
On a Knife’s Edge
The Ukraine, November 1942-March 1943
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Narrated by:
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Roger Clark
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By:
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Prit Buttar
About this listen
The battle of Stalingrad was the turning point of World War II. The German capture of the city, their encirclement by Soviet forces shortly afterwards, and the hard-fought but futile attempts to relieve them, saw bitter attritional fighting and extremes of human misery inflicted on both sides.
The surrender of General Friedrich von Paulus's army left Germany's eastern armies severely weakened, but the Red Army had suffered enormous losses as it overreached itself in trying to exploit its great victory. The war was not over. Germany would continue the fight, and the battles that took place in the winter of 1942/43 would show the tactical and operational skill of Erich von Manstein and the Wehrmacht as they attempted to avert total disaster.
In this title, a renowned expert on warfare on the Eastern Front reveals the often-overlooked German counteroffensive post-Stalingrad, and how it prevented the whole Axis front line from collapsing.
Drawing on firsthand accounts, On a Knife's Edge is a story of brilliant generalship, lost opportunities, and survival in the harshest theater of war.
©2018 Prit Buttar (P)2019 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Nothing new on the Eastern front basically!
- By philippe jacob on 03-28-20
By: David Stahel
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Bagration 1944
- The Great Soviet Offensive
- By: Prit Buttar
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Throughout the war on the Eastern Front, there were two consistent trends. The Red Army battled to learn how to fight and win, while involved in a struggle for its very survival. But by 1944 it had a leadership that was able to wield it with lethal effect and with far more effective equipment than before. By contrast, the Wehrmacht had commenced a slow process of decline after the invasion of the Soviet Union. Hitler became increasingly unwilling to delegate decision-making to commanders in the field, which had been crucial to earlier success.
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Impressive amount of detail, as expected from the author.
- By Zoran Jovic on 03-30-25
By: Prit Buttar
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To Besiege a City
- Leningrad 1941–42
- By: Prit Buttar
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 20 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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At a huge cost, the Red Army and the civilian population of Leningrad ultimately endured a bitter 900-day siege, struggling against constant bombing, shelling, and starvation. Throughout the siege, Soviet forces tried to break the German lines and restore contact with the garrison. To Besiege a City charts the first of these offensives which began in January 1942 and was followed by repeated assaults.
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Outstanding
- By E. Ronakov on 09-30-23
By: Prit Buttar
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Kiev 1941
- Hitler's Battle for Supremacy in the East
- By: David Stahel
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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In just four weeks in the summer of 1941 the German Wehrmacht wrought unprecedented destruction on four Soviet armies, conquering central Ukraine and killing or capturing three quarters of a million men. This was the Battle of Kiev - one of the largest and most decisive battles of World War II and, for Hitler and Stalin, a battle of crucial importance. For the first time, David Stahel charts the battle's dramatic course and aftermath.
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The book you must read on Hitler's War with Russia
- By Kindle Customer on 05-28-19
By: David Stahel
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Retribution
- The Soviet Reconquest of Central Ukraine, 1943-44
- By: Prit Buttar
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 17 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Making use of the extensive memoirs of German and Russian soldiers to bring their story to life, the narrative follows on from On A Knife's Edge, which described the encirclement and destruction of the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad and the offensives and counter-offensives that followed throughout the winter of 1942-43.
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Solid, substantial military storytelling
- By Rodney W. Schmisseur on 12-21-19
By: Prit Buttar
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Hero City
- Leningrad 1943–44
- By: Prit Buttar
- Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
- Length: 22 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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At the height of World War II the people of Leningrad endured a bitter 900-day siege. Prit Buttar tells the story of how the siege was finally broken. The Red Army had suffered multiple setbacks in the preceding two years but achieved a partial success by breaking the blockage in early 1943. However, this was followed by further failed attempts to lift the siege completely. This compelling history uses original Russian source material to vividly describe the deprivations visited upon those trapped. But it also details the tactical successes and strategic failures of both sides.
