The Men of Barbarossa

While delivering a summary of some of the key events of Operation Barbarossa, the author interjects the bios of a hundred German officers that were directly or indirectly connected to arguably the largest land invasion in recorded history. The selection of men includes Group, Army, Corp commanders and some of their key staff members as well as OKH staff. The list includes dedicated Nazis, non Nazis but dedicated German officers as well as a small group of men who will try to assassinate Hitler. Mr Mitcham does a commendable job of selecting his candidates and providing a brief but pertinent glimpse into their lives. The narrative for each person includes birth, family background, education, military careers, the impact the officer had on Operation Barbarossa and the influence he exerted on his fellow officers and men. Wherever possible the date of death and cause of death is also included. Some were killed or severely wounded in action, some survived the war but were executed or imprisoned after the war and some died a natural death long after the war was over. Its obvious the author had his favorites. He thought highly of Guderian and Nehring but thought less of Kluge and Busch. I enjoyed this book; at least about the lives of the German and even a few Russian soldiers; it will make an excellent reference. With the Index, you will be able to quickly find your intended query. With the other books Mr Mitcham has written which also includes German bios, you'll be able to have an enviable collection of officers. I was disappointed with the tactical coverage of Operation Barbarossa; it was tersely covered at a level that only a new student would enjoy. Anybody who has already read Glantz, Erickson, Stahel, Seaton will be disappointed. Those experienced readers will have to be patient reading the tactical passages to reach the more interesting parts about the officers. (Battles briefly covered include Brest-Litovsk, Bialystok, Minsk, Kiev, Leningrad, Bryansk, Vyazma, Smolensk, Gomel, Roslavl, Moscow, Norway and the partisan reaction to German brutality.) The author has provided 8 simple maps, and unlike his other books where the maps were hand drawn, are professionally done and have good eye appeal. An Appendix, a decent Notes section and Bibliography are provided. There are some good photos, most are portraits of the key commanders. Mr Mitcham is clearly an expert on the Wehrmacht and its commanders and has an interesting writing style that will be favored by many. If your interested in reading about many German commanders of before and during WWII and are looking for or don't mind a basic level coverage of Barbarossa, then this book is worth your consideration.