The Drive on Moscow, 1941
Operation Taifun and Germany’s First Great Crisis of World War II
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Narrated by:
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Dave Courvoisier
About this listen
At the end of September 1941, more than a million German soldiers lined up along the frontline just 180 miles west of Moscow. They were well trained, confident, and had good reasons to hope that the war in the East would be over with one last offensive. Facing them was an equally large Soviet force, but whose soldiers were neither as well trained nor as confident. When the Germans struck, disaster soon befell the Soviet defenders. German panzer spearheads cut through enemy defenses and thrust deeply to encircle most of the Soviet soldiers on the approaches to Moscow. Within a few weeks, most of them marched into captivity, where a grim fate awaited them.
Despite the overwhelming initial German success, however, the Soviet capital did not fall. German combat units as well as supply transport were bogged down in mud caused by autumn rains. General Zhukov was called back to Moscow and given the desperate task to recreate defense lines west of Moscow. The mud allowed him time to accomplish this, and when the Germans again began to attack in November, they met stiffer resistance. Even so, they came perilously close to the capital, and if the vicissitudes of weather had cooperated, would have seized it. Though German units were also fighting desperately by now, the Soviet build-up soon exceeded their own.
The Drive on Moscow: Operation Taifun, 1941 is based on numerous archival records, personal diaries, letters, and other sources. It recreates the battle from the perspective of the soldiers as well as the generals. The battle, not fought in isolation, had a crucial role in the overall German strategy in the East, and its outcome reveals why the failure of the German assault on Moscow may well have been true turning point of World War II.
Niklas Zetterling is a researcher at the Swedish Defense College. Along with Anders Frankson he has previously written Kursk 1943: A Statistical Analysis and The Korsun Pocket: The Encirclement and Breakout of a German Army in the East, 1944. Both authors currently live in Sweden.
©2012 Niklas Zetterling and Anders Frankson (P)2013 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Story
While the Battle of Kursk has long captivated World War II aficionados, it has been unjustly overlooked by historians. Drawing on the masses of new information made available by the opening of the Russian military archives, Dennis E. Showalter at last corrects that error. This battle was the critical turning point on World War II's Eastern Front. In the aftermath of the Red Army's brutal repulse of the Germans at Stalingrad, the stakes could not have been higher.
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Big Ups to Prof. Showalter and Audible
- By Placeholder on 08-28-13
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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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The Battle of the Tanks
- Kursk, 1943
- By: Lloyd Clark
- Narrated by: David Baker
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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On July 5, 1943, the greatest land battle in history began when Nazi and Red Army forces clashed near the town of Kursk, on the western border of the Soviet Union. Code named Operation Citadel, the German offensive would cut through the bulge in the eastern front that had been created following Germany's retreat at the battle of Stalingrad. But the Soviets, well informed about Germany's plans through their network of spies, had months to prepare.
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Good enough
- By Val Shebeko on 05-28-15
By: Lloyd Clark
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Snow & Steel
- The Battle of the Bulge 1944-45
- By: Peter Caddick-Adams
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer, Tim Reynolds
- Length: 31 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Between December 16, 1944 and January 15, 1945, American forces found themselves entrenched in the heavily forested Ardennes region of Belgium, France, and Luxembourg defending against an advancing German army amid freezing temperatures, deep snow, and dense fog. Operation Herbstnebel - Autumn Mist - was a massive German counter-offensive that stunned the Allies in its scope and intensity.
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fascinating and thorough, painful narration
- By richard on 01-05-15
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Where the Iron Crosses Grow
- The Crimea 1941-44
- By: Robert Forczyk
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The Crimea was one of the crucibles of the war on the Eastern Front, where first a Soviet and then a German army were surrounded, fought desperate battles, and were eventually destroyed. The fighting in the region was unusual for the Eastern Front in many ways, in that naval supply, amphibious landings, and naval evacuation played major roles, while both sides were also conducting ethnic cleansing as part of their strategy - the Germans eliminating the Jews and the Soviets purging the region of Tartars.
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names, places,troop strength and commanders
- By richard on 02-19-15
By: Robert Forczyk
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A Dark and Bloody Ground: The Hurtgen Forest and the Roer River Dams, 1944-1945
- By: Edward G. Miller
- Narrated by: Peter Hassinger
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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victorious American army, having driven through Belgium almost unopposed, ran head-on into German soldiers on their own home ground, in some of the most rugged country in western Germany - and at the beginning of the worst fall and winter weather in decades.
