The Greatest Battle: Stalin, Hitler, and the Desperate Struggle for Moscow That Changed the Course of World War II | 
 enlarge | Author: Andrew Nagorski
Creator: Michael Prichard
Publisher: Tantor Media
Category: Book
List Price: $29.99
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Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 1557101
Format: Audiobook, Cd, Mp3 Audio, Unabridged
Media: MP3 CD
Edition: MP3 Una
Number Of Items: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.8 x 0.6
ISBN: 140015507X
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN: 9781400155071
ASIN: 140015507X
Publication Date: October 1, 2007
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Condition: Brand new item. Over 4 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: I20081201033114S
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Product Description
Based on previously secret documents and eyewitness testimony, this is the shocking account of the most massive and deadliest battle of World War II, which ended in Hitler's defeat and changed the course of the war.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 44 more reviews...
The Greatest Battle October 7, 2008
Charles A. Reap Jr. (Pittsboro, NC USA)
For true historians this might not be the greatest story about the WWII fight for the Nazi war machine to overwhelm Moscow. However, for casual readers such as myself--with a mild interest in history--this was an eye-opener. The author mainly points out how both Hitler and Stalin tried to outdo their own generals. Don't forget that Stalin killed off many of his pre-war generals and took over too much of the directions himself. Had the battles been left to the proper knowledgeable officers, the final outcome might have been different. Hitler's thought was that if Germany "owned" Moscow, he would expect a complete collapse of Russia. Then, in turn, he would once again go after Britain. Stupid fool, however, delayed his initial Panzer attacks for a month so as to take care of some not-so-important areas. Thus, the German army fought not only the poorly-equipped Russian soldiers, but the fall and winter weather. The German armies became overwhelmed by heavy rains turning many roads into massive mud piles, and then, when the snows arrived, they weren't equiped with adequate antifreeze and clothing. Many troops froze to death. Stalin, running low on men and materiel, brought troops (conscripts, of course) from Siberia. These poor souls were better clothed and not weary from the constant fighting. When Hitler finally accepted that he couldn't take Moscow, it marked the true beginning of the end of his regime. Charles A. Reap, Jr., author, "Devil's Game," and "My Friend Sam."
 Good but not great August 7, 2008
J. Michael (Now Born)
Does this book break any major new ground? No, but what do you expect over 60 years after the events described? Am I on the lookout for a deeper and more authoritative account of the struggle for Moscow? Yes. Does this book give a good general overview of the Battle of Moscow, along with some rather interesting reminiscences from its survivors? Yes. But still, I wonder about the honesty of the historical publishing industry towards their customers when I see them churn out book after book like this that simply revisit well-worn subjects and rearrange the same old information, except with a different set of pictures and a new author. I get most of my books from the library, so it's no skin off my nose, but I imagine a lot of people must snatch up these retread histories retail if the industry keeps perpetrating this scam. What's even worse are the gimmicks; I see a book out now that presents an intertwined biography of Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin, purporting to find some previously unknown cosmic connection between their lives, of which we must all now be aware. Well, if we don't want to waste our time reading mediocre books and publishing gimmicks, I guess we need to rely on our fellow amazon reviewers in order to really separate the wheat from the chaff. In my judgement, don't settle for this one. If you really want to learn about the Battle of Moscow, I'm sure there have been better books written, even if I don't know what they are.
 Moscow; The Titanic Struggle between Hitler & Stalin July 17, 2008
Robert Oxberger (Burke, VA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Greatest Battle: Stalin, Hitler, and the Desperate Struggle for Moscow That Changed the Course of World War II
Many people think Stalingrad was the turning point in WWII in the East, but I think Andrew Nagorski is right that Hitler's failure to take Moscow set the stage for the Soviets to be able to recover and drive the Germans back. It all hinged on Stalin being able to call up his reserves from the Far East, the Siberians. Once Stalin was convinced the Japanese were moving South and wouldn't attack him, he could call up these important reserves. These troops and the Russian winter stopped the Germans.
