Comment

Community comment are the opinions of contributing users. These comment do not represent the opinions of Port Moody Public Library.
Jan 29, 2019InsJavert rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
When I began this book, I was unfamiliar with the author as well as the details leading up to and shortly after this monumental historical event. At the end, I had a deep respect for the voluminous amount of research and work Mr. Beevor accomplished to write this book. Not only did his research comprise of military records from both the Soviet and Nazi archives, but was appropriately mixed with personal perspectives from eyewitness accounts, diaries, and other personal publications. Because of this, I was drawn deeper into the horrors and tragedies being described. As to the work itself. The horrific tragedy and terrible cost of war and human suffering is not left out in this accounting. Over and over again, I was just stunned at the brutality of war, the inhumanity of both the soldiers and the civilians, and the atrocities inflicted on so many from both sides. Additionally, the contrasting between Stalin and Hitler and their generals, was also quite revealing, adding to the huge cost of life, and the broken bodies after the war. Most of all, I was so stunned by the brazen and brutal raping of women by the Russian army on the women of Germany. The numbers presented at the end of this brutality, was nothing short of frightening. War is horrible, but to learn of the depth of the horror in this specific event, between two leaders; one instead of surrendering because of his own vanity and another for all out reprisal of the invasion of his country and the cost of defending Stalingrad, rendered the people to nothing but pawns (hamburger) caught in the perils of war. How terribly sad to learn of the cost to humanity for such madness. If you enjoy history, especially military history. If you want a factual and well presented accounting of this historic event, I believe you will find this presentation a very good book.