An exhaustive, illustrated account of Operation Mars, a World War II battle between Germany and the Soviets that became a catastrophe for the latter, meticulously recounts a contest that was long kept a secret by Stalin's censors. UP.
"This is an outstanding contribution to the military history of a very important and little-known event in the campaign on the Eastern Front. That this major setback should have been so concealed from the outside world is characteristic of Soviet censorship; but the depth in which Glantz has studied the whole operation from High Command level to company or platoon using the widest range of source material deserves the highest praise. Also significant is Glantz's placement of Operation Mars alongside the much better-known Stalingrad battle (Operation Uranus) in Soviet political-strategic planning. Glantz's evidence is impressive, his conclusions totally convincing, and the actual military detail unrivaled in the literature. A truly important work."--Malcolm Macintosh, author of
Juggernaut: A History of Soviet Armed Forces "A very important book that radically challenges the 'received wisdom' about Stalingrad, the full significance of which cannot be grasped without understanding the role of Operation Mars. That story has remained largely unknown or unexplored for half a century, systematically concealed in Soviet historiography and deliberately misrepresented by Zhukov himself. Glantz's indispensable account, fundamentally important for a proper understanding of the Soviet-German front in late 1942, rescues Operation Mars from such terrible oblivion."--John Erickson, author of The Road to Stalingrad
"Redressing a major imbalance in the historical record, Glantz does a remarkable job of unearthing the Soviet side of Operation Mars. This book is well worth reading for anyone interested in the Soviet Union's monumental struggles in World War II."--Roger Reese, author of Stalin's Reluctant Soldiers: A Social History of the Red Army, 1925-1941
