Red Storm On The Reich The Soviet March On Germany, 1945

by Duffy, Christopher

• ISBN13: 9780306805059
• ISBN10: 0306805057
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781136360404
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-03-22
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• More Book Details
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Summary

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 bankthe Russian sideof 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 river: 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 Reichthe largest, costliest, and fastestmoving 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 Reichbrings 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.

Author Biography

Christopher Duffy is a senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. His books include Siege Warfare, Russia's Military Way to the West, The Military Life of Frederick the Great, and The Military Experience in the Age of Reason.

Table of Contents

List of Maps	vii
Introduction	ix
PART I: TOTAL WAR	1	(64)
The Evolution of Total War	3	(4)
The War Until 1945	7	(8)
Instrument of Vengeance	15	(23)
The Reich Before the Storm	38	(27)
PART II: FROM THE VISTULA TO THE ODER	65	(60)
Breakthrough on the Vistula	67	(12)
The First German Response	79	(8)
Konev's Exploitation	87	(11)
Zhukov's Exploitation	98	(16)
Stay of Execution	114	(11)
PART III: THE SOUTHERN FLANK: KONEV AND THE CONTINUING CONTEST FOR SILESIA	125	(24)
The Actions on the Oder	127	(15)
Heinrici's Command and the Southern Highlands	142	(7)
PART IV: THE BALTIC FLANK	149	(50)
The East Prussian Setting	151	(4)
The 3rd Belorussian Front in Northern East Prussia	155	(12)
The 2nd Belorussian Front in Southern East Prussia	167	(8)
The Buildup of German Army Group Vistula	175	(11)
The East Pomeranian Operation	186	(13)
PART V: THE SIEGE OF THE FORTRESS CITIES	199	(70)
East Prussia	203	(17)
Danzig and Gotenhafen	220	(12)
Kolberg	232	(4)
The Altdamm Bridgehead	236	(3)
Kustrin	239	(10)
Posen	249	(3)
Breslau	252	(17)
PART VI: 1945 AND GERMANIC EASTERN EUROPE	269	(42)
The Catastrophe	271	(22)
The End of the War and Beyond	293	(11)
Summary and Conclusions	304	(7)
APPENDIX: THE CONDUCT OF WAR: SOVIET SCIENCE AND GERMAN ART	311	(74)
The Soviet Style	313	(42)
The Evolution of Soviet Mechanised Warfare	313	(3)
Soviet Organisation in 1945	316	(4)
Notes on Some Key Weapons	320	(3)
The Storm on the Reich	323	(32)
The German Style	355	(30)
The German Forces Under the Storm	355	(1)
Organisation and Weapons	356	(3)
Notes on Some Key Weapons	359	(3)
Command and Control	362	(2)
Mobile Warfare	364	(9)
Positional Warfare	373	(9)
Supporting Arms and Services	382	(3)
Bibliography	385	(6)
Index	391