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Another great Prit Buttar book
- By Gary on 10-13-24
By: Prit Buttar
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Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East
- By: David Stahel
- Narrated by: Stewart Crank
- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Using archival records, in this book, David Stahel presents a history of Germany's summer campaign from the perspective of the two largest and most powerful Panzer groups on the Eastern front. Stahel's research provides a fundamental reassessment of Germany's war against the Soviet Union, highlighting the prodigious internal problems of the vital Panzer forces and revealing that their demise in the earliest phase of the war undermined the whole German invasion.
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Best book on Operation Barbarossa so far
- By Amazon Customer on 09-14-21
By: David Stahel
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Russia's War
- A History of the Soviet Effort: 1941-1945
- By: Richard Overy PhD
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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The Russian war effort to defeat invading Axis powers, an effort that assembled the largest military force in recorded history and that cost the lives of more than twenty-five million Soviet soldiers and civilians, was the decisive factor for securing an Allied victory. Now with access to the wealth of film archives and interview material from Russia used to produce the ten-hour television documentary Russia's War, Richard Overy tackles the many persuasive questions surrounding this conflict.
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A gripping tale of incredible, consuming tragedy
- By Rodney W. Schmisseur on 06-09-24
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Stalingrad
- By: David M. Glantz, Jonathan M. House
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 18 hrs and 39 mins
- Abridged
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Tantor Audio presents the complete audio version of the long awaited one-volume campaign history from the leading experts of the decisive clash of Nazi and Soviet forces at Stalingrad. Stalingrad is an abridged edition of the five-volume Stalingrad Trilogy.
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An incredible story made mind-numbingly tedious
- By R_T on 12-11-17
By: David M. Glantz, and others
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When Titans Clashed
- How the Red Army Stopped Hitler
- By: David M. Glantz, Jonathan M. House
- Narrated by: James Romick
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Revised and updated to reflect recent Russian and Western scholarship on the subject, this new edition maintains the 1995 original's distinction as a crucial volume in the history of World War II and of the Soviet Union and the most informed and compelling perspective on one of the greatest military confrontations of all time.
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The largest conflict in human history
- By Eddie on 05-15-22
By: David M. Glantz, and others
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Between Giants
- The Battle for the Baltics in World War II
- By: Prit Buttar
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 17 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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During World War II, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia found themselves trapped between the giants of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. Over the course of the war, these states were repeatedly occupied by different forces, and local government organizations and individuals were forced to choose between supporting the occupying forces or forming partisan units to resist their occupation. Devastated during the German invasion, these states then became the site of some of the most vicious fighting during the Soviet counterattack and push towards Berlin.
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Great listgen
- By Michael Blount on 07-09-20
By: Prit Buttar
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From the Realm of a Dying Sun, Volume 1
- IV. SS-Panzerkorps and the Battles for Warsaw, July - November 1944
- By: Douglas E. Nash Sr.
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 28 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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The histories of the first three SS corps are well known - the actions of I, II, and III (Germanic) SS-Panzerkorps and their subordinate divisions, including the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, Das Reich, Hitlerjugend, Hohenstaufen, Frundsberg, and Nordland divisions, have been thoroughly documented and publicized. Overlooked in this pantheon is another SS corps that never fought in the west or in Berlin but one that participated in many of the key battles fought on the Eastern Front during the last year of the war - the IV SS-Panzerkorps.
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Excellent top to bottom
- By Anonymous User on 11-01-20
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The Battle for Moscow
- By: David Stahel
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In November 1941, Hitler ordered German forces to complete the final drive on the Soviet capital, now less than 100 kilometers away. Army Group Center was pressed into the attack for one last attempt to break Soviet resistance before the onset of winter. From the German perspective, the final drive on Moscow had all the ingredients of a dramatic final battle in the east, which, according to previous accounts, only failed at the gates of Moscow.
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Classic Stahel
- By abulbulian on 06-15-24
By: David Stahel
What listeners say about On a Knife’s Edge
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-21-21
interesting book
It's a comprehensive treatment of the Eastern Front during this period. It would be easy to just talk about Stalingrad, but thankfully the book avoids that trap.
