The Greatest Battle

Author : Andrew Nagorski
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2007-09-18
Category : History
ISBN : 9781416545736

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The Greatest Battle by Andrew Nagorski Pdf

The battle for Moscow was the biggest battle of World War II -- the biggest battle of all time. And yet it is far less known than Stalingrad, which involved about half the number of troops. From the time Hitler launched his assault on Moscow on September 30, 1941, to April 20, 1942, seven million troops were engaged in this titanic struggle. The combined losses of both sides -- those killed, taken prisoner or severely wounded -- were 2.5 million, of which nearly 2 million were on the Soviet side. But the Soviet capital narrowly survived, and for the first time the German Blitzkrieg ended in failure. This shattered Hitler's dream of a swift victory over the Soviet Union and radically changed the course of the war. The full story of this epic battle has never been told because it undermines the sanitized Soviet accounts of the war, which portray Stalin as a military genius and his people as heroically united against the German invader. Stalin's blunders, incompetence and brutality made it possible for German troops to approach the outskirts of Moscow. This triggered panic in the city -- with looting, strikes and outbreaks of previously unimaginable violence. About half the city's population fled. But Hitler's blunders would soon loom even larger: sending his troops to attack the Soviet Union without winter uniforms, insisting on an immediate German reign of terror and refusing to heed his generals' pleas that he allow them to attack Moscow as quickly as possible. In the end, Hitler's mistakes trumped Stalin's mistakes. Drawing on recently declassified documents from Soviet archives, including files of the dreaded NKVD; on accounts of survivors and of children of top Soviet military and government officials; and on reports of Western diplomats and correspondents, The Greatest Battle finally illuminates the full story of a clash between two systems based on sheer terror and relentless slaughter. Even as Moscow's fate hung in the balance, the United States and Britain were discovering how wily a partner Stalin would turn out to be in the fight against Hitler -- and how eager he was to push his demands for a postwar empire in Eastern Europe. In addition to chronicling the bloodshed, Andrew Nagorski takes the reader behind the scenes of the early negotiations between Hitler and Stalin, and then between Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill. This is a remarkable addition to the history of World War II.

Author : Andrew Nagorski
Publisher : Aurum Press
Page : 366 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Moscow, Battle of, Moscow, Russia, 1941-1942
ISBN : 1845132912

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The Greatest Battle by Andrew Nagorski Pdf

Based on previously secret documents and eyewitness testimony, this shocking account chronicles the most massive and deadliest battle of World War II that ended in Hitlers first defeat and changed the course of the war. 16 pages of b&w photographs.

Author : Lloyd Clark
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Kursk, Battle of, Russia, 1943
ISBN : 0755336399

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Kursk by Lloyd Clark Pdf

On July 5, 1943, the greatest land battle in history began when Nazi and Red Army forces clashed near the town of Kursk, on the western border of the Soviet Union. Code named "Operation Citadel," the German offensive would cut through the bulge in the eastern front that had been created following Germany's retreat at the battle of Stalingrad. But the Soviets, well-informed about Germany's plans through their network of spies, had months to prepare. Two million men supported by 6,000 tanks, 35,000 guns, and 5,000 aircraft convened in Kursk for an epic confrontation that was one of the most important military engagements in history, the epitome of "total war." It was also one of the most bloody, and despite suffering seven times more casualties, the Soviets won a decisive victory that became a turning point in the war. With unprecedented access to the journals and testimonials of the officers, soldiers, political leaders, and citizens who lived through it, The Battle of the Tanks is the definitive account of an epic showdown that changed the course of history. Show More Show Less.

Author : Edward Shepherd Creasy
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 588 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 1852
Category : Battles
ISBN : BSB:BSB10595316

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The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World by Edward Shepherd Creasy Pdf

Author : Roman Toeppel
Publisher : Helion
Page : 230 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2021-11-15
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 191405962X

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Kursk 1943 by Roman Toeppel Pdf

The Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943 was one of the greatest battles in military history involving more than 3 million soldiers, 10,000 tanks and 8,000 aircraft. While many books have been written on this allegedly most decisive battle of the Second World War, many legends live on, above all because of misleading information that recur in most publications - even in the most recent ones. Based on almost 20 years of research reassessing the primary sources, Roman Toeppel sheds light on the phase of decision-making, the preparations and the development of the battle in an engaging style that grips the reader's attention from the first page on. The author concentrates on little-known developments and events leading the reader to astonishing results. He also gives entirely new insights into the historiographic appraisal of this battle, putting thoroughly researched facts against erroneous popular beliefs, myths and legends that have been passed down among historians for generations.

