Jack Radey

It turns out that this book is rather narrower than the title suggests, as it concentrates on the battle at Kalinin between the German XXXXI Motorized Corps and its Soviet opposition. However, this monograph is very much part of the new operational military history that is unwilling to give the Wehrmacht a pass for its own blind spots of gross arrogance and incompetent logistics, while at the same time respecting the Soviets for their drive and doggedness; even when Soviet command and control arrangements left a lot to be desired.… (mer)

Exhaustive, detailed and opinionated analysis of the Battle of Kalinin, part of the overall Battle of Moscow fought in the fall of 1941. The analysis goes down to divisional level and beyond, and analyses why the Germans lost, and the Russians won. The authors take the position, a defensible one, in that while the road conditions (oft cited as the reason) were a factor, it was unrealistic planning on the part of the Germans, and a slightly better grasp of realities on the ground by the Russians, as well as stubborn defense by the frontoviki, the made the difference. This is not a generalists' book, like, say, the Osprey series. This is a fairly advanced book, and should be treated as such. The level of snark in spots was a bit off-putting. There were a good number of maps, which did help with the analysis and comprehension, though some smaller-scale maps would have helped, too.… (mer)