Barbarossa
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  • Published: 15 April 2021
  • ISBN: 9780241984383
  • Imprint: Penguin Audio
  • Format: Audio Download
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Barbarossa

How Hitler Lost the War

Formats & editions
Paperback
16 Aug 2022
EBook
15 Apr 2021
Audiobook
15 Apr 2021
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The gripping tale of the largest military campaign ever, by the much-acclaimed WW2 historian

Barbarossa, Hitler's invasion of Russia in June 1941, was the largest military operation in history, its aim nothing less than 'a war of extermination' to annihilate Soviet communism, liquidate the Jews and create lebensraum for the so-called German master race. But it led to the destruction of the Third Reich, and was entirely cataclysmic; in six months of warfare no fewer than six million were killed, wounded or registered as missing in action, and soldiers on both sides committed heinous crimes behind the lines on a scale without parallel in the history of warfare.

In Barbarossa, drawing on hitherto unseen archival material - including previously untranslated Russian sources - in his usual gripping style, Jonathan Dimbleby recounts not only the story of the military campaign, but the politics and diplomacy behind this epic clash of global titans. With authority and panache, he charts the crucial decisions made in the world's capitals and the bitter struggles on the front lines, giving vivid insights into the experiences of all players, from the leaders on all sides to the men and women on the ground. Above all, Dimbleby reveals the significance of 1941 - the year in which the Soviet Union destroyed Hitler's chance of realising his demented vision - as the most important struggle in the annals of the twentieth century. The definitive book on Barbarossa, this is a masterwork for the ages.
  • Published: 15 April 2021
  • ISBN: 9780241984383
  • Imprint: Penguin Audio
  • Format: Audio Download
Categories:
Share…

About the author

Jonathan Dimbleby

Jonathan Dimbleby is a distinguished broadcaster and author, who has reported from Russia at pivotal moments in the country's recent history. His documentary series The Eagle and the Bear and The Cold War Game investigated the impact of the Soviet Union on the rest of the world. In 1989 he became the first British journalist to interview President Gorbachev when he met the Soviet leader shortly before his fall from power.

Jonathan Dimbleby has written several bestselling books, including a biography of his father Richard Dimbleby, The Palestinians, The Prince of Wales and The Last Governor. For many years he presented flagship political programmes for ITV, and he is well known as the presenter of BBC Radio 4's Any Questions.

Also by Jonathan Dimbleby

Russia
Endgame 1944
The Battle of the Atlantic
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Praise for Barbarossa

A chilling account of war at its worst

Bear Grylls

A great read . . . he brings Barbarossa very vividly to life, as if you are there

Robert Kershaw, author of 'War Without Garlands: Operation Barbarossa 1941-1942' and 'Borodino Field 1812/1941'

The best single-volume account of the Barbarossa campaign to date

Andrew Roberts, author of 'Churchill: Walking with Destiny'

Should be on everyone's reading list for 2021

Dr Amanda Foreman, author of 'A World on Fire'

Masterly

General Sir Mike Jackson

It's a vital story, one everyone should know, and Dimbleby tells it with verve and elan

Laurence Rees, author of 'Hitler and Stalin'

Thought-provoking . . . a captivating eye-opener

Prof Dr Gerhard Hirschfeld, University of Stuttgart, former President of the International Committee for the Study of the Second World War

An impressive achievement . . . a fast-paced, gripping read

Julia Boyd, author of 'Travellers in the Third Reich'

Vivid and engrossing

Brendan Simms, author of 'Hitler: Only The World Was Enough'

Superbly well-written . . . the most comprehensive study of Hitler's invasion of the USSR in years

Keith Lowe, author of 'Savage Continent'

Expertly narrated and written with piercing clarity

Frederick Taylor, author of '1939: A People's History'

Superb . . . stays with you long after you have finished

Henry Hemming, bestselling author of 'Our Man in New York'

Brilliant . . . a wonderful piece of history

Robert Fox

Epic . . . captures all of Barbarossa's drama and magnitude

Martin Sixsmith

Brings to life the sheer, staggering scale of these events... with great skill, care and attention to detail

Keith Lowe, Sunday Times

[An] encyclopedic new account... a vivid, meticulous tapestry, densely weaving the threads of German and Soviet military strategy, political calculation from Washington and London to Moscow, and war's pitiless human cost

Julian Evans, The Telegraph

[Dimbleby] skilfully tracks the shifts and turns of the campaign, sparing no detail . . . a riveting account

Tony Rennell, Daily Mail, Book of the Week

Dimbleby tells the story of strategic miscalculation and (self-)deception on all sides, and then Hitler's 'war of extermination', magnificently

Allan Mallinson, The Spectator

Amazing . . . fascinating

Jeremy Vine

My best history book of 2021 -- a masterful account of maybe the biggest event ever . . . essential!

Lee Child