The Second World War (5): The Eastern Front 1941-1945
In 1940, fresh from the success in France, Hitler turned his attention to the East. In this volume Geoffrey Jukes explains what led to Hitler's decision to instigate the invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa) and offers a concise account of the campaign that followed. The Germans expected to conquer Russia in only four months, but at Stalingrad and then Kursk the Russians fought back. At a human cost of 27 million Soviet lives Hitler was forced into a humiliating retreat and Russia emerged from the war as a super power ready to take on the capitalist world.
Introduction
Chronology
Background to war: A dictators' deal and a double-cross
Warring sides: Germany gambles on a quick win
Outbreak: Germany achieves surprise
The fighting: Red Army battered but not beaten
Portrait of a soldier: The German and the Russian view
The world around war: Propaganda, Lend-Lease and land grabs
Portrait of a civilian: 'We were as mobilised as the soldiers'
How the war ended: Germany surrenders, Stalin joins the war on Japan
Conclusion and consequences: From alliance to Cold War
Geoffrey Jukes
Softcover 96pp
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