A penetrating and compassionate book on the most gigantic military struggle in world history.--The New York Times Book Review"An extraordinary tale... Overy's engrossing book provides extensive details of teh slaughter; brutality; bitterness and destruction on the massive front from the White Sea to the flank of Asia."--Chicago Tribune The Russian war effort to defeat invading Axis powers; an effort that assembled the largest military force in recorded history and that cost the lives of more than 25 million Soviet soldiers and civilians; was the decisive factor for securing an Allied victory. Now with access to the wealth of film archives and interview material from Russia used to produce the ten-hour television documentary Russia's War; Richard Overy tackles the many persuasive questions surrounding this conflict. Was Stalin a military genius? Was the defense of Mother Russia a product of something greater than numbers of tanks and planes--of something deep within the Russian soul?
#1188024 in Books 2002-04-30 2002-04-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.00 x 5.40l; .90 #File Name: 0140246010496 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy Kenneth MorrisonAs a naval officer (Maritime College graduate) I found the book very informative and well written1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. History buffBy Buffalo ladyGave this gift to a history buff who really liked it because it covered more than one war. A good gift to anyone interested in seafaring battles. Good condition; prompt delivery.15 of 18 people found the following review helpful. Missing the boat on modern naval combatBy Charles MacnaughtonFirst off; this is neither a comprehensive history of twentieth century naval warfare nor an oral history. The book aims to describe the evolution of world navies from ships of sail to modern high-tech platforms and the technological and social revolutions that fueled this evolution. At that level; this work is fundamentally successful; though sometimes tedious.The book's ultimate failure is in the extremely cursory coverage given the last twenty-five years of the twentieth century. All meaningful coverage of naval warfare ceases at the close of the Vietnam War. Oddly; the most detail given after that relates several naval skirmishes between Israel and her Syrian and Egyption foes in the Yom Kippur War. The only other detailed coverage of US naval operations concerns the USS Vincennes tragic shoot-down of an Iranian passenger jet at the tail-end of the Iran-Iraq war; though Mr. Spector does go to some length to describe the mitigating factors which led to that tragedy.The Falklands War is given relatively light coverage; considering that it constituted an important proving ground for a variety of modern naval tactics and weapons systems. Similarly; no coverage at all is given the several engagements between US and Libyan forces in the 1980s; despite the fact that this constituted the first use of the Harpoon antiship missile in combat. Likewise; Operation Earnest Will; in which US naval vessels escorted reflagged Kuwaiti tankers during the Iran-Iraq War is also given slim coverage. The attack on the USS Stark is never mentioned and the damage control lessons learned in that incident and in the USS Samuel B. Roberts attack is completely ignored; despite the fact that those two incidents brought about radical changes in both shipboard firefighting tactics and equipment. No mention is made of the close interservice cooperation in this operation; nor the use of US Army Special Forces operating from US Navy ships in an naval interdiction role.Operation Desert Storm is totally neglected; despite the first wide-scale employment of tactical cruise missiles and their importance in the war. No mention is made of the use or importance of Navy and Marine Corps aircraft in attack roles in Operation Desert Storm; nor the damage to a US cruiser and amphibious ship by Iraqi mines.If you want a reasonable assessment of the causes and effects of the evolution of the navy through Vietnam; this book is adequate. If you want an assessment of the modern navy; you should look elsewhere.
