The Stalingrad Myth

[Gasbag]

The problem with the Craig book is that it was written in 1973, when authors had virtually no access to Russian/Soviet sources other than officially approved memoirs (for example V.I. Chuikov's memoirs) which frequently exaggerated the size & strength of their German opponents. An example of this exaggeration is the inclusion of the 76th & 44th Infantry Divisions in the German OOB for the Stalingrad attack. Neither of these divisions took any part in the city fighting. The memoirs written during the Soviet era also tended to minimize the contributions of non-Russian forces and emphasize the role of "Great-Russian" ones. For instance, the 13th Guards Rifle Division is listed as being elite while the 284th Rifle Division's (raised in the Sumy region) role in the battle is played down. In fact both of these divisions suffered heavy casualties during the May to July period. By the time that they reached Stalingrad in September both units were largely manned by poorly equipped reservists and raw recruits. Errors like these have been carried forward into most western histories like Craig's and Beevor's.

The Glantz & House Stalingrad trilogy (volumes 1 & 2 were published last year) will most likely be the definitive account of the battle for some time to come.