Kiev 1941

by Stahel, David

• ISBN13: 9781107014596
• ISBN10: 110701459X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-01-31
• Publisher: Cambridge Univ Pr

Summary

In just four weeks in the summer of 1941 the German Wehrmacht wrought unprecedented destruction on four Soviet armies, conquering central Ukraine and killing or capturing three quarters of a million men. This was the Battle of Kiev - one of the largest and most decisive battles of World War II and, for Hitler and Stalin, a battle of crucial importance. For the first time, David Stahel charts the battle's dramatic course and aftermath, uncovering the irreplaceable losses suffered by Germany's 'panzer groups' despite their battlefield gains, and the implications of these losses for the German war effort. He illuminates the inner workings of the German army as well as the experiences of ordinary soldiers, showing that with the Russian winter looming and Soviet resistance still unbroken, victory came at huge cost and confirmed the turning point in Germany's war in the East.

Table of Contents

List of figures	p. vi
List of tables	p. viii
List of maps	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. xi
Glossary of terms	p. xii
Tables of military ranks and army structures	p. xiv
Introduction	p. 1
The bulldog, the eagle and the bear	p. 11
Germany's defeat in the east	p. 48
The road to Kiev	p. 99
War in the Ukraine	p. 135
Ominous horizons	p. 171
The battle of Kiev	p. 206
Slaughter in the Ukraine	p. 238
Visions of victory	p. 274
The calm before the storm	p. 303
Moscow in the crosshairs	p. 332
Conclusion	p. 345
Notes	p. 355
Bibliography	p. 432
Index	p. 457
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