Author : M. K. Barbier
Publisher : Great Battles
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : Kursk, Battle of, Russia, 1943
ISBN : 1782740228

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Kursk by M. K. Barbier Pdf

In July 1943, the German Army launched what proved to be its last great offensive on the Eastern Front. Kursk is a comprehensive history of the last time that Germany held the strategic initiative in the war against the Soviet Union. Kursk shows how a bitter struggle developed between the German and Soviet forces, which sucked in huge numbers of ta

Author : Hampton Sides
Publisher : Anchor
Page : 434 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2019-10-29
Category : History
ISBN : 9781101971215

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On Desperate Ground by Hampton Sides Pdf

"Superb...A masterpiece of thorough research, deft pacing and arresting detail...This war story — the fight to break out of a frozen hell near the Chosin Reservoir — has been told many times before. But Sides tells it exceedingly well, with fresh research, gritty scenes and cinematic sweep."—Washington Post From the New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers and In the Kingdom of Ice, a chronicle of the extraordinary feats of heroism by Marines called on to do the impossible during the greatest battle of the Korean War On October 15, 1950, General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of UN troops in Korea, convinced President Harry Truman that the Communist forces of Kim Il-sung would be utterly defeated by Thanksgiving. The Chinese, he said with near certainty, would not intervene in the war. As he was speaking, 300,000 Red Chinese soldiers began secretly crossing the Manchurian border. Led by some 20,000 men of the First Marine Division, the Americans moved deep into the snowy mountains of North Korea, toward the trap Mao had set for the vainglorious MacArthur along the frozen shores of the Chosin Reservoir. What followed was one of the most heroic--and harrowing--operations in American military history, and one of the classic battles of all time. Faced with probable annihilation, and temperatures plunging to 20 degrees below zero, the surrounded, and hugely outnumbered, Marines fought through the enemy forces with ferocity, ingenuity, and nearly unimaginable courage as they marched their way to the sea. Hampton Sides' superb account of this epic clash relies on years of archival research, unpublished letters, declassified documents, and interviews with scores of Marines and Koreans who survived the siege. While expertly detailing the follies of the American leaders, On Desperate Ground is an immediate, grunt's-eye view of history, enthralling in its narrative pace and powerful in its portrayal of what ordinary men are capable of in the most extreme circumstances. Hampton Sides has been hailed by critics as one of the best nonfiction writers of his generation. As the Miami Herald wrote, "Sides has a novelist's eye for the propulsive elements that lend momentum and dramatic pace to the best nonfiction narratives."

Author : John Bateson
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2015-01-02
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9780199392339

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The Last and Greatest Battle by John Bateson Pdf

Nearly every day an active-duty soldier in the United States military resorts to suicide, and nearly every hour a veteran does the same. In recent years the problem of military suicides has reached epidemic proportions, but it's all too easy for most of us to gloss over the headlines or tune out the details. In The Last and Greatest Battle--the first book devoted exclusively to the problem of military suicides--John Bateson brings this neglected crisis into the spotlight. Bateson, the former executive director of a nationally certified suicide prevention center, surveys the history of suicide in the United States military from the Civil War to the present day and outlines a plan to save lives-and ultimately end the tragedy of military suicides. He uses the stories of individual soldiers to illuminate the unique challenges faced by American troops today. Transitioning from the front lines to the home front is difficult for many service members, and many need help both during and after their deployments. But even though the military is spending millions of dollars on suicide prevention programs, record numbers of soldiers continue to take their lives. To that end, Bateson outlines a plan of action. If the military works to remove stigma, to make treatment more effective and more accessible, and to limit risk factors for suicide in the first place by taking measures like reducing the number and length of deployments and adjusting pre-deployment training to take into account the way that wars are waged today, an end to the problem of military suicide is as possible as it is essential.

Author : John Wagner,John Cooper,Pat Mills
Publisher : Titan Books (UK)
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Graphic novels
ISBN : 1848560257

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The Best of Battle by John Wagner,John Cooper,Pat Mills Pdf

Includes episodes of "Battle's" stories.

