Stalingrad

The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943

By: Antony Beevor

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

In August 1942, an overconfident Adolf Hitler would attempt to invade Stalin's namesake city on the Volga. The battle of Stalingrad is extraordinary in every way: the triumphant invader fought to a standstill; then the Soviet trap sprung, surrounding their attackers; and the terrible siege, with Germans starving and freezing, forced to fight on by a disbelieving Hitler. Now Antony Beevor tells the story as it has never been told before, recounting the strategic brilliance and fatal flaws of the notorious generals, while telling the incredible tale from a soldier's-eye view. The author incorporates Russian reports on desertions and executions that have never been seen by Western scholars, German transcripts of prisoner interrogations, and private letters and diaries to re-create the human drama of the most terrible battle in modern warfare.

&169; Antony Beevor; (P) and ©1998 Penguin AudioBooks

Critic reviews

"A fantastic and sobering story...fully and authoritatively told." (The New York Times)

"Stalingrad's heart-piercing tragedy needed a chronicler with acute insight into human nature as well as the forces of history. Antony Beevor is that historian." (The Wall Street Journal)

"Easily the most complete and objective picture of the battle's scale and ferocity that American readers have ever read." (Dallas Morning News)

Excellent. Flows beautifully.

Such excellent descriptions of landscape and vivid details of individuals creates an audible book that’s easy to follow and easy to understand given the depth and scope of the battle.

Solid but a bit cold

Fascinating content, but lacked a bit of the human element amidst all of the plot points - was hoping for a bit more of Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History approach - getting into the psychology and experience of the the soldiers on the ground.

Good story, quick listen

This gives great insight into the battle. Not frills, gets straight to the point and keeps on going.

Great book. Recording itself needs better EQ

The book itself is great. Dry but very educational.

Only reason I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars is the audio recording is clearly a little older and could use a bit of EQ enhancement because you get a bit more bass then you’d like from a recording but still worth a listen if you’re interested in the topic.

An Interesting Book

This is a good book to listen to about the Stalingrad Siege. However, the information presented is heavily weighted towards military and political strategy and activities. I was wanting more information about the civilian activities. The reader was easy to listen to, and kept the book rolling along.

Great story, hard to follow

I like Beevors work which is comprehensive and exciting to read but I found this audio version of Stalingrad very hard to follow and more sporadic than I would normally enjoy. Perhaps because it’s a city invasion and less linear it became hard to track.

Overall the story is hard to not find incredible, what the Russians went through and how they prevailed. The work is indeed comprehensive and well worth the read/listen overall. Just pay close attention.

Fascinating!

A mesmerizing chronology of events: sacrifice, heroism, arrogance, and humility. I would get a paper version of the book to add to my home library.

The German Mazada

This is an incredible story of Nazi Germany’s worst defeat. The Bible says that those who bless Abraham will be blessed, and those who curse Abraham will be cursed. What greater curse could have come upon the German people for the holocaust of the Jewish people. I learned in a Sunday school class as a teenager: Do not touch the Apple of God’s Eye!

Abridged.

After reading the complete version I thought this might be worth a listen but it leaves way to much pertinent information to the way side. However the paper version is excellent.

A Good Review of the Battle...

What made the experience of listening to Stalingrad the most enjoyable?

This audiobook was enhanced by the clear narration, good writing, and good overview of the battle of Stalingrad and its implications.

What did you like best about this story?

I especially appreciated the lead in to the battle, its significance in WWII and its aftermath.

Which scene was your favorite?

I found the information about how Stalin used the outcome of the battle for political leverage against Roosevelt and Churchill to be most interesting and surprising.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I found this to be quite a gripping book.