Thunder in the East: The Nazi-Soviet War 1941-1945

Description

Thunder in the East, originally published in 2005, is widely regarded as the best short history of the entire Nazi-Soviet military conflict. It tells the story from the pre-war expectations of Hitler and Stalin, through the pivotal battles deep in Russia in 1942-43, and on to the huge Soviet offensives across Eastern Europe in 1944-45. This final 'march of liberation' destroyed the Third Reich and set Europe's history for the next 45 years. The book provides penetrating answers to vital questions: Why did the war in the East develop as it did? Why did Hitler's Wehrmacht lose? Why did the Red Army win, and why did the people of Soviet Russia pay such a high price for victory? The first edition took advantage of the flood of new sources that followed the end of the Soviet era. This second edition takes account of what has been written over the last decade; the Nazi-Soviet war, in all its aspects, has continued to be the subject of extensive and innovative research and heated controversy.

Evan Mawdsley is former Professor of International History at the University of Glasgow, UK. He has written extensively on 20th-century Russia and World War Two.

The historiography of the Nazi-Soviet war has changed radically over time leading to a confusing array of competing narratives on many issues. Capturing this vast war in a single condensed, accessible and even-handed volume has eluded most attempts until relatively recently and Mawdsley's Thunder in the East is without doubt the best. This new edition is brilliantly comprehensive and delightfully rich in German, Russian and English source material. The narrative is engaging, the analysis remarkably perceptive and Mawdsley's conclusions are, as always, well-reasoned. This is the book to own on the Nazi-Soviet war. * David Stahel, The University of New South Wales, Australia * On the cutting-edge of recent scholarship, militarily and in other vital respects, this thoroughly-researched and well-written study remains one of the finest and most accessible single-volume studies of the Twentieth Century's most terrible war. A must read for historians and the general reading public. * David Glantz, Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Slavic Military Studies * Thunder in the East is an already classic birds-eye view of the German-Soviet war of 1941-1945. This new edition takes into account the growing literature published in the decade since the original publication. In contrast to most other accounts, Thunder in the East gives equal space to both sides in this conflict. At its core a military history, it benefits greatly from Evan Mawdsley's deep knowledge of the economic and social history of the Soviet Union as well as the diplomatic and political history of this war. Making short work of many popular misconceptions, it asks and answers the big questions about the Nazi-Soviet clash. Nobody interested in the Second World War, in the history of Nazi Germany or of the Soviet Union, can afford to miss this book. * Mark Edele, University of Western Australia * When Evan Mawdsley's Thunder in the East first appeared in 2005, it was a tour de force, the best single-volume history of the German-Soviet war, combining a mastery of the Russian and German sources, equal facility in discussing strategy, operations, and diplomacy, and balanced judgments. In this very welcome second edition, Mawdsley updates his classic work, incorporating the mountain of new literature that has appeared in the last ten years. If you read one book on this most terrible of all military struggles, it should be Thunder in the East. * Rob Citino, U.S. Army War College * Even Mawdsley's account of the Russo-German war became a standard work as soon as it was published. The new edition is a welcome update on a subject which continues to invite debate and controversy. Mawdsley is a sure guide through the new literature of the past decade, securing the volume's enduring reputation. * Richard Overy, University of Exeter, UK * The best overview of the war balancing both the German and Soviet perspectives.(War in History, of the first edition) -- David Stahel, University of New South Wales, Australia * War in History *