MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Just bought this. Some great things in there: http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Hell-Let-Loose-1939-1945/dp/0007450729/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335944300&sr=8-2
Did you know that 90% of all German combat deaths happened on the Eastern front?
Didn't know that but I do know that something like 95% of all injured personnel lived if they made it off the front.
Can't remember where I read that though.
I've just read it, more Americans lost limbs in industrial accidents than in combat during the conflict.
I'd heard that the German army never had less than 75% of their troops on the Eastern front, which makes me wonder how things might have turned out if they had had four times as many troops on the Western front.
Yes, the push Eastwards must rank as the greatest military error of all time. Had it not been for that, the war would have been markedly different.
I'm not so sure about Amazons description of the war as "the greatest and most terrible event in history" though.
The Black Death killing 100 million people out of a world population of only 450 million sounds worse to me.
Didn't know that but I do know that something like 95% of all injured personnel lived if they made it off the front.
I doubt that many survived then...
I find these books fascinating.
Recently finished this one
Somewhat harrowing!
I doubt that many survived then...
Yes - there will have been a huge amount of fatalities on the frontline, no doubt, but it is testament to the nurses etc that so many were also saved.
I'd heard that the German army never had less than 75% of their troops on the Eastern front,
An inordinate amount of those were logistics, communications etc because of the sheer scale of shifting so much stuff. There's also an issue that they expanded the armed forces FOR the war in the East so it's doubtful they'd have mobilised the same number of people had they not invaded the Soviet Union. That said, it's fairly likely that before too long Stalin would have had a crack at them so the outcome would have been the same for them in the long run.
On the subject of the book itself, I've read his previous ones and I'm not sure what new material he's bringing to the table with this one. I'm enjoying it but it's not got anything I've not read before (so far, I'm only 50% through).
Beevors book just brings home the sheer numbers of deaths. Seelow heights was one horrible section.
It was eye-opening seeing the per country casualty figures - the Western allies suffered low losses compared to the other combatants.
A scary "What if?" is that Churchill wanted to declare war on the USSR (as well as Germany)when they invaded Poland in 1939 - lucky for us it did not happen.
Beevors book just brings home the sheer numbers of deaths
For me I find personal accounts more harrowing (probably because during the books you get to relate to the person) and reading about their experiences seems to hit home more than reading accounts of thousands upon thousands of un-named soldiers.
The 'best' one I have read is this...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/With-Jocks-Peter-White/dp/0750930578
I'd heard that the German army never had less than 75% of their troops on the Eastern front, which makes me wonder how things might have turned out if they had had four times as many troops on the Western front.
According to a Russian I know there is quite a lot of resentment/incredulity in Russia at the common narrative we have of the Brits and Americans winning the second world war in Normandy or whatever.
I don't think what I learned in school really brought home how many people the Russians lost compared to us.
MF - the one that 'got' me was the young German Officer who was made to play the piano non-stop, then when he stopped out of exhaustion a Russian slapped him on the back, laughed and shot him dead.
hora - I've heard that story before. I heard a story (amongst his other horrifying Korean war stories) from a family friend about him bayonetting a North Korean PoW camp guard to death that still gives me the shivers. By comparison my dad's uncle talking about how he shot the majority of prisoners he captured during WW2 seems a quite civilised affair for the most part.
i have just finished reading this book. I found it both fascinating and upsetting. The number of wasted lived and the suffering on both sides was horrendous. Lets hope there is never a WW3.
Lets hope there is never a WW3
There will be but it won't be fought in anything like the same way as WWII (just as WWII was nothing like WWI or the wars preceding that).
I went to a launch lecture by Hastings, very informative and a different take to the usual WWII books.
Currently reading Stalingrad by Anthony Beevors. Pretty horrific accounts from both sides.
The saying goes that WWII was won with Britsh brains, American brawn and Russian blood.
The best book on soldiering I have ever read (and I've read a few) is Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Matterhorn-Karl-Marlantes/dp/1848874944
Its a novel, but based on his own time in Vietnam as a highly decorated Marine infantry officer. Shocking and heartbreaking, took him 35yrs to write.
is there anything about Kursk in this book Hora ? theres some new theories being [url= http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-kursk-germanys-lost-victory-in-world-war-ii.htm ]postulated[/url] here and elsewhere which I found very interesting.
Not as far as I've seen but I'm only on page 80 with circa 720 to go..
After a spin through it in your local bookshop- you'll find its quite readable.
For me I find personal accounts more harrowing
Then the Forgotten Voices series of books covering everything from WW1 to the Falklands. Mesmerising and humbling direct transcripts from those who were there.
http://www.forgottenvoices.co.uk/
The Falklands Forgotten Voices is very good.
[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Finest-Hour-Tim-Clayton/dp/0340769211 ]this [/url]is by my "brother in law" tis very good and the TV series was well received, he found it quite depressing doing the 1to1 interviews though.