics:

http://www.angelfire.com/ct/ww2europe...

Colonel Walter Wenck had an interesting way of re-grouping troops and building up ad hoc units during the initial retreat, from page 214, Chapter Seventeen (HB edition):

(view spoiler)[Needing troops and equipment, the colonel instituted his own set of rules. He rode the highways and dragooned stragglers into ad hoc units. He played movies at intersections and when exhausted soldiers stopped to watch Wenck brusquely marched them back to war. One of his non-commissioned officers found an abandoned fuel dump and put up signs reading: “To the Fuel-Issuing Point.” Hundreds of cars, trucks, and tanks drove into this oasis only to become part of Wenck’s new army. (hide spoiler)]

Craig's Enemy at the Gates has been overshadowed by Antony Beevor's book about Stalingrad, notwithstanding the film of the same name, but I think it is just as good, even though Beevor had the benefit of access to some Russian archives. Neither book, however, gives a very clear account of the course of the battle in the city. For that I would recommend Stephen Walsh's Stalingrad, 1942-1943: The Infernal Cauldron, which has lots of good pictures, too, and, more recently, Michael Jones, Stalingrad: How the Red Army Triumphed. For a strategic overview of the Stalingrad campaign see my Victory at Stalingrad: The Battle That Changed History.
Geoffrey Roberts

Geoffrey wrote: "Craig's Enemy at the Gates has been overshadowed by Antony Beevor's book about Stalingrad, notwithstanding the film of the same name, but I think it is just as good, even though Beevor had the bene..."

Hi Geoffrey. I have your other book "Stalin's wars" and I've been meaning to get into it. I'll prob get your book on Stalingrad too as enemy at the gates will most likely fire up my hunger for all things eastern front again.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Some horrendous losses on the Eastern Front during WW2 for both sides David. Below is a link to a site offering some interesting WW2 statistics:

http://www.angelfire.com/ct/ww2europe..."

Excellent. Thanks Aussie Rick. I'll def look that up.

Geoffrey wrote: "Craig's Enemy at the Gates has been overshadowed by Antony Beevor's book about Stalingrad, notwithstanding the film of the same name, but I think it is just as good, even though Beevor had the bene..."

Thanks David. You should look out for my latest, too: Stalin's General: The Life of Georgy Zhukov.

That sounds like a great book, Geoffrey!

I know it's a little bit off topic but I came across this great little website which people may want to check out. It is gives v interesting short biographical sketches of some of the main players in World War II with links built in.

http://ww2gravestone.com/home

Geoffrey wrote: "Geoffrey wrote: "Craig's Enemy at the Gates has been overshadowed by Antony Beevor's book about Stalingrad, notwithstanding the film of the same name, but I think it is just as good, even though Be..."

Hey Geoffrey I just saw it. Can't wait to get it as well. Always fascinated with Zhukov since I read his involvement in Khrushchev's ousting of Beria.

I am new to Goodreads and still struggling with the navigation so this may be the wrong place for this comment:

One of the best books I have ever read about the Second World War is Keith Lowe's Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II. My recent review of the book in The Irish Examiner is here: http://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/...

Geoffrey Roberts

Geoffrey wrote: "I am new to Goodreads and still struggling with the navigation so this may be the wrong place for this comment:

One of the best books I have ever read about the Second World War is Keith Lowe's Sa..."

Geoffrey welcome and very pleased you dropped by. I think we will all enjoy your input to the group and I know a number of people have your books on their TBRs.

I have

by Geoffrey Roberts which I shall be starting soon.

Another book of yours which I have wanted to read for some time is

Geoffrey wrote: "I am new to Goodreads and still struggling with the navigation so this may be the wrong place for this comment:

One of the best books I have ever read about the Second World War is Keith Lowe's Sa..."
I read your review in the examiner Geoffrey. It's one of my daily reads being in Ireland

Another brilliant book I would recommend is Roger Reese's Why Stalin's Soldiers Fought: The Red Army's Military Effectiveness in World War II. It is a real eyeopener.

Geoffrey Roberts

Geoffrey wrote: "Another brilliant book I would recommend is Roger Reese's Why Stalin's Soldiers Fought: The Red Army's Military Effectiveness in World War II. It is a real eyeopener.

