The Greatest Battle (Unabridged) | 
 enlarge | Author: Andrew Nagorski
Publisher: audible.com
Category: Book
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $15.74
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Rating:  49 reviews
Media: Audio Download
ASIN: B000WDS66K
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| • | Hardcover - The Greatest Battle: Stalin, Hitler, and the Desperate Struggle for Moscow That Changed the Course of World War II | | • | Paperback - The Greatest Battle: Stalin, Hitler, and the Desperate Struggle for Moscow That Changed the Course of World War II | | • | Audio CD - The Greatest Battle: Stalin, Hitler, and the Desperate Struggle for Moscow That Changed the Course of World War II | | • | Audio CD - The Greatest Battle: Stalin, Hitler, and the Desperate Struggle for Moscow That Changed the Course of World War II | | • | Kindle Edition - The Greatest Battle: Stalin, Hitler, and the Desperate Struggle for Moscow That Changed the Course of World War II | | • | Hardcover - The Greatest Battle: Stalin, Hitler, and the Desperate Struggle for Moscow That Changed the Course of World War II | | • | MP3 CD - The Greatest Battle: Stalin, Hitler, and the Desperate Struggle for Moscow That Changed the Course of World War II |
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Product Description
The Battle for Moscow was the deadliest battle of World War II--and the deadliest battle of all time. Between September 30, 1941 and April 20, 1942, seven million German and Soviet troops took part in the battle, and 2.5 million of them were killed, taken prisoner, missing or severely wounded. As German troops approached Moscow, half of the city's population fled, while others looted stores, staged strikes and attacked those who were escaping. In the end, the German drive fell short, but Stalin's regime was so embarrassed by how close they came, by the mistakes the Soviet dictator made that allowed them to do so, and the behavior of many of its own citizens, that the battle was given short shrift in their history books.
Both Hitler and Stalin (briefly allied and now newly at war) intruded themselves into the strategies for their armies. Hitler was so overconfident--even though his generals warned him--that the German army went into battle in the Russian fall with no winter clothes. Stalin was so in denial that the majority of Russian soldiers had no weapons. They had to wait for a comrade to fall in order to acquire a gun. Soviet soldiers following the front lines were under orders to shoot anyone who retreated. Meanwhile, the German soldiers, well equipped with armaments, and well trained but with no winter clothes, were freezing to death by the thousands.
Nagorski's description of the parallels and differences between Hitler and Stalin is a fascinating opening to his book. His description of Stalin's courtship of FDR and Churchill is an important historical contribution.
His account of the near catastrophe of the German attack (Stalin had Lenin's body removed and sent away, so close was Moscow to capitulation) is dramatic.
Moscow was under attack and siege for six months. Nagorski describes the horror in great detail. Because he speaks Russian he was able to interview many who lived through this battle, including the young man who transported Lenin's body.
The Battle for Moscow was the first turning point of the war, the first time that the German Blitzkrieg had been stopped. If Hitler hadn't committed major mistakes, the history of World War II would have been radically different. Nagorski tells the full story of this epic battle for the first time. He draws upon previously classified documents from the archives of the NKVD, as the KGB was called, letters, diaries, memoirs, and numerous first-hand accounts of survivors, many of whom contradict the sanitized version of events presented by Soviet and even Western writers.
The result is a riveting tale of terror, mass murder and, ultimately, a narrow victory that marked the beginning of the end for Hitler's war machine.
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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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