Author : Ronald Joel Glasser
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 1978
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:1014870229

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The Greatest Battle by Ronald Joel Glasser Pdf

Author : Paul Jankowski
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 976 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2014-01-06
Category : History
ISBN : 9780199316915

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Verdun by Paul Jankowski Pdf

At seven o'clock in the morning on February 21, 1916, the ground in northern France began to shake. For the next ten hours, twelve hundred German guns showered shells on a salient in French lines. The massive weight of explosives collapsed dugouts, obliterated trenches, severed communication wires, and drove men mad. As the barrage lifted, German troops moved forward, darting from shell crater to shell crater. The battle of Verdun had begun. In Verdun, historian Paul Jankowski provides the definitive account of the iconic battle of World War I. A leading expert on the French past, Jankowski combines the best of traditional military history-its emphasis on leaders, plans, technology, and the contingency of combat-with the newer social and cultural approach, stressing the soldier's experience, the institutional structures of the military, and the impact of war on national memory. Unusually, this book draws on deep research in French and German archives; this mastery of sources in both languages gives Verdun unprecedented authority and scope. In many ways, Jankowski writes, the battle represents a conundrum. It has an almost unique status among the battles of the Great War; and yet, he argues, it was not decisive, sparked no political changes, and was not even the bloodiest episode of the conflict. It is said that Verdun made France, he writes; but the question should be, What did France make of Verdun? Over time, it proved to be the last great victory of French arms, standing on their own. And, for France and Germany, the battle would symbolize the terror of industrialized warfare, "a technocratic Moloch devouring its children," where no advance or retreat was possible, yet national resources poured in ceaselessly, perpetuating slaughter indefinitely.

Author : Charles River Charles River Editors
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2015-02-04
Category : Berlin, Battle of, Berlin, Germany, 1945
ISBN : 1507847947

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The Greatest Battles in History by Charles River Charles River Editors Pdf

*Includes pictures *Includes accounts of the fighting by Berlin residents and Soviet soldiers *Includes footnotes and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "On the walls of the houses we saw Goebbels' appeals, hurriedly scrawled in white paint: 'Every German will defend his capital. We shall stop the Red hordes at the walls of our Berlin.' Just try and stop them! Steel pillboxes, barricades, mines, traps, suicide squads with grenades clutched in their hands-all are swept aside before the tidal wave. Drizzling rain began to fall. Near Bisdorf I saw batteries preparing to open fire. 'What are the targets?' I asked the battery commander. 'Centre of Berlin, Spree bridges, and the northern and Stettin railway stations, ' he answered. Then came the tremendous words of command: 'Open fire on the capital of the Fascist Germany.' I noted the time. It was exactly 8:30 a.m. on 22 April. Ninety-six shells fell in the centre of Berlin in the course of a few minutes." - A Soviet war correspondent While much has been written of the Battle of the Bulge, Okinawa, Midway, Stalingrad, and many other conflicts of the Second World War, the Battle for Berlin has remained in the shadows for many historians. Its importance in toppling Hitler cannot be denied, despite the fact that some thought its strategic value unnecessary to the war itself. The capture of the city and the red Soviet banner hanging victorious over the Reichstag is one of history's most famous (an ominous) images. In the weeks it took for the Battle of Berlin to be fought, an American president passed away, a British Prime Minister had to make concessions he did not desire, a Russian leader fought his way into Western Europe to stay, and a German one took his own life. The battle's implications would be felt for the next 50 years. In April 1945, the Allies were within sight of the German capital of Berlin, but Hitler refused to acknowledge the collapsed state of the German military effort even at this desperate stage, and he confined himself to his Berlin bunker where he met for prolonged periods only with those that professed eternal loyalty, even to the point of death. In his last weeks, Hitler continued to blame the incompetence of military officers for Germany's apparent failings, and he even blamed the German people themselves for a lack of spirit and strength. As their leader dwelled in a state of self-pity, without remorse or mercy but near suicide, the people of Berlin were simply left to await their fate as Russians advanced from the east and the other Allies advanced from the west. Most Berliners had given up hope of a win, and few cared for anything but relief from their circumstances, but Berliners did have a deep fear of which of the victor nations would arrive in Berlin first. The Soviets, closing in from hard fought battles in the east, had lost millions of men in the war already, and with an invasion force 2.5 million strong, they longed for revenge and a chance to right the wrongs of not only this war but the last. Even for Berliners too exhausted to be saddened by a German loss, "liberation" by the Soviets was unthinkable. At the same time, though most believed it would not happen, the Americans and British suddenly appeared to shift priorities regarding the need to take the actual capital city. Since it was "no longer a military objective", according to Eisenhower, it would be left for the Soviet armies to arrive in Berlin first, bringing to fruition many Germans' worst fears. The battle would technically begin on April 16, 1945, and though it ended in a matter of weeks, it produced some of the war's most climactic events and had profound implications on the immediate future. In the wake of the war, the European continent was devastated, leaving the Soviet Union and the United States as uncontested superpowers and ushering in nearly half a century of Cold War.

