Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East Book

An in-depth examination of the planning and execution of the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany, why Operation Barbarossa failed and how this failure became the decisive campaign of the Second World War, dooming the Germans to defeat. Cogently written, the focus of the narrative is the battles of Army Group Center (the most powerful and important of the three army groups deployed) and its battles up until the end of August 1941, as well as the resulting conflicts within the German high command as the campaign progressed. Dr. Stahel maintains that the Wehrmacht never really had the slightest chance of winning this battle and he skillfully uses the sources to back up his contention. Without going into too many details, here's how it went down: Firstly, the level of German military, economic and geographic intelligence about the Soviet Union was abysmal. Secondly, the profoundly racist outlook of the Nazi state absurdly inflated the abilities of the German military ("The German soldier can do anything!") and belittled the combat capabilities of the Russians, who turned out to be able to fight much harder and skillfully than expected, as the Germans themselves would ruefully admit. The operational concept of the invasion was deeply flawed as well, expecting that the Red Army would be destroyed in the first 6 to 8 weeks of the campaign before the Germans would reach the Dnepr-Dvina line. Finally, given the vast distances involved, the logistical resources available to support this huge battle were utterly inadequate to the task. One should remember, as I pointed out, that the emphasis in this book is on the progress of AG Center, and that the maps (excellent reprints from books by David Glantz) are only of that unit. It's hard to argue with Dr. Stahel's conclusion that the professional reputations of the German officers who planned and carried out Operation Barbarossa have been inflated beyond their true quality. An important addition to our knowledge of the Eastern Front in WWII.