Editorial Reviews
Book Description
By the time Hitler declared war on the Soviet Union in 1941, he knew that his military machine was running out of fuel. In response, he launched Operation Blau, a campaign designed to protect Nazi oilfields in Rumania while securing new ones in the Caucasus. All that stood in the way was Stalingrad.
Most accounts of the Battle of Stalingrad have focused on the dismal fate of the German Army. Joel Hayward now chronicles Luftwaffe operations during that campaign, focusing on Hitler's use of the air force as a tactical rather than strategic weapon in close support of ground forces. He vividly details the Luftwaffe's key role as "flying artillery," showing that the army relied on Luftwaffe support to a far greater degree than has been previously revealed and that its successes in the East occurred largely because of the effectiveness of that support.
Hayward analyzes this major German offensive from the standpoint of cooperation between ground and air forces to attain mutually agreed upon objectives. He draws on diaries of both key commanders and regular airmen to recreate crucial battles and convey the drama of Hitler's frustrations and reckless leadership. Ultimately, Hayward shows, the poorly conceived strategies of Hitler, Goering, and others in Berlin doomed the efforts of air commander Wolfram von Richthofen, a courageous and resolute leader attempting to come to grips with an increasingly impossible situation.
Stopped at Stalingrad is a dynamic case study in combined arms warfare that fills in many of the gaps left by other studies of the eastern war. By reconsidering the campaign in the light of a wider body of documentary sources and analyzing many previously ignored events, Hayward provides military historians and general readers a much deeper and more complete understanding of the Battle of Stalingrad and its impact on World War II.
This book is part of the Modern War Studies series.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Back Cover
"A comprehensive view of one of the most important air campaigns of World War II and an insightful study of the Luftwaffe's leaders and its way of war. A 'must read' for anyone interested in the airpower history of World War II."--James S. Corum, author of The Luftwaffe: Creating the Operational Air War, 1918-1940
"An outstanding and long-overdue campaign history that puts a human face on the military decision-making process."--Richard Muller, author of The German Air War in Russia
"A major contribution to the history of the Russo-German War."--Dennis Showalter, author of Tannenberg: Clash of Empires
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitler's Defeat in the East, 1942-1943 (Modern War Studies(Paper))
Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitler's Defeat in the East, 1942-1943 (Modern War Studies(Paper)),Joel S. A. Hayward,University Press of Kansas,0700611460,History,History - Military / War,Military,Military - General,Military - Strategy,Military - World War II,Military History - World War II,World War II - Europe,Air forces & warfare,Battles & campaigns,Central Europe,European history: Second World War,Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe),Second World War, 1939-1945
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