Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War

by Christopher Bellamy

Book Overview

In Absolute War , acclaimed historian and journalist Chris Bellamy crafts the first full account since the fall of the Soviet Union of World War II's battle on the Eastern Front, one of the deadliest... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375410864
• ISBN13: 9780375410864
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Length: 813 Pages
• Weight: 2.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.0" x 6.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A great book

This book is a masterpiece. The author lays down precisely how intricately amazing, brutal, desperate, and pivotal the eastern front was. The war between the Wehrmacht and Red Army was unlike anything the US has been in, and it's not even close. There's a good reason German recountings of the Second World War focus on the eastern front for three or four-fifths of the story. This book is not for flag wavers who want to wallow in the Greatest Generation; this book is for people who want to become informed about the resiliency and grit of the Red Army and its generals, especially Konstantin Rokossovsky, despite the monstrous evil of Stalin. If you are interested in what happened, how close the Germans were to winning, and the interesting role of women in the Red Army (heretofore not covered well), then this book is for you. A great piece of Wissenschaft (scholarship) that is accessible to informed lay people interested in history.

The most current history of the German-Russian War

I have read at least 50 books on the German Russian War---the major component of World War Two in Europe. My first novel, An Honorable German, a World War Two saga told from the point of view of a German UBoat commander, will be published in May. In order to write a novel told in a convincing way from the German POV, I spent 25 years reading German history. I say this to demonstrate my competence to write this review. First and foremost: if you are looking for a superb general history of the Ost Krieg as seen by the Russians, then buy and read this book. There was a brief window in the the years after the collapse of the Soviet Union when scholars such as the author( whom I do not know) had access to previously top secret information about Russia in World War Two. Putin shut this window and much of this information was reclassified. Professor Bellamy scrambled through this window of opportunity and did an amazing amount of original research from the original battle reports, NKVD reports sent to Stalin, records of discussions of the Stavka, etc. Because he was able to examine unredacted material, indeed the actual reports which Stalin had held in his own hands, Dr. Bellamy was able to shatter certain myths of this period---the most hallowed being the tale of Stalin panicking and retreating to his dacha and staying incummnicado for a week till the Politburo begged him to come back and lead the nation. Piece by piece Professor Bellamy takes apart this myth based on the actual communications in their original between Stalin and the key members of the Politburo. I use this as an example to show how carefully he did his homework and in doing so swept away a number of myths people have accepted for decades. Second, Professor Bellamy pauses on a regular basis and specifically cites the verified casualties on each side, how those numbers affected the belligerants within the specific context of that time of the war and then shows the Allied figures for the same period. Anyone who has read deeply into the literature of WW II in Europe knows that in my phrase, "the Americans did the supplying and the Russians did the dying." While many scholars point this out they do it in an unconvincing way because they cannot bear to let go of the cherished myth that the Allied landing on D-Day was the turning point of the war, which is patently absurb. The Normandy landings were a side show compared to what was happening in the East. Two weeks after Normandy the Russians literally destroyed most of Army Group Center in four days---27 German divisions and various corps HQs simply vanished. Over 300,000 men gone--not accounted for to this day. Dr. Bellamy is very, very clear on this point: World War Two in Europe was won in the East. By showing the verified statistics and expalining them in detail and comparing them to the other powers, he demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Ost Front was the decisive theatre of the war in Europe. He further

explores unknown territory

Chris Bellamy's 'Absolute War' truly fills up a big 'white spot' in our knowledge of the Hitler/Stalin-conflict from 1941-'45: the workings of the Soviet-Russian leadership. Up to now, we always had to deduct from German sources what happened at the other side of the front. Recently granted access to Russian archives doesn't make this necessary anymore. I'll provide just one example: during the period from June 22 up to July 3, 1941, Stalin kept silent. Up to now, we always assumed that Stalin needed this period to recover mentally from his error in underestimating Hitler's determination to wipe out his Soviet-rule. Mr. Bellamy shows us quite the contrary: Stalin used these days to convert the Soviet-Russian society into a complete war-economy. By the way, the Hitler/Stalin-conflict from 1941-'45 is that immense, that any writer cannot avoid to make a selection. As I pointed out above, Mr. Bellamy's choice is a very happy one.

Good original book on Eastern Front

I have about 80 pages left (it's 680 long!) to go, and I've thoroughly enjoyed the book. Please bear in mind that this is not so much a book on the movements and battles of divisions, corps, Army Groups, etc. as some readers would like. There is some of that, along with some decent maps, but don't buy the book for that. This book is sort of the complement of a David Glantz book. While a Glantz book is strictly troop movements and operational strategy, Absolute War is everything else. Heavily covered topics are: the strange Alliance between Soviet Union and the West, including how much did the West's material really help; the role of Soviet women in the war; the Non-Aggression Pact between Germany & Soviet Union, and the partion of Poland; the role of partisans; etc. These are the types of topics (and there are many more) that are dealt with here, that perhaps have not been dealt with enough before. The author also has relied on the newer material released from Soviet archives. All in all, even though I'm usually read the Glantz-type books, I am really enjoying this book, and I give it the thumbs up for any military reader.

A Superb New History

This book, even at almost 700 pages of text, is a page turner. It is a superb, balanced history using recently opened sources from the former Soviet Union. Having read the memoirs of many of the German generals who fought during World War II, this book greatly helped to round out my understanding of the fighting on the Eastern Front. Not only is this book an outstanding military history, but it also deftly addresses key social, economic, and diplomatic issues. It is superb at explaining why the Soviets defeated the Nazis -- as opposed to books that focus on Hitler's mistakes. Having served as both an armor (tanks) officer and history professor while in the U.S. Army, I found this book to be invaluable.