Stopped at Stalingrad: Luftwaffe and Hitler's Defeat in the East, 1942-43 (Modern War Studies)

Stopped at Stalingrad: Luftwaffe and Hitler's Defeat in the East, 1942-43 (Modern War Studies)

by JoelHayward (Author)

Synopsis

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 Romania while securing new ones in the Caucasus. All that stood in the way was Stalingrad. Here, Joel Hayward 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 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 shows the poorly conceived strategies of Hitler, Goering and others in Berlin doomed the efforts of air commander Wolfram von Richthofen, a resolute leader attempting to come to grips with an increasingly impossible situation. By reconsidering the campaign in the light of a wider body of documentary sources and analyzing many previously ignored events, Hayward offers military historians and general readers a more complete understanding of the Battle of Stalingrad and its impact on World War II.

$45.52

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Illustrated
Pages: 398
Edition: Revised ed.
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Published: 30 Apr 1998

ISBN 10: 0700611460
ISBN 13: 9780700611461

Media Reviews
A well-written study of great victories and incredible defeats. . . . History buffs, strategy lovers, and warriors learning about their own profession will all enjoy Stopped at Stalingrad. --Aerospace Power Journal

This is a model of its kind, which ought to set an agenda for the reconstruction of the air narrative in this and other theatres in the greatest of air wars. --Richard Overy, War in History

In Stopped at Stalingrad, an original and formidably researched study, Joel Hayward argues that the key, not only to a correct understanding of the disastrous outcome for Sixth Army at Stalingrad, but also to a more accurate appreciation of Operation Blau, the German summer campaign in 1942, requires close scrutiny of Luftwaffe operations, something hitherto lacking. . . . Stopped at Stalingrad is an absolutely indispensable work not only for its revelations about Stalingrad, but equally for a more complete understanding of the nature of Soviet-German operations in a critical year. --John Erickson, RUSI Journal

Hayward makes a convincing case for the centrality of air power for German military operations in 1942. --Omer Bartov, Times Literary Supplement


A major contribution to the history of the Russo-German War. --Dennis Showalter, author of Tannenberg: Clash of Empires

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