Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege, 1942–1943

“The leader most famed for his ruthless trickery had fallen into a trap which was largely of his own making.”

Throughout Part 1 Beevor makes a point of showing the flaws in Stalin’s decision-making up to and during the early stages of the German invasion of Russia. In this quote, Beevor emphasizes that the level of surprise achieved by the Germans in Operation Barbarossa was largely the fault of Stalin, as he had refused to acknowledge or prepare for an invasion.

“The idea of Rassenkampf, or ‘race war’, gave the Russian campaign its unprecedented character. Many historians now argue that Nazi propaganda had so effectively dehumanized the Soviet enemy in the eyes of the Wehrmacht that it was morally anaesthetized from the start of the invasion.”

Here Beevor provides part of the explanation for the brutal warfare on the Eastern Front. Nazi ideology held that the annihilation or subjugation of the Russians was the only possible end to the war, considerably increasing the level of violence thought to be acceptable.

“During this hysteria of deflected blame, the groundwork for organization began.”

Beevor’s analysis of Operation Barbarossa lays the groundwork for the Russian victories at Stalingrad. The reform of the Red Army is depicted as a slow process, in which talented generals like Zhukov took lessons learned early in the war and applied them to future military doctrine. Beevor shows how the complex factors of war and politics can lead to opportunity out of defeat.