STALINGRAD 1942-43 (1)

◗ Robert Forczyk ◗ Osprey (2021) ◗ £15.99 ◗ 96 pages (softback) ◗ ISBN:9781472842657 ◗ ospreypublishing.com

I have lost track of the number of books I have by this author – all are worthwhile. You might sometime disagree with his conclusions, but you are given a wealth of strategic, operational and even tactical analysis, well-written and supported by good maps.

This is the first of three intended volumes on the Stalingrad campaign, and takes you up to the outskirts of the city. The period marked the first changes in Soviet operational method, in which retreats were permitted, thereby avoiding the key German objective of destruction of the enemy. Soviet counter-offensives were still inept and uncoordinated, resulting in wholesale losses of tank corps (equivalent to German divisions): the Donbass midpoint of the initial campaign saw some of the largest tank engagements of the war. At the same time, the Germans were increasingly handicapped by long supply lines, losses of experienced commanders and troops, and over-ambitious plans once initial successes had been gained.

The author makes the point that the Germans had to win, whereas the Soviets simply had to avoid defeat – a good way of describing it. Thoroughly recommended.

Chris Jarvis