Description:
The original version of the classic novel of the epic World War II battle, confiscated by the Russian secret services in 1949, and now rediscovered in the Russian archives.
Brief description: Heinrich Gerlach (1908-1991) served as a lieutenant in the 14th Panzer Division at Stalingrad. Wounded and then captured by the Soviets, he wrote Breakout at Stalingrad while being held in captivity in the USSR. He died in 1991.
Review Quotes:
"One of the greatest novels of the Second World War" --The Times
"Gerlach's truly magnificent novel [...] is a devastating account of the appalling privations suffered by the German army, left to their fate by the foundering, over-stretched Fatherland. A masterpiece" --Mail on Sunday "A remarkable find" --Antony Beevor "[It] is so deftly handled and well constructed... It is astonishing that [this] is Gerlach's first attempt at fiction'" --The Sunday Times "This excellent book will shine a light on the horrors of the Eastern Front for a new generation of English-speaking readers... An absolute gem of a book'" --Soldier magazine "[Written with] raw, vivid immediacy, which piles up compelling images and episodes... It is an exceptional, powerful and moving work'" --Sunday Times "Anyone who wants an idea of what Stalingrad was really like should read this book... Gerlach records the lives and feelings of soldiers of all ranks'" --Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung