"The Nazi siege of Leningrad from 1941 to 1943, during which time the city was cut off from the rest of the world, was one of the most gruesome episodes of World War II. In scale, the tragedy of Lening"
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"The Nazi siege of Leningrad from 1941 to 1943, during which time the city was cut off from the rest of the world, was one of the most gruesome episodes of World War II. In scale, the tragedy of Lening"
Read Less
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Seller's Description:
Very good in card covers. World War II-General The epic siege in World War II from 1941 to 1944 by three german Armies. nearly three million people were trapped inside Leningrad. When the siege was lifted just under half were dead, killed by the Germans, hunger cold and terror. UL-XXXXXX. Large paperback. xix + 635pp, photos, maps.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Some outer edges have minor scuffs. Cover has light scratches/marks. Textblock has shelf wear/marks. Reading content is in very good condition. Despatched within 24 hours. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 456 p. Contains: Illustrations.
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Seller's Description:
This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has soft covers. Clean from markings. In good all round condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 900grams, ISBN: 9780333412923.
This book was first published in 1969 at a time when the Eastern Front in World War 2 got very little coverage in the UK. I first read it in about 1975 and it had a great impact on me. The scale and duration of the suffering and the number of deaths involved in the Siege of Leningrad are truly horrifying.
This book gives a very good account of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Its core, for me, is the descriptions of the hardships experienced by both the civilian and the military populations of Leningrad. It is a book everyone should read, I think.
Inevitably, I suppose, it is now showing its age a bit. There was a brief, now largely ended, opening up of Soviet archives after Glasnost and the fall of the Iron Curtain. More recent accounts of this siege, like Michael Jones' Siege of Leningrad, have had access to more documents and present a clearer account of some of the military incompetence of the Red Army in the first months of the war. They also give a clearer picture of the corruption and special privileges available to the select few in senior Communist Party positions throughout the siege.
But for the detail of life for the civilian population of Leningrad, particularly during the starvation winter of 1941-2, when probably well over a million people died of starvation, Salisbury's account is very hard to beat.
This is a very harrowing book but one that I thoroughly recommend. No-one who reads it will ever forget it, I believe. I have given it 4 stars rather than 5 because of the availability of later information and, occasionally, some repetitiveness in the text. But this wasn't an easy decision and when I first read it, I would certainly have classed it as excellent. It is a true classic, I believe.
GregH
Nov 4, 2010
Great Book
This is a thorough and fast moving story of the seige of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Russia by the Nazis. If you don't let youself get too tied up with the names of military units and individual players you will get a tremendous feel for the times.
Reader70
Jul 8, 2010
Hell on Earth
This documents in frightening detail the horrors of the siege.
LENSTP
Jan 1, 2009
Excellent Book
Very informative book concerning the siege of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Russia during World War II. Just the right amount of troop movement versus civilian accounts. Makes you appreciate the life we have today. Book is very well written and more than adequately referenced.
