Listen free for 30 days

  • Retreat from Moscow

  • A New History of Germany’s Winter Campaign, 1941-1942
  • Written by: David Stahel
  • Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
  • Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (12 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Retreat from Moscow cover art

Retreat from Moscow

Written by: David Stahel
Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.30

Buy Now for $26.30

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Germany's winter campaign of 1941-1942 has commonly been seen as its "first defeat". In Retreat from Moscow, David Stahel argues that, in fact, it was its first strategic success in the east. Though the Red Army managed to push the Wehrmacht back from Moscow, the Germans lost far fewer men (one to six), frustrated their enemy's strategic plan, and emerged in the spring unbroken and poised to recapture the initiative.

Hitler's new strategic plan called for holding important Russian industrial cities, which the German army would do. And the Soviet plan as of January 1942 aimed for nothing less than the destruction of Army Group Centre, but in fact, not a single German army, corps, or division was ever successfully destroyed. Lacking the professionalism, training, and experience of the Wehrmacht, the Red Army mounted an offensive that attempted to break German lines in countless head-on assaults, which led to far more tactical defeats than victories.

Through journals, memoirs, and wartime correspondence, Stahel takes us into the Wolf's Lair and reveals a German command at war with itself. And through soldiers' diaries and letters home, he paints a rich portrait of life and death on the front, where the men of the Ostheer fight against frostbite as much as they do Soviet artillery.

©2019 David Stahel (P)2019 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about Retreat from Moscow

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Well detailed and worth a listen

I enjoyed this presentation. Very well presented by author. Only issue is need for maps. Difficult to follow along and appreciate what's going on without a pdf or two. I'd have given five stars with such aides. Pity since detracts from the work.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An excellent account of the fighting and human element of the conflict on the Eastern Front

This book provides the listener with a thorough analysis of the events and tactics of this first winter on the Russian/German conflict. The author provides details missing from other books on this front during WW2 - namely the logistics and medical aid provided to the German army. The narrator has clear and precise diction and a pleasant tone of voice.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The first German defeat - and slow end to WWII

The German-Soviet front accounted for about 3/4 of all casualties in WWII yet has been poorly covered over many decades. It is also difficult to describe these massive campaigns - like several Normandy landings every few weeks. However, Stahel does a great job knitting the various fronts around Moscow in 1941-42 providing information from front soldiers as well as high command. This new method of integrating recounts from all levels of armies on both sides of the conflict makes it more engaging. If you are really interested in the most important aspects of WWII, books like Retreat from Moscow as well as the Prit Battar books of other campaigns using similar narratives, will help you get the whole picture.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!