Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East

By: David Stahel

Narrated by: Stewart Crank

Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, began the largest and most costly campaign in military history. Its failure was a key turning point of the Second World War. The operation was planned as a Blitzkrieg to win Germany its Lebensraum in the east, and the summer of 1941 is well-known for the German army's unprecedented victories and advances. Yet the German Blitzkrieg depended almost entirely upon the motorised Panzer groups, particularly those of Army Group Centre.

Using archival records, in this book, David Stahel presents a history of Germany's summer campaign from the perspective of the two largest and most powerful Panzer groups on the Eastern front. Stahel's research provides a fundamental reassessment of Germany's war against the Soviet Union, highlighting the prodigious internal problems of the vital Panzer forces and revealing that their demise in the earliest phase of the war undermined the whole German invasion.

©2009 David Stahel (P)2021 Upfront Books

Great Overarching and Detailed Analysis

very well done, good narrator, good extracts from diaries and other sources. highly recommend for those interested

Full of details, for advanced listeners only

This is a very fine-grained view. The author is perhaps the top expert on this, and makes his case well that Barbarossa was doomed from an early stage. It really fleshes out the story. I can imagine the disquiet and sinking feelings of the generals as this unfolded.

Great story

A good world war two history story about Russia and Germany and how Germany lost

Interesting and thorough

I enjoyed listening and learning a new perspective of the failures of the German generals. Their ego led them to overestimate their ability. At the same time they had no problem aiding and committing genocide without protest or hesitation.

Very detailed and specific

This book goes into details I was never aware of. Shows a totally different view that I never heard before