Ghosts of the Ostfront

An incredible series that brings the war in the East into sharp focus. Dan Carlin draws information from a multitude of sources, first hand accounts, diaries & letters to bring the time to life and populate the history with personalities and colour.

His extraordinary enthusiasm for history is infectious and his delivery oozes with atmosphere, giving you plenty of ideas for further reading should you wish to focus on any particular part of the conflict.

Part 1

Dan introduces the series with a discussion about 'monuments'. Everyone is familiar with cultural or artistic monuments, but here he talks about monuments in their broader sense: the everlasting marker of an event. Enter the 'monument' that is the Steppes of Southern Russia. The plains that go on for hundreds of square miles. The plains that are carpeted in human bones that crunch under foot if one were to walk around. A local calls it a 'bone field' that extends for further than the eye can see in the countryside around Volgograd - otherwise known as Stalingrad.

This haunting first episode is a fascinating introduction into the suffering and destruction of Hitler's Wermacht on the plains of Russia. Carlin highlights how 2 governments under the control of single malignant, despotic personalities get out of control and the ultimate effect on human beings.

Dan looks back at Napoleon's ill-fated Russian campaign, how the weather extremes (in both summer and winter) contributed to the French General's dramatic defeat. Hitler was keenly aware of this lesson and Carlin goes on to examine what contextual circumstances surrounding the planning of the attack led to the final, imprudent advance into Soviet territory.

Part 2

Carlin introduces the second episode by showing Hitler as a gambler - the bet to attack Russia was based on 2 assumptions: that her power structure was rotten and just as weak as the monarchy during WW1; and that her people were essentially subhumans and incapable of resistance.

The initial startling advances due to Blitzkrieg and Stalin's insistence to his troops to not fight back astonished everybody - he refused to believe that the Germans had attacked despite evidence to the contrary. Hitler's focus changed after nearly a month, and the armies targeting Moscow were re-designated to wipe out Soviet defence forces instead - his superstition to not follow Napoleon's mistakes was absolute and in hindsight, his first major error.

The rest of the episode details the difficulties the Germans encounter through letters, eyewitness diaries and second hand sources. Civilians saw no difference in the change of despotic rule; Russian resistance was fanatical, the roads (more like mud tracks) were appalling and 'Directive 34' to refocus on Ukraine led the Wehrmacht further astray.

Part 3

This episode opens with an examination of the fighting strength of the Germans after the first round of engagements, and how their estimate of the Soviet power was woefully inadequate. Hitler's armies had lost many of their veteran NCOs and mid-tier Commanders from the previous year's Barbarossa, posts now filled with inexperienced troops. A shell of its former self and despite capturing huge areas of Russia, the Wehrmacht still had a far larger task ahead of it: 'Operation Blue' - target the Caucasus oil fields.

Carlin describes how the 'tone' of the war changed in the East. The West was a 'gentlemanly' war - this theater wasn't comparable. German massacres in Soviet cities; Soviets making roads out of captured soldiers, hosing them down with water in sub-zero temperatures - atrocities on both sides, a hateful conflict.

The analysis continues, showing how the Germans completely underestimated the strength of the Soviet army & partisan activity: the inclusion of women caught them by total surprise. The ruthlessness of some of the women's sniper units, the daring of their night bombers, the brothels to support the morale of the male troops all added up to a swelling of combat personnel by around 40%, contributing to the pressure on the now hopelessly outnumbered Wermacht.

Part 4

Operation Citadel. Hitler had run out of ideas for offensives and the 1943 plans were developed by senior Generals.

Unlike the previous two years, the Germans chose to attack where the Soviets knew they were going to: the Russian salient around Kursk. The High Command was full of arrogance - how could they stand up to all this new, more powerful technology? Some Generals on the Chiefs of Staff were not convinced. Neither were most of the soldiers.

The battle of Kursk was gathering. The amount of war materiél built up was unsurpassed before or since: 37 divisions, roughly 900,000 men, 2,500 tanks & assault guns, 10,000 guns and 1,800 aircraft on the German side. Facing off against them were 1,300,000 deeply fortified Soviet troops, 8000 landmines per sq. mile, 3000 tanks, 20,000 guns, 2,500 aircraft and 3000 miles of trenches. This broke one of the major rules of warfare - the attacker should hold at least a 3:1 advantage in numbers; the High Command thought that tanks would make up for this deficit, but professional Generals knew better.

Battle lines were drawn.

The Battle of Kursk lasted for 10 days or so, and more men and armament met in combat than in any time before in history...

This episode continues to discuss the darkest periods of the Eastern Front campaign; atrocities, cruelties and massacres. Not for the faint of heart.

Conclusion

This series is a highly recommended listening - it will open your eyes to the reality of the worst that Humanity can offer during war, and really is a fascinating insight into the background, reasoning and feelings of Generals through to Privates. If you want an introduction into what actually went on, there is no better place to start than this.


Ghosts of the Ostfront Podcasts

The podcasts are available from Dan Carlin's website:

• Part I
  
• Part II
  
• Part III
  
• Part IV

For more reading, Amazon can also fulfill your need - it has recommended 'Eastern Front' reading lists. In the Further reading section below you will find two books that I personally read and recommend.