This book is easy to read and well researched. Andrew Nagorski points out that the Great Terror unleashed on the Red Army in the late 1930s weakened the military leadership and coupled with the Red Army's poor showing against Finland these factors convinced Hitler that the Soviet Union would collapse once attacked. Stalin regained his nerve, used very brutal tactics against troops that surrendered and deserters, and recognized the talents of capable commanders like Zhukov.
The battles of Stalingrad, Kursk, and Leningrad got a lot more attention in the war chronicles of this mighty struggle, but the saving of Moscow enabled the Soviet Union to recover and fight back to victory! This book tells this story very well and it will hold your attention as you read it. The narrative moves very quickly.
 NOT a military book! July 11, 2008
John E. Pombrio (Manchester, CT United States)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The title is misleading in that its talks about the battle of Moscow. This book is really about the political aspects of the German attack, mostly Stalin. The battle itself is rarely touched on, but a great deal of the book describes Stalin, Hitler, Lenin's body, foreign correspondents, and the lives of the lowly soldiers involved.
I have troubles with several parts of the book. Stalin and Hitler, two worst dictators for killing people, mostly their own. Err, sorry. Mao Zedong wins. The Germans had an easy time at first in fighting the Eastern front. Nope. The Soviets were caught with their pants down but they fought like hell after a few days and NEVER let up. The severe weather was the worst mistake that Hitler made and it was the weather that stopped the German army in its tracks. Wrong again. The German army was at the end of its rope by the time Moscow was in view. Their troops were mostly dead or wounded, their tanks blown up or broken down, food and ammo mostly gone, and they left their supply lines wide open behind them in their rush forward.
Finally, that Moscow was the greatest battle. Well, if you take into account that there were 15-20 battles scattered over a thousand square miles in a period over a year, yeah, I guess so.
If you do not know of Stalin's past, his self caused famine, the pogroms of the military, and his brutal treatment of his citizens and troops, the reason for his delay in acknowledging the invasion, then this book could be an eye opener and a good read. Otherwise, it is covering old ground. For anyone who has read a few good books on the eastern front, then give this a miss.
The Greatest Battle recounts the horrific battle of Moscow between Nazism and Communism in the fall of 1941 July 7, 2008
C. M Mills (Knoxville Tennessee)
Imagine your name is Joseph Stalin. You awaken in the Kremilin on June 21, 1941 to learn that over three million German soldiers have attacked your nation! Three Nazi forces attacking Leningrad and the north, Moscow and the central portion of the nation and the southern part of Russia have decided they will end communism and reign over eastern Europe!
The greatest battle began that June dawn in the greatest invasion in modern history. From September 1941 until the spring of 1942 over seven millon soldiers would be involved in the life and death struggle for Moscow. Over 2.5 million Russians would die without the Germans losing about half that number of casualties. Though later battles such as Stalingrad, Leningrad and Kursk would get more publicity the battle of Moscow was the largest contest in the war. During World War II the Soviets lost over 25 million of their soldiers and civilians.
Both regimes were led by cruel amoral dictators. Stalin and Hitler had both been born far from the center of power in their empires. Stalin in Georgia and Hitler in Austria. Both men were ruthless killers of opponents who trusted no person. Stalin wed twice and was a terrible father. Hitler only married in the last hours of his life to his loyal mistress Eva Braun. Together they are responsible for a war in which 55 million lost their lives.
Both dictators made mistakes in the Russian campaign. Hitler invaded Russia too late in the year. His men would die in the thousands during the harsh Russian Winter. They had not been furnished with winter clothing, equipment and supplies of fuel were inadequate. The blitzkrieg warfare did not work in such a huge land as Russia. Hitler failed to learn from Napoleon's disastrous 1812 invasion of Russia! Hitler's forces made a diversion to the south instead of pressing towards Moscow which should have been the main focus of the campaign. Hitler did not win over the populace launching mass terror even worse than the terrorism practiced by Stalin.
Andrew Nagorski is a former Newsweek correspondent in Russia. He interviewed many people who had participated in events during this terrible time. The anecdotes told by and about the old Russians who lived through this era make the book interesting.
The book is well illustrated with maps helping us visualize the battles.
Nagorski has done his research on a battle which is little known in the West. He has done a good job dealing with such a grisly story.
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