Need a good Eastern Front book

[Huskalator]

Hey,

I love the savagery and brutality of the Eatern Front(WWII) and I am looking for a good book about it. I was hoping the good folks of this forum would be so kind as to make some recomendations.

I am looking for something that covers the entire war period but certain operations I don't mind. The most important things to me are an unbiased author, maps and picures(I don't want to look up a map of Russia every five pages), and some good first-hand accounts of the front line mixed in with the strategic info.

My favorite WWII book that I have right now is The Pacific Campaign by Dan van der Vat. Its exactly the things I have listed. I would recommend it to anyone looking to get a good Pacific theatre book. Its got great info on the battles and the people behind them, maps, and some great frontline soldier testimonial like a Japenese soldier in New Guinea bemoaning the fact that they have to search for potatoes all day because their supply situation is so bad.

Anyway, your help would be appreciated.

[SemperAugustus]

David Glantz is good e.g. "When Titans Clashed" and John Erickson's "The Road to Stalingrad" and "The Road to Berlin" isn't bad either

[EricGuitarJames]

I have Van der Vat's book and I too would recommend it.

For an Eastern Front book, there is no such thing as an 'unbiased author' (each brings their own 'spin' to a subject no matter how noble their intentions) but 'Russia's War' by Richard Overy is my personal favourite on the subject.

[Warfare1]

Another great book about the Pacific War is:

"The Rising Sun" by John Toland

The Eastern Front:

"Barbarossa" by Alan Clark

"Stalingrad" by Antony Beever (This book is a real page-turner and includes lots of info about the initial German invasion of the USSR, etc as well as other events leading up to Stalingrad.)

[Heliotic]

ORIGINAL: Warfare1
"Barbarossa" by Alan Clark

I found this book quite good!

[Speedysteve]

I too found Beavor's book 'Stalingrad' very good. Very readable and with detailed accounts of the horror of the battle.

I've also ready Erickson's books. Also well written and detailed.

[Salient]

"In Deadly Combat : A German Soldier's Memoir of the Eastern Front"

by Gottlob Herbert Bidermann

[pzgndr]

Albert Seaton's "Russo German War, 1941-45," is a very good reference. I also recommend Glantz's "When Titans Clashed," since this uses some historical archive information released after the Soviet Union collapsed - information that wasn't entirely available for Seaton's study published in 1993.

And besides reading about the Eastern Front, be sure to check out Schwerpunkt's Russo-German War. [;)]

[Maliki]

Slaughterhouse

[wodin]

ORIGINAL: Salient

"In Deadly Combat : A German Soldier's Memoir of the Eastern Front"

by Gottlob Herbert Bidermann

Good call.

Panzer Battles by Mellenthin. Covers all theaters and a good portion of the book is eastern front. Nearly finished it and its a good read.

Stalingrad: Memories and Reassessment (Cassell Military Paperbacks S.)
Heinrich Graf Von Einsiedel, Joachim Wieder.

Havent read it but have it on order and it looks a good read.

Theres a new fiction book thats superb, based on the siege of CHolm and Velikiye Luki. Excellent read I finished it last week and couldnt put it down. its called......

Siege: A novel of the Eastern Front 1942 by Russ Schneider

Some more

Tigers in the Mud: The Combat Career of German Panzer Commander by Otto Carius

Blood Red Snow: The Memoirs of a German Soldier on the Eastern Front by Gunter K. Koschorrek

Iron Horsemen: The Memoirs of Obergefreiter Ernst Panse, 24 Panzer Division, Stalingrad, 1942-1943 by Ernst Panse

Fighting in Hell: the German Ordeal on the Eastern Front by Peter G. Tsouras

[IronDuke_slith]

I'd recommend "When Titans clashed" as well. I'd avoid Erickson if I were you, if only because it can be a difficult read. Exceptionally well detailed, but hard work.

On individual campaigns, Glant and House's "The Battle of Kursk" stands out, as does Glantz's "Before Stalingrad", although anything by Glantz can be safely recommended. Alan Clark is fine but 40 years old if memory serves so it will not take account of the post cold war archive work in Russia.

Amongst the memoirs, I'd echo the poster who suggested Von Mellenthin. He seems to have served in several critical places during the war, and mixes in good interesting opinion with his narrative. Guderian and Manstein's memoirs are also fascinating.

Brian Taylor's new two volume day by day narrative is also a useful reference but maybe a bit dry for what you are after.

Beevor is also good, I haven't read Berlin yet, but will do eventually having enjoyed Stalingrad.

Regards,
IronDuke

[freeboy]

I rememberreading, "The Tiger s are Burning" anyone else ever read that.. I got it as a youth through the Military Book Club, it wasn't strategic in nature, more a studay, as best I recall in Kursk and why heavy tanks faired poorly against Russian troops, not tanks

[wodin]

No machine gun on the new Tiger "Porsche". Bit of a problem that.

New Panthar tanks went up in flames due to poor armour around the gas pipes!!

Stalingrad By A Beevor is an excellent read as others have mentioned. I lent it to some one who isnt really ino warfare and when he'd finished he said its the best book he has ever read, he has read many books aswell!

[SemperAugustus]

Anyone read Ziemke's books, e.g. Moscow to Stalingrad, Stalingrad to Berlin?

[SeaMonkey]

Try "The Forgotten Soldier", by Guy Sajer, an autobiography of a Franco-German kid of 17 in the Grossdeutschland.

[Marc von Martial]

ORIGINAL: SeaMonkey

Try "The Forgotten Soldier", by Guy Sajer, an autobiography of a Franco-German kid of 17 in the Grossdeutschland.

He asked for a good book, not a fairy tale [;)]

[IronDuke_slith]

ORIGINAL: Marc Schwanebeck

ORIGINAL: SeaMonkey

Try "The Forgotten Soldier", by Guy Sajer, an autobiography of a Franco-German kid of 17 in the Grossdeutschland.

He asked for a good book, not a fairy tale [;)]

I too have seen heated debate over whether it is really autobiographical. I've never read it, though. Is it his description of the Heer and combat that don't convince, or his attempts to convince us that he was a member of the GD?

Regards,
IronDuke

[Warfare1]

ORIGINAL: IronDuke

ORIGINAL: Marc Schwanebeck

ORIGINAL: SeaMonkey

Try "The Forgotten Soldier", by Guy Sajer, an autobiography of a Franco-German kid of 17 in the Grossdeutschland.

He asked for a good book, not a fairy tale [;)]

I too have seen heated debate over whether it is really autobiographical. I've never read it, though. Is it his description of the Heer and combat that don't convince, or his attempts to convince us that he was a member of the GD?

Regards,
IronDuke

Here's some information about the controversial nature of the book:

http://members.shaw.ca/grossdeutschland/sajer.htm

[Salient]

Well it might be fake, I did enjoy reading it though.

[Charles2222]

Try Russia at War: 1941-1945 by Alexander Werth (close to 1100 pages from a Russian perspective).

Also a favorite around here is Panzer Commander by Hans Von Luck.