The only real downside to this book is the subject matter - it covers large military operations, with frequent geographical references. This is not an audio friendly topic.
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2 people found this helpful
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- J. Acosta
- 06-05-22
Five critical months that left a delicate balance
Germany was not finished militarily after the Stalingrad debacle. Buttar examines that battle and Germany’s subsequent recovery on the southeastern front, and details how its forces stopped and countered the Soviet Army’s post-Stalingrad momentum. Illustrates the Soviet Army’s quick learning curve from lessons learned in 1941 and 1942 to become Germany’s equal in tactical operations. Demonstrates the connection between Hitler’s political goals and operational micro-managing, and the German forces’ failure to exploit opportunities to the fullest, which set the stage for the Battle of Kursk. Interspersed with first-person accounts on both sides which describe this front’s brutality on the soldiers, civilians, land, and resources of the Ukraine.
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- Lia Fiery
- 09-10-23
Factual and gripping
Roger Clark keeps you interested and informed , very well done . The appalling losses on both sides as two evil empires slug it out to the death.
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- JuneG
- 05-05-22
Research paper quality
I’ve listened to dozens of WWI & II historical audiobooks and this is definitely one of the most detailed and precise. It seems to be written by and for military historians, and almost seems like a strategic level after-action-report.
What it is NOT is a soldier’s tale of the Eastern front. The first hand accounts are from Field Marshall’s biography’s and journals, there’s nothing I can remember from the enlisted point or view.
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- Mojo Joe
- 08-01-21
Gold Standard History of the WW2 Eastern Front
The Eastern Front trilogy by Prit Buttar is history at its finest. Well researched, well written, well performed. But, it may not be for every reader.
If you are a hard core reader of history, you will cherish the many minutes you spent listening to this trilogy, but this is not history-lite. The extraordinary detail in these books will challenge your powers of concentration. I found myself frequently jumping back to re-listen. So, a caution for the faint of heart: this trilogy is a deep dive.
If you inclined to jump into this history, I strongly recommend that you get detailed maps before starting. You will probably find no better collection than this extraordinary set of detailed maps: https://inflab.medium.com/eastern-front-maps-of-world-war-ii-17f4a26545e9
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- Susan
- 10-24-20
very good overview of the 42/43 time period
good weaving of strategic overview of Manstine and STAVKA with personal "on the ground" accounts. well done
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- Anonymous User
- 01-19-24
For the most part a very good blow by blow account of the eastern front late 1942 to early 1943.
I liked this telling of the combat on the Eastern Front, but with a few exceptions. The story harped about so called “German atrocities” on the Eastern Front way too much. He never mentions the fact that over 100,000 Ukrainians served along side German soldiers of the Wehrmacht including the tens of thousands that fought with the Germans at Stalingrad. He never mentions the tens of thousands of Ukrainians who volunteered to fight with the Waffen SS and including as concentration camp guards. He never explains that most of the so called “atrocities” were really reprisals against the partisans who were basically bands of mass murderers without uniforms. He never mentions that many of the pogroms against the Jews were committed by the Poles, Latvians, Lithuanians and Ukrainians. In a sentence, this would have been perfect without the anti-German bias and the lying communist accounts of the battles.
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- Gondy08
- 11-05-21
I’m from West Virginia and it’s RREAY GREAT!
I think this is a great book and a great lol at both sides of not just a great battle of WW2 but parts of the battle they really don’t talk about and the 3 allies of Nazi germany you don’t hear much about! I love it and listened to it to three times and it never gets old and the narrator is really good at keeping you in to the book and it is very detailed about the subject about the surrounding of Stalingrad and the 6th army !
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- Anonymous User
- 01-08-23
Great pick for better understanding at this front
Very interesting and detailed to learn more of the different moments of the Eastern Front
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- Isabel Gobel
- 11-30-24
Excellent detail
Very great coverage of the battles. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the ‘42-43 campaign
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