The First 7 Days: Barbarossa. Nazi Germany's 1941 Invasion of the Soviet Union - Hardcover

Will Fowler

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0760780048 ISBN 13: 9780760780046

Publisher: Sandcastle Books, 2006

Synopsis

Published in 2006 in hardback with dustjacket by Sandcastle Books, this 192 glossy-paged volume full of fascinating facts and black & white, and colour, pictures contains detailed descriptions of the tactical manoeuvres of the German and Soviet armis during the first crucial week. It includes full-colour maps showing the areas of operation, the forces involved and their movements; there are numerous first-hand accounts of combat from participants on both sides and the dramatic photographs illustrate the three German army groups' lightning advances and the Red Army's determined defence of the Motherland. Historical Detail: On 22nd June 1941, the Germans launched their long-expected invasion of the Soviet Union. It was code-named 'Operation Barbarossa', after one of Hitler's heroes, the 12th-Century Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa. The attack was a culmination of Hitler's long-held desire to extend the borders of the Reich eastwards. In the early summer of 1941, the Germans amassed an army of 3 million men; 3,300 tanks; and 2000 aircraft. Facing them was the partially-mobilized Red Army; consisting of 3.5 million men and 20,000 tanks. In this crucial first week, the outcome of the entire campaign could be decided: if the Red Army could be quickly overrun by the use of Blitzkrieg ('lightning war') tactics, the road to Moscow would be clear. The struggle that followed was one of the most ferocious conflicts in the history of modern warfare. The German forces advanced in 3 formations: Army Group North was to capture the Baltic; Army Group centre the city of Moscow; and Army Group South was to subjugate the Ukraine. Chapters: Introduction; 1. The Rise of A New Order; 2. The search for Lebensraum; 3. Soviet Dispositions; 4. 'All Hell Broke Loose'; 5. Army Group North; 6. Army Group Centre; 7. Army Group South; 8. Death in the Snow. Appendix: 'Directive No. 21: Case Barbarossa'; Order of Battle; Bibliography; Index

Edition details

• Publisher: Sandcastle Books
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0760780048
• ISBN 13: 9780760780046
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192