Book description
The Red Army had much to avenge when it finally reached the frontiers
of the Reich in January 1945. Political instructors rammed home the
message of Wehrmacht and SS brutality. The result was the most
terrifying example of fire and sword ever known, with tanks crushing
refugee columns under their tracks, mass rape, pillage and
destruction. Hundreds of thousands of women and children froze to
death or were massacred because Nazi Party chiefs, refusing to face
defeat, had forbidden the evacuation of civilians. Over seven million
fled westwards from the terror of the Red Army.
Antony Beevor reconstructs the experiences of those millions caught
up in the nightmare of the Third Reich's final collapse, telling a
terrible story of pride, stupidity, fanatacism, revenge and savagery,
but also one of astonishing endurance, self-sacrifice and survival
against all odds.
This brilliant storyteller makes us feel the chaos and the fear as if
every drop of blood was our own. It is much more than just a humane
account; it is compellingly readable, deeply researched, and beautifully
written Antony Beevor began his career as a professional officer in
the 11th Hussars. He is the author of several books, including
The
Spanish Civil War, Crete
and
The Mystery of Olga Chekhova
. With his wife, Artemis Cooper, he wrote
Paris After the Liberation
, but he is best known for his books
Berlin
and
Stalingrad
, the international No 1 bestseller, and winner of the Samuel Johnson
Prize, Wolfson Price and Hawthornden Prize. He lives in London and Kent.
