Moscow 1941 - A pioneering account of the Wehrmacht's first defeat, in the biggest battle of the Second World War

MOSCOW 1941: A CITY AND ITS PEOPLE AT WAR

NA RUSSKOM

The Battle of Moscow from September 1941 to April 1942 was the biggest single battle of the Second World War. It was the first time that the victorious Wehrmacht was fought to a standstill, ground down, and thrown back. The Soviets lost more people in this one battle than the British, the Americans and the French combined lost in the whole of the Second World War. Many great battles were to follow – Stalingrad, Kursk, Berlin, and D Day. The Battle of Moscow may not have been the beginning of the end. But the Germans knew that it was the end of the beginning.

This book describes how Moscow developed through the centuries to become the Soviet capital, and how Stalin and his generals recovered from the chaos of the first days of the war to win a bloody victory against the invader. But the main emphasis of the book is on the fate of individuals – schoolchildren, students, women factory workers, party officials, musicians, artists, and ordinary soldiers: the people who believe, with justification, that it was they who bore the main brunt of defeating Hitler.

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REVIEWS

'...a new and beautifully researched account of what had been been a poorly understood part of the war.' - Anne Applebaum, The New York Review of Books, October 25, 2007

' ... a wonderful book about a battle that -- although it has attracted less attention than, say, Stalingrad or Kursk -- was in fact the biggest in world history. The book is also an excellent addition to a series of recent English language histories that evoke for the Western reader how the Soviet experience must -- on a daily basis and by people from different social strata -- have been lived." Andrey Slivka, Washington Post

‘… one of the best modern books on Russia.’ Peter Bridges, California Literary Review, October 8th, 2007

‘Braithwaite ... has produced a symphonic evocation of a great city at war.’ – New Yorker

‘brings across well the surreal complacency of the days leading up to the war…a vivid picture of the stark and bloody struggle for national survival with which Russia’s war began’. – The Economist

If asked to recommend a single book on Soviet history, I think I might propose Moscow 1941. .... Understand what happened here, and you understand Soviet history. (Lars T. Lih, Moscow Times, November 17, 2006)

Braithwaite is obviously a talented historian, and one who knows how to write. ... The results are indeed a revelation. For the first time, one feels that one understands every stage of this story. Edward N. Luttwak (Commentary Magazine, January 2007)

‘Few foreigners know Moscow as well as Braithwaite… Braithwaite sets a cracking pace with his good, clean prose…a wide-ranging and excellent account, giving a full flavour of the Soviet capital at the time…a wealth of new detail… Braithwaite never shirks the terrible truths.’ Antony Beevor, Sunday Times

‘In the grim roster of battles, Moscow has always been overshadowed by Stalingrad….Rodric Braithwaite’s epic history, skilfully drawing on the experiences of ordinary Russians, goes a long way to setting the record straight.’ Sunday Telegraph

‘British readers can now be even better informed than the Russians about Russia’s horrific experience of war between 1941 and 1945….Together with his remarkably clear, concise style ... and his empathy with people, he achieves a graphic vividness which puts this book on a level with Beevor’s…This is why Braithwaite’s book stands as the first of a trilogy, continued by Beevor’s two masterpieces.’ – Donald Rayfield, The Mail on Sunday

‘he has had exceptional access to archival material that would probably have been denied to lesser souls…it is remarkable to find new material, new insights and even fresh revealing reflections on Stalin… Braithwaite’s description of Moscow under siege is masterly in detail and style.’ – Geoffrey Goodman, Tribune

‘His [Braithwaite] long familiarity with Russia is reflected in this vibrant and humane portrait of a remarkable city in the face of a terrible enemy. He has succeeded triumphantly in restoring the Battle for Moscow to its proper place in history’ – Richard Overy, Telegraph

‘commands new admiration for the fortitude of the Russian people…a remarkable epic, vividly portrayed.’ – Max Hastings, Sunday Telegraph

‘With great skill, he maintains tension throughout this sinewy, moving and consummately crafted history of the Soviet Union’s darkest hours…it is the stuff of epics…This telling, a close focus on the capital and its defenders, is among the best, by a diplomat who turns out to have been a writer in disguise.’ – John Lloyd, The Herald (Glasgow)

‘Braithwaite, who served as British Ambassador in Moscow from 1988 to 1992, has written the best history book of the year so far.’ – Brian Morton, Sunday Herald (Glasgow)

‘Moscow 1941 is an outstanding book…these accounts provide a fascinating insight not only into the war but also into Soviet society… Braithwaite ... has the ability to bring Russia and the Russians to life in a way that few histories manage to do.’ – Catherine Andreyev, Times Higher Education Supplement

‘He [Braithwaite] mingles most deftly general accounts of what was going on with personal details, of individual men and women who were involved at the time, some of them willingly, some under compulsion.’ – John Lukacs, Spectator

‘This is a splendid read, full of interesting material, and essential for anyone trying to understand the Russians – not just the Muscovites, and not just the soldiers – and the war they fought and won at such a great cost.’ – Evan Mawdsley, BBC History Magazine

‘a rich, fascinating fabric…He has captured the first-hand accounts of many people whose stories would probably otherwise have been lost to us. These vignettes are as important to history as the accounts of great battles. Braithwaite, helped by the mouths of the participants, has told their story well.’ Ian Gardiner – Scotland on Sunday

‘a forcefully written and wholly convincing account of one of history’s great events. It is an account which is relevant not only to an understanding of the politics of post-1945 Europe, but also to those who now have to deal with a post-Soviet Russia. It can be read with enjoyment and profit both by the specialist already familiar with the events and by any contemporary reader interested in understanding how his world was shaped.’ – Curtis Keeble, East-West Review

‘he [Braithwaite] graphically recounts the start of the war, the panic, the fear, the patriotism, telling the experiences of everyone from teenage recruits to glamorous film stars… Braithwaite’s Moscow 1941 is a superb achievement of galloping narrative history, fine, sensitive writing and exciting fresh research, mainly based on his own interviews and new papers….Here is such richness of new detail and cultural knowledge and so many deeply personal tales of tragedy cruelty, courage and absurdity that the reader staggers from laughter to tears, while never forgetting that blood is flowing… one of the best books I have read on Russia in World War II’ – Simon Sebag Montefiore, Daily Mail

‘a real taste of people’s history, coupling his own encyclopaedic knowledge of Moscow with material gleaned in interviews with aged survivors of those terrible years…He allows them to tell their stories of comradeship, inventiveness, hunger and horror.’ – Richard Gott, New Stateman

‘Rodric Braithwaite, in a masterful account, details the suffering, callousness, deceptions, heroism and chaos of a city where he served, 47 years later, as ambassador…pacey and comprehensive study’ – Michael Binyon, The Times

‘he has had exceptional access to archival material that would probably have been denied to lesser souls…it is remarkable to find new material, new insights and even fresh revealing reflections on Stalin… Braithwaite’s description of Moscow under siege is masterly in detail and style.’ – Geoffrey Goodman, Tribune

‘Rodric Braithwaite’s Moscow 1941 is a compelling piece of narrative history which brilliantly tells the story of the desperate opening months of the Russian campaign. I couldn’t put it down.’ – James Heneage, MD Ottakar’s Plc


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