Opening the Gates of Hell

Operation Barbarossa, June–July 1941

De: Richard Hargreaves

Narrado por: Philip Pope

Bloomsbury presents Opening the Gates of Hell: Operation Barbarossa, June-July 1941 by Richard Hargreaves, read by Philip Pope.

A unique account of the opening weeks of history’s largest, most brutal conflict, told through the eyes of those who were there and based on original source material from across Europe.

Opening the Gates of Hell is based on over a decade’s research in archives and sites across Europe. It is a ground-breaking examination of the start of the Nazi–Soviet conflict, a narrative history not just of the fighting, but also the impact on civilians, the atrocities committed by both sides and ethnic cleansing carried out by the inhabitants of the regions invaded.

This fascinating history tells the stories of bravery, cowardice, misery and horror through the eyes of those who were there including ordinary soldiers, generals, leaders, politicians and civilians on both sides. The book draws on published and unpublished sources from across Germany and Eastern Europe with the majority of the material never having appeared in English-language accounts of the conflict before.

The combination of combat accounts, analysis of high-level diplomacy and leadership and the visceral accounts of the atrocities committed by both sides gives this book a unique approach to the war on the Eastern Front and will ensure that it is regarded as the definitive work on the subject for many years to come.

©2025 Richard Hargreaves (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Unbiased & well presented

Unlike any other breakdown I’ve read since it focuses on a relatively short period of time. The level of violence committed is hard to imagine. It’s very well balanced to provide a nuanced understanding of the human cost behind the front lines

violence

the amount of violence committed by other than the NAZI's against more than just Jews.

Excellent narrative history & heartbreaking detail

This is a difficult title to review. The amount of detail, the richness and depth of the narrative are simply astounding. The problem, of course, is the subject matter. This book is almost twenty-four hours of humanity at it's absolute pit and at multiple times it simply becomes a bloody ordeal of horrific tales followed by more horrific tales. You want to take a sedative for your mind, to numb the pain, to briefly conceal the depravity everywhere you look.

It's the Nazi juggernaut, its cruelty, its depravity, its indifference to humanity and to suffering, its almost ghoulish delight in exterminating a political system, a race, and a people. Along side it lies the worst of Stalin's Soviet colossus, the conquest and sterilization of Eastern Poland, the political prisoners, native victims, and political victors now being hunted down and victimized.

There are no winners, only the dead, those soon to die, the retreating armies, the advancing armies, and a trail of devastation, destruction, and utter human depravity strewn in their wakes. It is truly a guided tour through the carnage and horror of the gates of hell. The book is aptly named and, for better or worse emotionally, an utterly unique experience.

90% of book described the murder and torture behind German and Russian front lines.

Not my thing. Important to acknowledge what happened but not what I was looking for.