Luther, C. W. H. Barbarossa Unleashed. The German Blitzkrieg through Central Russia to the Gates of Moscow June-December 1941

This book examines in unprecedented detail the advance of Germanys Army Group Center through central Russia, toward Moscow, in the summer of 1941, followed by brief accounts of the Battle of Moscow and subsequent winter battles into early 1942. Based on hundreds of veterans accounts, archival documents, and exhaustive study of the pertinent primary and secondary literature, the book offers new insights into Operation Barbarossa, Adolf Hitlers attack on Soviet Russia in June 1941. While the book meticulously explores the experiences of the German soldier in Russia, in the cauldron battles along the Minsk-Smolensk-Moscow axis, it places their experiences squarely within the strategic and operational context of the Barbarossa campaign. Controversial subjects, such as the culpability of the German eastern armies in war crimes against the Russian people, are also examined in detail. This book is the most detailed account to date of virtually all aspects of the German soldiers experiences in Russia in 1941.

Dr. Craig Luther is a former Fulbright Scholar and recently retired Air Force historian. His other books include Blood and Honor, a history of the 12th SS Panzer-Division Hitler Youth, 1943-45, and a new edition of the SS-Commando Otto Skorzenys memoirs.

Contents:

Notes on Style
List of Maps
List of Abbreviations
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Initial Planning & Preparations (July December 1940)
1.1: Armistice at Compiègne (June 1940)
1.2: Reflections on France 1940
1.3: Strategic Considerations / Overtures to England
1.4: Initial Steps toward War with Russia
1.5: Russia Hitlers eigentlicher Krieg?
1.6: Military Preparations for the Russian Campaign (July December 1940)
1.7: From the Battle of Britain to Berlin: Key Military, Diplomatic & Political Events
(July December 1940)
1.8: Crossing the Rubicon: The Barbarossa Directive (18 December 1940)
1.9: German Planning Through 1940 An Assessment
1.9.1: Failure to Plan beyond Initial Operations
1.9.2: Primacy of Operational Planning
1.9.3: Paucity of Forces Committed to the Campaign
1.9.4: Failures of Intelligence
1.9.5: Failures of Logistics
2. Trains, Planes and Automobiles: Aufmarsch for the Offensive (January May 1941)
2.1: When did Hitler Make His Final Decision to Attack Russia?
2.2: Conference at the Berghof (9 January 1941)
2.3: The Deployment Order and Initial Concentrations in the East (January May 1941)
2.4: Two Conferences Two Faces of the Fuehrer (3 February & 30 March 1941)
2.4.1: At the Berghof (3 February 1941)
2.4.2: At the Reich Chancellery in Berlin (30 March 1941)
2.5: Field Marshal von Bock Takes Command
2.5.1: His Military Career
2.5.2: Bocks Headquarters Transferred to the East
2.6: Army Group Center Prepares for War (February May 1941)
2.7: North Africa, the Balkans and Crete (January May 1941)
2.7.1: North Africa
2.7.2: The Balkans
2.7.3: Airborne Operations in Crete
3. The Adversaries I: The State of the Wehrmacht
3.1: Force Structure of the Army
3.2: The Marching Infantry
3.3: Panzer & Motorized Divisions
3.4: Reorganization & Expansion of the Mobile Forces
3.5: The German Air Force
4. The Adversaries II: The State of the Red Army
4.1: Buildup of the Industrial Base & Armed Forces (A Brief Overview)
4.2: Impact of the Purges
4.3: Force Structure & Dispositions on Eve of Barbarossa
4.3.1: Infantry & Artillery