The Stalingrad Cauldron - (Modern War Studies) by Frank Ellis (Hardcover)

About the Book

An exceptionally detailed account of the German 6th Army's battle to take Stalingrad--from the moment it reaches the Volga, through the desperate street battles, to final collapse and captivity. Tells this story from the unique perspective of the German officers and men trapped inside the Red Army's ever-closing ring of forces.

Book Synopsis

The encirclement of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad in mid-November 1942 and its final collapse in February 1943 was a signature defeat for Hitler, as more than 100,000 of his soldiers were marched off into captivity. Frank Ellis tackles this oft-told tale from the unique perspective of the German officers and men trapped inside the Red Army's ever-closing ring of forces. This approach makes palpable the growing desperation of an army that began its campaign confident of victory but that long before the end could see how hopeless their situation had become.

Highlighting these pages are three previously unpublished German army division accounts, translated here for the first time by Ellis. Each of these translations follows the combat experiences of a specific division--the 76th Infantry, the 94th Infantry, and the 16th Panzer--and take readers into the cauldron (or Kessel) that was Stalingrad. Together they provide a ground-level view of the horrific fighting and yield insights into everything from tactics and weapons to internal disputes, the debilitating effects of extreme cold and hunger, and the Germans' astonishing sense of duty and the abilities of their junior leaders.

Along with these first-hand accounts, Ellis himself takes a new and closer look at a number of fascinating but somewhat neglected or misunderstood aspects of the Stalingrad cauldron including sniping, desertion, spying, and the fate of German prisoners. His coverage of sniping is especially notable for new insights concerning the duel that allegedly took place between Soviet sniper Vasilii Zaitsev and a German sniper, Major Konings, a story told in the film Enemy at the Gates (2001). Ellis also includes an incisive reading of Oberst Arthur Boje's published account of his capture, interrogation, and conviction for war crimes, and explores the theme of reconciliation in the works of two Stalingrad veterans, Kurt Reuber and Vasilii Grossman.

Rich in anecdotal detail and revealing moments, Ellis's historical mosaic showcases an army that managed to display a vital resilience and professionalism in the face of inevitable defeat brought on by its leaders. It makes for compelling reading for anyone interested in one of the Eastern Front's monumental battles.

Review Quotes

"Full of rigid scholarship and new insights into the life and death of the 6th Army."--Infantry

"... taps previously unpublished Wehrmacht records to offer vivid testimony."--World War II Magazine

"[A] detailed and enlightening look at the German 6th Army's tenacious but doomed resistance. Ellis uses a wide range of newly uncovered German and Russian sources to weave a strong narrative about the complex and often misunderstood context within which the 6th Army fought and died in and around Stalingrad."--H-Net Reviews

"A very interesting contribution to the literature on Stalingrad and the Eastern Front."--New York Military Affairs Symposium Review

"Characterized by sound scholarship, clarity, and acute attention to detail, Ellis's work adds substantially to our understanding of the Battle of Stalingrad and the travails of the troops who fought, suffered, and often perished in the fighting."--David M. Glantz, author of The Stalingrad Trilogy

"Ellis has uncovered a number of previously unavailable or neglected sources that offer valuable insight into the daily struggles for survival in the Stalingrad cauldron."--Stephen G. Fritz, author of Ostkrieg: Hitler's War of Extermination in the East

"A fascinating and essential volume for all students of the Eastern Front."--Robert M. Citino, author of The Wehrmacht Retreats: Fighting a Losing War, 1943