Moscow 1941
Subtitle: a city and its people at war
By: Rodric Braithwaite.
Edition: 1st Vintage Books ed.
Publisher: Vintage Books
Published: 2006
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 398
ISBN-13: 9781400095452
Subjects: Moscow, Battle of, Moscow, Russia, 1941-1942
Other titles: Moscow nineteen forty-one
Description: The 1941 Battle of Moscow--unquestionably one of the most decisive battles of the Second World War--marked the first strategic defeat of the German armed forces in their seemingly unstoppable march across Europe. The Soviets lost many more people in that one battle than the British and Americans lost in the whole of the war. Now, Rodric Braithwaite tells the story in large part through the individual experiences of ordinary Russian men and women. Setting his narrative firmly against the background of Moscow and its people, Braithwaite begins in early 1941, when the Soviet Union was still untouched by the war raging to the west. We see how--despite abundant secret intelligence--the breaching of the border by the Wehrmacht in June took the country by surprise, and how, when the Germans pushed to Moscow in November, the Red Army and the capital's inhabitants undertook to defend their city. Finally, in the winter of 1941--1942, they turned the Germans back on the very outskirts. Braithwaite's narrative of the military action offers portraits of Stalin and his generals. By interweaving the personal remembrances of soldiers, politicians, writers, artists, workers, and schoolchildren, he gives us an understanding of how the war affected the daily life of Moscow, and of the extraordinary bravery, endurance, and sacrifice--both voluntary and involuntary--that was required of its citizens.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [327]-374) and index.
Table of contents: title: New Year, 1941; title: Part I: The slow approach of thunder: The shaping of the city; title: Forging utopia; title: Wars and rumours of wars; title: Part II: The storm breaks: 22 June 1941; title: The Russian fight back; title: The volunteers; title: Mobilising the masses; title: Stalin takes a grip; title: The eye of the storm; title: Fire over Moscow; title: Part III: Typhoon: The Germans break through; title: Panic; title: Evacuation; title: Compressing the spring; title: The spring uncoils; title: Defeat into victory; title: Aftermath.