Second World War on the Eastern Front

Dr Lee Baker, Jr., is Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Cincinnati. His area of specialism is Modern Europe from 1648 to the present and he teaches courses on World War II , Modern Germany, and Europesince 1648. Author of numerous articles, this will be his first book.

‘It’s to be welcomed when an author makes it his aim to close the gap between public perception and historiography. This is the goal of the Seminar Studies Series in which this slim overview by Lee Baker has appeared...  The military operations and the battles are the historical focus of this volume. Baker succeeds in delivering a fascinating yet concise portrayal of events, illustrated through a selection of documents.’ - Reviewed by Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas (Annals of the History of Eastern Europe)

• ContentsAcknowledgmentsList of MapsList of PlatesChronologyWho’s WhoGlossaryMapsPart One: Analysis 1. Introduction2. The Background a. The Origins of the War on the Eastern Frontb. Planning ‘Operation Barbarossa’c. Soviet Preparations for War3. 22 June 1941: The Invasiona. The Border Battlesb. The Battle for Leningradb. The Battle for Kievc. The First Major German Defeat: Rostovd. Mass Murder in the USSRd. The Battle for Moscow4. The War turns against the Germans, 1942-43a. ‘Operation Blue’b. The Battle for Stalingradc. German Efforts to Halt the Red Armyd. The Partisansd. Operation Citadel5. The Soviet Union on the Offensivea. Battles for the Ukraineb. Relief of Leningradc. ‘Operation Bagration’d. The Destruction of Army Groups North and Southd. The Battle for Berlin6. AssessmentPart Two: Documents1. Nazi-Soviet Pact, 23 August 19392. Hitler Letter to Mussolini, 21 June 19413. Directive for ‘Operation Barbarossa’4. Directive for Special Areas during ‘Barbarossa,’ 13 March 19415. Decree for the Conduct of Courts-Martial in the East, 13 May, 19416. ‘Commissar Decree,’ 6 June, 19417. Stalin’s Speech on 3 July, 19418. Decree on Treatment of Civilians, 23 July, 19419. Halder’s Diary, 3 July 194110. Halder’s Diary, 11 August 194111. Field Marshal Walter von Reichenau’s order, 10 October, 194112. Hitler comments on motorization, 29 October, 194113. Order for German forces to go on the defensive, 8 December 194114. Hitler comments on the winter, 12 and 17 January, 194215. Order for ‘Operation Blue,’ 5 April 194216. Soviet order concerning discipline in the Red Army, 28 July, 194217. A German Witness to a mass shooting, 5-6 October, 194218. A German soldier describes the retreat in the Ukraine, summer 194319. ‘Fortified Areas’ Order, 8 March 194420. A Soviet soldier on combat during ‘Operation Bagration, 29 June, 194421. A German Soldier on the Eastern Front, 14 January, 1945.22. Decree for the destruction of German industry, 30 March 194523. Hitler’s Last Proclamation to the Eastern Front, 15 April 1945Guide to Further ReadingReferencesIndex