To Save An Army: The Stalingrad Airlift

(Hardback)

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Description

Using the diaries of Luftwaffe commanders, rare contemporary photographs and other previously unpublished sources, Robert Forsyth analyzes the human, strategic, tactical and technical elements of one of the most dramatic operations arranged by the Luftwaffe. Stalingrad ranks as one of the most infamous, savage and emotive battles of the 20th century. It has consumed military historians since the 1950s and has inspired many books and much debate. This book tells the story of the operation mounted by the Luftwaffe to supply, by airlift, the trapped and exhausted German Sixth Army at Stalingrad in the winter of 1942/43. The weather conditions faced by the flying crews, mechanics, and soldiers on the ground were appalling, but against all odds, and a resurgent and active Soviet air force, the transports maintained a determined presence over the ravaged city on the Volga, even when the last airfields in the Stalingrad pocket had been lost. Yet, even the daily figure of 300 tons of supplies, needed by Sixth Army just to subsist, proved over-ambitious for the Luftwaffe which battled against a lack of transport capacity, worsening serviceability, and increasing losses in badly needed aircraft. Using previously unpublished diaries, original Luftwaffe reports and specially commissioned artwork, this gripping battle is told in detail through the eyes of the Luftwaffe commanders and pilots who fought to keep the Sixth Army alive and supplied.

Reviews

Robert Forsyth's skill at unearthing rare primary material has produced a remarkable and revelatory narrative. It gives a true insight into the near Herculean effort of the Luftwaffe to keep the trapped Sixth Army alive in history's bloodiest campaign. * Iain MacGregor, author of The Lighthouse of Stalingrad: The Hidden Truth at the Centre of WWIIs Greatest Battle *
In this detailed account of the doomed attempt to keep the encircled German Sixth Army alive in Stalingrad by air, Robert Forsyth gives readers a fresh look at the precedents that led to the fatal decision to rely on an airlift and the tragedy that then unfolded. For anyone interested in both the detail and the difficulties of mounting the Stalingrad airlift, this book is essential reading. * Prit Buttar, Author of The Reckoning: The Defeat of Army Group South, 1944 *
To Save An Army: The Stalingrad Airlift is easily the most detailed, day-by-day narrative of that critical moment in the Second World War which has been written to date. [It] is a rich, data-driven military history, interlaced with compelling personal vignettes from pilots, aircrew, staff officers and evacuated soldiers. * Robert Forczyk, Author of Where the Iron Crosses Grow: The Crimea 194144 *
It is military history at its best. * RAF News *
A highly impressive work in all regards, and an essential read. * Aeroplane *
There is no greater compliment than to say this is a worthy companion to Antony Beevor's acclaimed history of the ground battle, Stalingrad. * Flypast *
A title which is absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in the Battle of Stalingrad and operations on the Eastern Front, generally. * Iron Cross *

Author Bio

Robert Forsyth is an author, editor and publisher, specialising in military aviation and military history. He is the author of over 25 titles for Osprey Publishing, on the aircraft, units and operations of the Luftwaffe, including Luftwaffe Special Weapons 19245 and DUEL 97 Tempest V vs Fw 190D-9: 194445.