Geoffrey Roberts"

Looks good. Must check it out. Thanks Geoffrey.

Excellent suggestions there Geoffrey, a few which I will also follow up.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Excellent suggestions there Geoffrey, a few which I will also follow up."

Me too Aussie Rick. Especially Reese's book. Looks a gr8 read.

For some other very detailed and first-hand accounts on Stalingrad you should check out this publisher, although the accounts are all from the German perspective:

http://www.leapinghorseman.com/

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "For some other very detailed and first-hand accounts on Stalingrad you should check out this publisher, although the accounts are all from the German perspective:

http://www.leapinghorseman.com/"

Michael Jones's book Stalingrad: How the Red Army Army Triumphed is very good for Soviet eyewitness accounts. See also his Total War: From Stalingrad to Berlin, which I reviewed here: http://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/...

Geoffrey Roberts

Checked out a copy of Enemy at the Gates from my library. Just need to finish the book I'm reading now and then I'm excited to start. The back cover has a blurb from Cornelius Ryan (one of my favorite authors), but the library bar code covered it up so I can't read what he said.

I always find it shocking the way the soviets dealt with people deemed to be deserters or retreaters, shooting thousands out them out of hand. Page 50/51 (view spoiler)[ "Stalin's Order Number 227 had unleashed a reign of terror. At countless road-blocks, the Green Hats inspected papers, asked curt questions and shot anyone suspected of running from the front. Thousands of corpses lined the roads as a warning to those contemplating such desertion. Gurewicz had seen mounds of bodies at the check-points, but they did not shock him as he had seen worse" (hide spoiler)]

I've read two of Michael Jones' books (Leningrad & The Retreat) and have a copy of Total War to read. Thanks for the link to your review Geoffrey, an excellent account.

& & by Michael Jones

A.L. wrote: "Checked out a copy of Enemy at the Gates from my library. Just need to finish the book I'm reading now and then I'm excited to start. The back cover has a blurb from Cornelius Ryan (one of my favor..."

Good to hear you've got a copy of the book A.L. it would have been interesting to know what Cornelius Ryan had to say about it!

A good example of the dysfunctional relationship between the different branches of the German armed forces and how it affected the soldiers at Stalingrad. It seems ludicrous that the Army and the Luftwaffe didn’t work together in regards to packing supplies for the soldiers in the Kessel at Stalingrad. From page 238, Chapter Nineteen (HB edition):

(view spoiler)[Human error let to another series of mishaps. Since the Luftwaffe refused to allow army quartermasters to supervise the loading of the transports going to Stalingrad, famished soldiers at Pitomnik frequently opened crates of utterly worthless goods. One day it was thousands of protective cellophane covers for hand grenades – but no hand grenades. Another time, it was four tones of marjoram and pepper – at a time when troops were killing mice and eating them. Again, several thousand right shoes. Most ironic of all was a shipment of millions of neatly packaged contraceptives. (hide spoiler)]

I think Craig might have got his dates mixed up here re Stalin's red army purge. I thought the purges of the red army had pretty much ceased by 1939 even though Craig claims Stalin was killing 50% of his officer corps at the time Zhukov was promoted in 1939 following Khalkin Gol. Correct me if I'm wrong though.(view spoiler)[ page 74 coronet edition "No stranger to crisis, in 1939 Zhukov had faced a surprise Japanese attack at the Khalkin Gol in Manchuria and won a tremendous victory over the vaunted Kwantung Army. That triumph earned him promotion at a time when Stalin was killing fifty per cent of is Red Army officer corps in an orgy of paranoia" (hide spoiler)]

Hi David, I think there were two 'waves' of purges, the information at this link may be of interest:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purge_of...

But I think you are correct, the first wave of purges finished by 1938:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Purge

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Hi David, I think there were two 'waves' of purges, the information at this link may be of interest:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purge_of..."

Thanks Aussie Rick. But I'm still not sure his time line is correct. Anyway it's off topic and it was just a passing observation. Having read the book years ago I'm glad to have the chance again.

David A wrote: "'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Hi David, I think there were two 'waves' of purges, the information at this link may be of interest:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purge_of..."

Thanks Aussi..."

I think you are right David; there was a break between the two waves. The first purges finished in 1938 and then the second wave commended in 1940.