Operation Barbarossa to the Siege of Leningrad

Operation Barbarossa to the Siege of Leningrad
With David Stahel
Part of Eastern Front Week on WW2TV
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David Stahel from New Zealand, is an historian, author and senior lecturer in history at the University of New South Wales. He specialises in German military history and has authored several books on the military operations of the first six months of the Eastern Front, including on the launching of Operation Barbarossa, the Battle of Kiev and the Battle for Moscow.

In this show David runs through the first months of Germany's war against the Soviet Union taking us from Operation Barbarossa in June up to the beginning of the Siege of Leningrad.

Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East by David Stahel

Soldiers of Barbarossa: Combat on the Eastern Front by David Stahel

Other WW2TV Shows about the Eastern Front:

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[robertmclellan]

As someone who is borderline obsessed with the eastern front, I’m honestly glad to be alive now with all the new information that has been declassified information that has been released in just the past ten years…..it’s literally insane

[standyl]

Just finished my 3rd time through this remarkable program, and am still in awe of Prof. Stahel's Eastern Front knowledge and understanding, and his unique, and convincing, perspective on the "War in the East."🎉

[mrgabagoo]

Mr Stahel deserves much credit for his humility. Listening to him is an education, yet he so believably says he hopes his book is not the last word, that his work is open to being challenged. A great historian, willing to engage and providing an impressive body of work, he deserves a lot of respect.

[kiowhatta]

I’ve been obsessed with the Eastern Front for 25 years, and WW2 since I was a boy.
Even 20 years ago there were only books and DVD’s available ( average quality ) and the books lacked any detail.
Now it is finally getting the attention it deserves, however some areas remain understudied-like the Caucasus, The continuation war, the Rhzev salient, and other periods that are not highlighted by a major headline battle.
There is still much to be uncovered and discussed.

[johanneduardschnorr]

Fantastic presentation! As a History Major undergrad in the US, circa ‘83-‘87, academics such as Stahel, Citino, Glanz, etc. are such a joy to read and listen to! NONE of this information was available to us in that era..it was Cold War era at it’s zenith..

[alanbrener]

Excellent - David Stahel is a first class historian and presenter

[randyhavard]

The oil they were talking about washing The engine out is most likely for the engine air filtration system. Most of the older trucks used oil bath air filter instead of the paper elements we're use to today.

[josephclever]

David Stahel’s book on Kiev is Excellent and bridges between the start of Barbarossa and Typhoon.

[timbrown]

Thank you David and Woody for expanding my almost non existent knowledge on the Eastern front. Up until now all I knew was Germany invade Russia, killed a lot of people, stalled out and got their butts kicked all the way back to Berlin. When I was stationed in Germany I met this old Army dude who invited me to his house where he pulled out his Iron Cross and a map of the eastern front and showed me his move across Russia, then started showing his retreat back to Germany. The guy hated Hitler and sadly my German was broken and he didn’t speak English but we got along just as well and he was able to communicate via the map his travels in the Eastern front. My landlord in college was a German soldier as well as was my landlord in Germany who was a 1st LT. in the Afrika Corp.

[davidk]

Thank you Paul and Dr. Stahel for this compelling presentation. I appreciate the introductory point where you describe the mindset and assumptions of the German high command at the outset of Barbarossa. The breathtaking successes of 39-40 (plus German memory of WW1 eastern success, pre-war appeasement reflecting limited British appetite for war, and the USA's distaste for involvement in European conflicts) are critical contexts. Applying subsequent knowledge enjoyed by your audience is a bit like the Back to the Future 2 movie where the antagonist becomes wealthy betting on sports because he has a sports almanac and already knows the scores. Magnificent, appropriately detailed, and engaging work.

[angelaschwenn]

I’m glad that I rewatched the show from the beginning. Very impressive! Now I have to decide which books to buy🤦🏽‍♀️.

[scottgrimwood]

Another outstanding WW2TV show! Professor Stahel presentation on launch of Operation Barbarosa is very detailed, giving a lot of excellent information. Anyone interested the the Eastern Front in World War 2 needs to watch this show.

[leefreeman]

Great lecture. Currently listening to David Stahel’s Operation Barbarossa. Such a brilliant book and shaking my head just listening to how badly prepared the German army was always likely to fail due to logistics, obsolete vehicles, poorly trained men and lack of vehicles and equipment! Love the show.

[davidk]

I discovered the WW2TV channel because of this video, and I have subsequently subscribed. Thank you for this wonderful and informative discussion with David Stahel. David Stahel is my favorite historian for all things Eastern Front. His book are excellent, and his lectures are always very insightful. In this video presentation I greatly enjoyed the bits of insight that David interjects as asides, as they truly add color and help to make the staggeringly enormous Eastern Front campaign more relatable to the non-historian who has an interest in this titanic struggle.

[alandean]

Informative explanation of the failure of Barbarossa by David Stahel who is a very accomplished and erudite lecturer !

[dexterscott]

Your “Eastern Front” bookshelf could be huge just from David Glantz and David Stahel books alone!

[kiowhatta]

Excellent presentation by David Stahel.
I’d love to see some analysis of why AGN:
Didn’t/couldn’t reduce the Orienanbaum bridgehead;
Why an additional army, and ideally a 5th panzer army wasn’t raised to ensure the objectives of linking up with the Finns, reducing the aforementioned bridgehead - and what happened to the big guns of 11th Army after the fall of Sevastopol?
We’re told 11th army was relocated to AGN, or it was broken up and sent to various different sectors.
The fate of the units of the 11th army and its famous commander, Von Manstein is vague and lost after the failure of Nordlicht.
Perhaps a separate video could be done on the journey of the 11th army?

[Thumpalumpacus]

Great presentation by Mr Stahel. Siegfried Kmappe in his memoirs addresses many of the same issues of being hosee-drawm artillery following the tanks.

ETA: Also, John Erickson -- "Berlin to Stalingrad" and "Stalingrad to Berlin" are important on the operational and strategic levels.

[adamwarne]

David Stahel has added dramatically both to my knowledge of this important front of the war....but to my already groaning book shelves! Bravo!

[darthcalanil]

Loving this excellent presentation. Stahel's works are an essential part of the modern understanding of the eastern front.