I found myself on Charing Cross Road, London yesterday. So I popped into the last of the great, old, bricks and mortar bookshops to see what was in print and recommended by the trade.
Foyle's alone has over 10m of shelf space devoted to books on the WW2 Eastern Front. That's not including individual unit histories, orders of battle, equipment manifests, political considerations or combined volumes.
That said, we seem to have nailed all the classics from British authors already. With the exception of 'Richard Overy's : Russia's War' which has the benefit of being the shortest. I've read this and recommend it highly.
I've tried to list some books which were available in paperback, looked interesting and well written but which give a different perspective. I haven't read these books and would like to hear from anyone who has. I'd also like to hear from anyone who can recommend books on the Eastern Front from nationalities or social groups not so far covered. For example, but not limited to, Hungarians, Romanians, Russian partisans or civilians.
Classics:
Russia's War 1941-45 : Richard Overy
The most accessible introduction for someone short of time or patience. It's the shortest.
Barbarossa - Alan Clarke
The classic account in English for the educated layreader prior to Beevor.
Different Perspective:
Panzers on the Eastern Front: General Erhard Raus and His Panzer Divisions in
Russia 1941-1945 : Ed Peter Tsouras
An abridged account from the perspective of a German Staff officer.
Ostfront 1944: The German Defensive Battles on the Russian Front 1944 : Alex Buchner
In depth analysis from a German author.
Red Road From Stalingrad - Recollections of a Soviet Infantryman : Mansur Abdulin
From the perspective of a Soviet (Siberian) infantryman. Very well reviewed.
When Titans Clashed - How the Red Army Stopped Hitler : David M. Glantz and Jonathan M. House
Glantz seems to be the premier American author working in the field.
Viking Panzers : The German 5Th SS Tank Regiment in the East : Ewald Klapdor
I didn't realise quite how many Scandinavian and Low Counties soldiers served with the Germans in WW2. Looks interesting and detailed.
Eastern Front 1941-1945: German Troops and the Barbarisation of Warfare : Omer Bartov
One of those books you rather wish never had to be written but which covers a disturbing subject which deserves to be read and remembered.
Novels:
The Legion of the Damned (et al) : Sven Hassel
Classic series of pulp, sensationalist novels. The author claims to have served himself but the current consensus is he was a Gestapo collaborator who recycles stories told him by returning Danish SS veterans after the war.
Front-Line Stalingrad : Victor Nekrasov
Apparently a very famous account written by a decorated Soviet veteran now translated into English. Won the USSR star prize for literature in 1947.
Relic Entertainment
cblanco ★ 
보드카 중대 
VonManteuffel 
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