Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad Book Review

Genre: History

Author: William Craig

Plot
     WWII. In their 1941 blitzkrieg across the steppe, Nazi soldiers have seriously battered the Soviet Union. Having failed to capture Moscow in their initial attack, the German high command orders in 1942 a massive strike force to sweep towards and capture Stalingrad and to destroy the Red Army. With massive forces at their disposal, and nearly complete control of the sky, victory was not doubted, nor defeat considered by Hitler.

     Over five months later the German forces had been basically annihilated, despite truly desperate attempts to save the trapped forces. Enemy at the Gates tells the story of a major, perhaps the, turning point in the Russian-German war through countless personal stories and anecdotes. From famous snipers waging silent (nearly so at least) battles among themselves, the Soviet T-34 tank factory that produced tanks which rolled off the factory line directly into battle, the all-female anti-aircraft unit that initially faced the German panzers alone, to the deadly hand-to-hand combat among the rubble that once was a great city, the battle for Stalingrad was at once both vicious and deeply personal.

Brian's Opinion
     Wow. Just wow. There is a saying - war is hell. The battle for Stalingrad was most definitely hell. If you have ever wondered how horrific war can be, or how awful human beings can be to one another, look no farther - Enemy at the Gates tells it all. One of the best non-fiction history books I have ever read; and this book is not far behind The Longest Day in my all time favorites of WWII non-fiction literature.

Who Might Like It
     Serious WWII history buffs need to read Enemy at the Gates. If you have any interest in reading about a truly epic, a truly hellish, or a truly personal time of history, I'd highly recommend this book. Definitely not for the faint hearted.

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