The Germans in Retreat

As one can tell from the title, this book is about the German retreat from Moscow during the winter of 1941-1942. Stahel, author or editor of several books on the Russo-German war, such as Joining Hitler's Crusade, gives the reader an informative and detailed description of the campaign.

Stahel draws heavily on primary sources, notably the diaries, from people in the upper echelons of Hitler’s inner circle to the lowest privates on the front lines. While this means he mostly sees the campaign from the German point of view, given the limits of sources, he does bring in Soviet documents, including STAVKA orders and critiques of the tactical ineptitude of many lower and middle echelon officers in the Red Army.

Throughout the book, Stahel shows evidence of the disastrous assaults made by those same Red Army lower and middle ranking commanders against numerically inferior, but tactically superior German forces, which almost always resulted in appalling Soviet losses, compared with negligible German casualties. He also highlights the gradually increasing disconnect between OKH (Germany army headquarters), the commanders at the front, and the soldiers on the firing line.

A major focus of the book is Hitler’s infamous “Halt Order” which was intended stabilize the lines after the first Soviet counterattack. Stahel reveals how the commanders on the front worked around or blatantly disobeyed the order to keep their units coherent. He also writes of the effect the Winter had on the troops. While “General Winter” did help to stall the German advance on Moscow, Stahel discusses how the Germans, while unprepared for the winter, adapted quickly, taking much of the necessary cold weather gear from the Russian people to supplement their meager supplies. Moreover, in firefights, the German Army adapted quickly to the cold, turning the Winter landscape to their advantage.

Stahel combines his description of the Winter campaign with an analysis of the decisions made by the OKH and the various army commanders. Retreat From Moscow is a great read for anyone interested in the Russo-German war or in Winter warfare.

Our Reviewer: Programming and editorial assistant at NYMAS, Andrew Hohmann attends the United Nations International School in New York. He loves to travel to exotic places, and learn the history and culture behind those places, and reads and runs track in his spare time.

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Note: Retreat From Moscow is also available in audio- and e-editions.

StrategyPage reviews are published in cooperation with The New York Military Affairs Symposium