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ORIGINAL: Oloren

I had no idea they published portions of "Hitler Moves East" online. It looks like few chapters are posted. The material is somewhat dated and more than a little partisan, but I much prefer reading Paul Carell (aka Paul Schmidt) to Glantz. Glantz needs writing lessons.

Thanks for the link.

Glantz is a research and numbers guy. Very dry. Very matter of fact. Much skimming over events. Carell is a story teller. On the ground with the troops. Getting into detail of small unit actions and in the command bunkers. Emotion, dirt, smoke. Both have their places. I too like the way Carell tells it in Hitler Moves East and Scorched Earth.

ORIGINAL: Panama

Glantz is a research and numbers guy. Very dry. Very matter of fact. Much skimming over events. Carell is a story teller. On the ground with the troops. Getting into detail of small unit actions and in the command bunkers. Emotion, dirt, smoke. Both have their places. I too like the way Carell tells it in Hitler Moves East and Scorched Earth.

Yes, reading Glantz is sometimes like chewing salted cod. His books on Rzhev, Kursk and Smolensk, however, get more to the level where you can smell the cordite.

Too bad that Carell also was Paul Karl Schmidt, "honorary" Obersturmbannführer SS, and spokesman for the Reich Foreign Minister Office. Considered to be amongst Goebbels inner circle, and a major actor of the Third Reich propaganda machine. What you can find on his books isn't really much different than what you could find on Signal. Cool pictures, harrowing tales of bravery and heroic deeds by the outnumbered but never outfought landsers against the faceless Asian mobs clad in the Red Army uniform, etc. etc. Widely considered - nowadays - to be a major instigator into war crimes.

Being a bit hyperbolic, just imagine the Iraqi Information Minister during the 2003 Iraq war writing a book called "Scorched Sands" detailing the 1991 invasion of Kuwait and stating that the Iraqi army had a real chance of defeating the Coalition in a major tank battle in the desert.

Hey, that Iraqi propaganda minister had real comedic talent. I loved that guy, he was great. He should have gone into standup after the war...

These Kalmyks acted in a friendly way towards the Germans.

And what a terrible price they paid for this friendliness.

This reminds me about my favorite quote about statistics: He uses statistics like a drunk man uses a lamp post: For support rather than illumination.

Carell as an author is looking for support, Glanz is looking for illumination.

ORIGINAL: Oloren

I had no idea they published portions of "Hitler Moves East" online. It looks like few chapters are posted. The material is somewhat dated and more than a little partisan, but I much prefer reading Paul Carell (aka Paul Schmidt) to Glantz. Glantz needs writing lessons.

Thanks for the link.

The whole book is there actually. If you take the trouble it can be copied and PDF'ed......(i did)

A google search for Hitler move east.pdf does the trick as well.

Good read.

It's follow up, Scorched earth can be found in this manner as well, but HME is much better written IMHO.