Overview

The German-Soviet War revises the conflict's generally accepted understanding through case studies, demonstrating the complexity of the war at the local level. The contributors assembled by Jeff Rutherford and Robert von Maier examine the multiplicity of experiences of individuals caught in this savage war, starting with the German war of annihilation launched against Soviet state and society in June 1941. This detailed collection shows that the particular nature of the war in the east resulted from an intertwining of military, ideological, and economic motives. The German-Soviet War puts Germany's murderous policies toward Soviet Jews and prisoners of war, and the justification for these policies and actions within the ranks of the army, into the larger context of battlefield events. The neglected topic of the destructive German scorched-earth retreats receives detailed analysis, demonstrating the importance of ideology and economic thinking in the German army's war. The difficulty in reconciling economic and ideological considerations also played a prominent role in Soviet attempts to rebuild after the war. The German-Soviet War not only brings attention to these devastating events but also revises the general narrative of the war. By internationalizing the conflict through examinations into the various Axis and Allied nations and peoples who participated in the fighting, this volume provides new ways of conceptualizing their motivations, actions, and importance in its eventual outcome. Together, the contributions to The German-Soviet War provide new ways of examining the defining conflict of the Second World War.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jeff Rutherford ,  Robert von Maier
Publisher:   Cornell University Press
Imprint:   Cornell University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 4.20cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.907kg
ISBN:  

9781501781070

ISBN 10:   1501781073
Pages:   600
Publication Date:   15 June 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: War on the Eastern Front—Combat, Occupation, and Legacies 1. Subverting Hitler's War: Initiativein the German Army, Winter 1941/42 2. The Road from Berlin to a Beachside Massacre: The Jews of Liepajaand the Final Solution 3. Terror with a Human Face: Morality, Propaganda, and Image in theWehrmacht 4. Experiencing and Witnessing Captivity: Soviet Prisoners of War in German Custody on Soviet Soil 5. Fascist Italy and the Vernichtungskrieg: The Italian Expeditionary Corps in the Donets Basin, 1941–1942 6. The Lesser of Two Evils? Soviet Prisoners of War in Romania,1941–1944 7. Fighting for a Foreign Power: The Personal Experiences of Luxembourgers in the German Army at the Eastern Front, 1942–1945 8. ""Taking into Account Its Special Characteristics"": Identity andAutonomy in the Polish People'sArmy, 1943–1945 9. Lend-Lease Aircraft on the Soviet- German Front: The Test Case of the Air Battles over Ukraine in 1944 10. The Nazi Occupation of Ukraine: Ukrainians in Germany's War 11. The Evolution of Vernichtungskrieg: Army Group North's Scorched-Earth Retreats, 1943–1944 12. ""Transformed into an Economically and Militarily Worthless Debris Field"": The Two German Evacuations of Kharkiv in 1943 13. A War Continues: Eastern-Front Behavior on German Soil 14. Soviet Policy toward German Prisoners of War 15. Rebuildilng Utopia: The Reconstruction of Smolensk Oblast

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Author Information

Jeff Rutherford is Teaching Professor of History at Xavier University. He has written extensively on Germany's war against the Soviet Union, including the book Combat and Genocide on the Eastern Front. Robert von Maier is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief at Brécourt Academic. Contributors: Ian Garner, Travis Gray, Ilya Grinberg, Susan C. I. Grunewald, Keith Hann, David A. Harrisville, Nina Janz, Dallas Michelbacher, Jennifer Lauren Popowycz, Valeriy Romanenko, Maris Rowe-McCulloch, David Stahel, Nicolas G. Virtue, Edward B. Westermann, Adrian E. Wettstein, and Bastiaan Willems

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