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A SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER

‘The best single-volume account of the Barbarossa campaign to date’ Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny

‘A page-turning descent into Hell and back . . . this fresh and compelling account of Hitler’s failed invasion of the Soviet Union should be on everyone’s reading list for 2021’ Dr Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire
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The largest military operation in history. The turning point of the Second World War. The most important year of the twentieth century.

Operation Barbarossa, Hitler’s invasion of Russia in June 1941, aimed at nothing less than a war of extermination to annihilate Soviet communism, liquidate the Jews and create Lebensraum for the German master race. But it led to the destruction of the Third Reich, and was cataclysmic for Germany with millions of men killed, wounded or registered as missing in action. It was this colossal mistake — rather than any action in Western Europe — that lost Hitler the Second World War.

Drawing on hitherto unseen archival material, including previously untranslated Russian sources, Jonathan Dimbleby puts Barbarossa in its proper place in history for the first time. From its origins in the ashes of the First World War to its impact on post-war Europe, and covering the military, political and diplomatic story from all sides, he paints a full and vivid picture of this monumental campaign whose full nature and impact has remained unexplored.

Written with authority and humanity, Barbarossa is a masterwork that transforms our understanding of the Second World War and of the twentieth century.
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‘Superb. . . stays with you long after you have finished’ Henry Hemming, bestselling author of Our Man in New York

‘A chilling account of war at its worst’ Bear Grylls

Publisher Review

The best single-volume account of the Barbarossa campaign to date -- Andrew Roberts, author of 'Churchill: Walking with Destiny' It's a vital story, one everyone should know, and Dimbleby tells it with verve and elan -- Laurence Rees, author of 'Hitler and Stalin' Should be on everyone's reading list for 2021 -- Dr Amanda Foreman, author of 'A World on Fire' Masterly -- General Sir Mike Jackson Vivid and engrossing -- Brendan Simms, author of 'Hitler: Only The World Was Enough' An impressive achievement . . . a fast-paced, gripping read -- Julia Boyd, author of 'Travellers in the Third Reich' A great read . . . he brings Barbarossa very vividly to life, as if you are there -- Robert Kershaw, author of 'War Without Garlands: Operation Barbarossa 1941-1942' and 'Borodino Field 1812/1941' Thought-provoking . . . a captivating eye-opener -- Prof Dr Gerhard Hirschfeld, University of Stuttgart, former President of the International Committee for the Study of the Second World War Superbly well-written . . . the most comprehensive study of Hitler's invasion of the USSR in years -- Keith Lowe, author of 'Savage Continent' Expertly narrated and written with piercing clarity -- Frederick Taylor, author of '1939: A People's History' A chilling account of war at its worst -- Bear Grylls Superb . . . stays with you long after you have finished -- Henry Hemming, bestselling author of 'Our Man in New York' Brilliant . . . a wonderful piece of history -- Robert Fox Epic . . . captures all of Barbarossa's drama and magnitude -- Martin Sixsmith Brings to life the sheer, staggering scale of these events... with great skill, care and attention to detail * Sunday Times * [An] encyclopedic new account... a vivid, meticulous tapestry, densely weaving the threads of German and Soviet military strategy, political calculation from Washington and London to Moscow, and war's pitiless human cost * The Telegraph * [Dimbleby] skilfully tracks the shifts and turns of the campaign, sparing no detail . . . a riveting account * Daily Mail, Book of the Week * Dimbleby tells the story of strategic miscalculation and (self-)deception on all sides, and then Hitler's 'war of extermination', magnificently * The Spectator * Amazing . . . fascinating My best history book of 2021 -- a masterful account of maybe the biggest event ever . . . essential! -- Lee Child