Kiev 1941

the greatest military encounter of the Second World War. In a succinctly worded, well-argued text, it has opened a new debate on the very ability of Nazi Germany to wage a major war ... Stahel is to be congratulated for a controversial and stimulating book. It comes highly recommended.' Military History Monthly '[Stahel's] incisive survey cuts through much of the postwar myth making [and] shows mastery of the German sources ... Issues of logistics and command are leavened by valuable insights into the strategic miscalculations of Hitler and his high command and vivid use of veteran testimony.' Michael Jones, BBC History Magazine 'Even readers familiar with the Russian theater of WWII will find much to intrigue them here, although the wonder of Stahel's book is how accessible it is to the non-specialist; in addition to recounting the history of a pivotal battle, [he] is very conscious that he's telling a story as well. A dark story - two evil nations tearing each other's guts out - but, in Stahel's hands, a powerful and a necessary one as well. A highly recommended account.' Open Letters Monthly 'Relying mainly on German sources, [Stahel] brings new evidence to bear on the conflict with the official war diaries of German divisions, as well as making good use of published editions of the private field-post letters and diaries of German soldiers of all ranks ... overall [he] conveys extremely complex military action with exemplary clarity.' Richard J. Evans, The New Republic 'Like [Stahel's] previous book, Kiev, 1941 is a magnificent work of historical revision, a first-rate example of how military history ought to be written.' Mackubin Thomas Owens, The Weekly Standard '[Stahel] makes extensive use of the diaries and letters of German soldiers as well as works by and about German generals and political figures like Hitler and Goebbels - there are about a hundred pages of endnotes and bibliography. Excellent maps and tables clarify the complex military operations ... To sum up, in this most detailed English-language treatment of the battle of Kiev, David Stahel furnishes ample evidence that, despite its Ukrainian victories in late September 1941, Germany remained ill prepared to defeat the USSR.' Walter G. Moss, Michigan War Studies Review 'Stahel provides vivid depictions of the Ostheer's growing 'demodernization' ... and convincingly shows that the victory in Ukraine was a result both of Hitler's insistence on turning his forces southwards and away from Moscow, and of Stalin's determination to hold on to Kiev despite the clear indications of a looming catastrophe.' Omer Bartov, Times Literary Supplement 'To historians with a serious interest in the Eastern Front in World War II, David Stahel is fast becoming a household name ... While a number of historians before him have also dealt with the subject, Stahel has brought to his study a remarkable familiarity with primary and secondary German sources as well as a willingness to unambiguously re-address a question which has mystified generations of historians: did the Ostheer ever have a chance of inflicting crippling damage on the USSR in 1941?' Klaus Schmider, The Journal of Military History 'Stahel has written a well-balanced, often provocative ... book, which sheds much new light on our knowledge of the fighting around the capital of the Ukraine.' Martijn Lak, The Journal of Slavic Military Studies '... masterful ... superbly researched and well written ...' Leo J. Daugherty, III, The Journal of Slavic Military Studies