Book Review: ‘Stalingrad Airlift 1942–43: The Luftwaffe’s Broken Promise to Sixth Army’

An enjoyable read and thorough breakdown of World War II events in Stalingrad

German Gen. Friedrich Paulus (L) surrenders to Soviet troops near Stalingrad on Jan. 31, 1943. “Stalingrad Airlift 1942–43” documents that the inability of the Luftwaffe to carry supplies to troops was a significant reason the Nazi effort failed. AFP via Getty Images

Operation Barbarossa, which launched the German invasion into the Soviet Union during World War II, proved to be one of the pivotal mistakes that led to Nazi Germany’s ultimate defeat.

The Germans had launched their invasion in the summer of 1941, and by the winter of that year it had become clear how colossal of a mistake the invasion had been. William E. Hiestand takes the reader on an in-depth journey, not into the invasion but into what happened once the German Sixth Army found themselves deep in Soviet territory, specifically Stalingrad.