Author : Mick Martin,Marsha Porter
Publisher : Ballantine Books
Page : 1636 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Performing Arts
ISBN : 0345449959

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DVD & Video Guide 2005 by Mick Martin,Marsha Porter Pdf

Wondering what video to rent tonight? This bestselling, fact-packed guide is the only sourcebook you and your family will ever need. Mick Martin and Marsha Porter steer you toward the winners and warn you about the losers. DVD & Video Guide 2004 covers it all-more films than any other guide, plus your favorite serials, B-Westerns, made-for-TV movies, and old television programs! Each entry, conveniently alphabetized for easy access, includes a summary, fresh commentary, the director, major cast members, the year of release, and the MPAA rating, plus a reliable Martin and Porter rating-from Five Stars to Turkey-so you'll never get caught with a clunker again!

Author : Charles River Editors
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Page : 40 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2017-02-13
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1543031463

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The Greatest Battles in History by Charles River Editors Pdf

*Discusses all of the colorful quotes and legends about the battle but also analyzes what is historical fact and what is apocryphal fiction. *Explains Thermopylae's legacy from both historical and cultural standpoints. *Includes pictures of Thermopylae and historic art depicting Greek and Persian leaders and soldiers. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. -Although extraordinary valor was displayed by the entire corps of Spartans and Thespians, yet bravest of all was declared the Spartan Dienekes. It is said that on the eve of battle, he was told by a native of Trachis that the Persian archers were so numerous that their arrows would block out the sun. Dienekes, however, undaunted by this prospect, remarked with a laugh, 'Good. Then we will fight in the shade...- - Herodotus The names of history's most famous battles still ring in our ears today, their influence immediately understood by all. Marathon lent its name to the world's most famous race, but it also preserved Western civilization during the First Persian War. Saratoga, won by one of the colonists' most renowned war heroes before he became his nation's most vile traitor. Hastings ensured the Normans' success in England and changed the course of British history. Waterloo, which marked the reshaping of the European continent and Napoleon's doom, has now become part of the English lexicon. In Charles River Editors' Greatest Battles in History series, readers can get caught up to speed on history's greatest battles in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. There are few battles in history in which the vanquished are better remembered and celebrated than the victors, and even fewer where a defeat is considered a victory. But that has become the enduring legacy of the Battle of Thermopylae, a battle as unique as it is famous. The story of the battle and the willing sacrifice of the Greek defenders to buy the rest of the retreating Greeks time is well known across the world and still resonates with audiences to this day. Last stands are the stuff of martial legends, and Thermopylae is the greatest of them all. Though there was another contingent of Greeks fighting alongside them, Thermopylae is remembered for the stand of the 300 Spartans, who, with no compulsion binding them, chose to fight and die in the remote mountain pass against insurmountable odds. Their story has been told in literature, art, film, and even in graphic novels. But the battle was more than the ultimate self-sacrifice, the embodiment of the famous statement that -greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends-. It was also a veritable clash of civilizations, and one that, though in and of itself it was a defeat, helped set the stage for the eventual Greek victory that might very well have changed the course of history. It was a showdown between various Greek city-states, including Sparta and democratic Athens, against the autocratic, absolutist Persian Empire. Had the Persians triumphed, the Golden Age of Athens would have been snuffed out, and Ancient Greece would never have formed the backbone of Roman and Western culture. Simply put, the West as we know it today might never have existed. The Greatest Battles of History: The Battle of Thermopylae separates the facts from the legends to explain who fought the battle, how the battle was fought, and the results and aftermath of the battle. Along with art depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Battle of Thermopylae like you never have before, in no time at all.

Author : Gerald Seymour
Publisher : Hodder & Stoughton
Page : 400 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2013-11-21
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781444760385

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Holding The Zero by Gerald Seymour Pdf

In the remote wastes of Northern Iraq, Saddam Hussein wages a savage, forgotten war against Kurdish guerillas. English marksman Gus Peake is drawn to this deadly part of ht eworld by an old debt of friendship. His task is to help the guerrillas reach their goal - the city of Kirkuk, ancient capital of the Kurdish people. There is no room for error in this brutal combat. As Peake leanrs hte art of delaing out death at long distance, Iraq pits Major Karim Aziz, the deadliest sniper in Saddam's army, against him. Their duel soon becomes an obsession, and only one man will walk away alive . . . WITH AN EXCLUSIVE NEW FORWARD BY OWEN BENNETT-JONES