Continuing his magisterial account of the Eastern Front campaigns; the writer cited by The Atlantic as “indisputably the West’s foremost expert on the subject†focuses here on the Red Army’s operations from the fall of 1943 through the April 1944. David M. Glantz chronicles the Soviet Army's efforts to further exploit their post-Kursk gains and accelerate a counteroffensive that would eventually take them all the way to Berlin.The Red Army's Operation Bagration that liberated Belorussia in June 1944 sits like a colossus in the annals of World War II history. What is little noted in the history books; however; is that the Bagration offensive was not the Soviets’ first attempt. Battle for Belorussia tells the story of how; eight months earlier; and acting under the direction of Stalin and his Stavka; three Red Army fronts conducted multiple simultaneous and successive operations along a nearly 400-mile front in an effort to liberate Belorussia and capture Minsk; its capital city. The campaign; with over 700;000 casualties; was a Red Army failure.Glantz describes in detail the series of offensives; with their markedly different and ultimately disappointing results; that; contrary to later accounts; effectively shifted Stalin’s focus to the Ukraine as a more manageable theater of military operations. Restoring the first Belorussian offensive to its place in history; this work also reveals for the first time what the later; successful Bagration operation owed to its forgotten precursor.
#2074841 in Books 2011-09-12Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.50 x 1.40 x 6.40l; 1.85 #File Name: 0700618066408 pages
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. comprehensive and readableBy Michael ConleyWhile the subject may sound like a dry and pedantic subject; the author has made this very readable. He covers the subject thoroughly. He clearly shows the genesis and development of doctrine and ties it together with examples of the numerous military actions of the Army. He makes a strong case for the vital role doctrine has played in the Army while its scope and missions have expanded. As a retired Army oficer and veteran; I can say that it gave me an appreciation of the driving force doctrine is that I never had while on active duty. I believe any serious student of U.S. military history should read this to give them the foundation for serious study.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great review!By Andrew Paul BetsonGreat review of the capstone doctrine documents from their inception through the war on terror. Also serves as a great vessel to tell the United States' military history.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Doctrine: Much More than DogmaBy John T. FishelWalter E. Kretchik has written an important and eminently readable history of the doctrine of the U.S. Army from the Continentals to the present. He very clearly demonstrates that what the military calls doctrine is critical official writing about how to organze and how to fight. A major part of the story he tells is the interplay between informal practice; unofficial writing and doctrine. As he points out; much of what the U.S. Army did from its inception was to fight irregulars whether Indians; Filipino insurrectos; Moros; or Pancho Villa's "Dorados." Of particular interest was how the Army took and adapted its doctrine to address issues that fell into the informal categories.Full disclosure: Walt is a good friend and we have worked together on a number of projects. This book fills a hole in the historical discourse of American military writing. Walt captures the essence of the tale as well as the personalities of the players and the excitement of battle. Here; his story is about how oficers and soldiers thought they would fight and how they had to modify what they thought and did to succeed in the real world of combat. It is intriguing that many of the intellectual arguments over time parallel some that are ongoing. Colonel Gian Gentile; currently at West Point; would have felt as much at home dueling with earlier advocates of informal practice as he does with the COINdinistas he now takes on. As Walt points out; it is from arguments like this that doctrine develops; borrowing from foreign thinkers and the experience of American soldiers alike.Any military person or scholar of military affairs needs to have this book on the must read list! Hooah; Walt!
