Opening the Gates of Hell - Operation Barbarossa, June-July 1941

A unique account of the opening weeks of history''s largest, most brutal conflict, told through the eyes of those who were there and based on original source material from across Europe. Opening the Gates of Hell is based on over a decade''s research in archives and sites across Europe. It is a ground-breaking examination of the start of the Nazi-Soviet conflict, a narrative history not just of the fighting, but also the impact on civilians, the atrocities committed by both sides and ethnic cleansing carried out by the inhabitants of the regions invaded. This fascinating history tells the stories of bravery, cowardice, misery and horror through the eyes of those who were there including ordinary soldiers, generals, leaders, politicians and civilians on both sides. The book draws on published and unpublished sources from across Germany and Eastern Europe with the majority of the material never having appeared in English-language accounts of the conflict before. The combination of combat accounts, analysis of high-level diplomacy and leadership and the visceral accounts of the atrocities committed by both sides gives this book a unique approach to the war on the Eastern Front and will ensure that it is regarded as the definitive work on the subject for many years to come.>

Product details

• Authors: Richard Hargreaves, Hargreaves Richard, Richard Hargreaves
• Publisher: Osprey Publishers
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 03.06.2025
• EAN: 9781472869463
• ISBN: 978-1-4728-6946-3
• No. of pages: 496
• Dimensions: 160 mm x 236 mm x 46 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; HISTORY / Europe / Germany, Eastern Europe, European History, Germany, 20th Century, military history, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Second World War, c 1938 to c 1946 (World War Two period), c 1939 to c 1945 (including WW2), Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe), USSR, Soviet Union, Land forces & warfare, Land forces and warfare, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / World War II / Eastern Front, HISTORY / Military / Land Forces, HISTORY / Russia / Soviet Era