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Gripping story of a little known corner of WW2.
- By The Bookwyrm Speaks on 09-24-16
By: Edward G. Miller
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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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Inside the Nazi War Machine
- How Three Generals Unleashed Hitler's Blitzkrieg Upon the World
- By: Bevin Alexander
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Under orders of the Fuhrer, the German General Staff reluctantly drew up a lackluster plan of invasion for France. Yet it was the audacious scheme of three of Hitler’s top generals that brought down France’s military force, Rather than simply move troops to engage the enemy, for the first time they would unleash the tank and drive straight into the heart of their foe.
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Good listen ..... however...
- By Alan on 06-10-13
By: Bevin Alexander
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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 Frozen Chosen
- The 1st Marine Division and the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir
- By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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The Frozen Chosen is an account of the breakout from the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea by the First Marine Division from November to December 1950, following the intervention of Red China in the Korean War. Fought during the worst blizzard in a century, it is considered by the US Marine Corps to be the Corps' finest hour. Fourteen Medals of Honor, a record for any American battle, and 85 Navy Crosses attest to the intensity of the battle.
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Fascinating story, very bad narration
- By Mat J Monk on 03-31-17
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Third Reich Victorious
- Alternate Histories of World War II
- By: Peter G. Tsouras
- Narrated by: David Baker
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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This book is a stimulating and entirely plausible insight into how Hitler and his generals might have defeated the Allies, and a convincing sideways look at the Third Reich's bid at world domination in World War II. What would have happened if, for example, the Germans captured the whole of the BEF at Dunkirk? Or if the RAF had been defeated in the Battle of Britain?
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A fresh look at WW2 - false but makes one wonder.
- By Eggert Eggertsson on 09-05-15
By: Peter G. Tsouras
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Blitzkrieg
- From the Ground Up
- By: Niklas Zetterling
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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The successes of the German Blitzkrieg in 1939-41 were as surprising as they were swift. Allied decision-makers wanted to discover the secret to German success quickly, even though only partial, incomplete information was available to them. The false conclusions drawn became myths about the Blitzkrieg that have lingered for decades.
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An interesting perspective
- By OCreviewer on 09-11-19
What listeners say about The Drive on Moscow, 1941
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Tuomas
- 06-28-16
Please Remove the Silly Accents
What made the experience of listening to The Drive on Moscow, 1941 the most enjoyable?
The story is told in an interesting manner, without sacrificing detail.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Dave Courvoisier?
If he just would drop the ridiculous accents on Germans and Russians, there would be no reason to change narrator.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Carrick
- 07-03-14
Add the maps, lose the accents
Would you consider the audio edition of The Drive on Moscow, 1941 to be better than the print version?
No due to absence of maps available for the audio edition.
What did you like best about this story?
Detailed research
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
I really wish narrators of historical nonfiction would not adopt cheesy accents when reading quoted first person accounts. Just read. Save the acting for fiction titles,
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4 people found this helpful
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- Scott
- 01-17-18
Good review of an important battle
Like most military books I listen too, not having maps available to understand the shape of the battle was challenging. However, the reader did a fine job of pronouncing Russian and German names which helped keep the story clear.
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- Robert
- 05-05-14
Choppy but excellent overall
What made the experience of listening to The Drive on Moscow, 1941 the most enjoyable?
The book in its entirety. Parts were weak. Author brought it all together finally.
What did you like best about this story?
The author's perspective and reasoning about the role of The Drive on Moscow in WWII.
Would you be willing to try another one of Dave Courvoisier’s performances?
Yes will try, but not looking forward to it. He sounds like an ad reader rather than a book reader.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When the author stopped talking about deep details and spoke about the decision to be at Moscow's door and why Germany lost. His analysis about the role of the weather is brilliant.
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- Dom
- 07-15-23
Competent Narrative, Unconvincing/Lacking Thesis
Overall, this text makes interesting points, especially related to the German priorities of war production. However, the thesis is not well formed and of itself not born out by the narrative. The text leaves the impression that weather and conditions and operational choices halted the Germans more than resistance (which is not difficult to agree with). In fact the Germans, other than encircling the city, scored a major operational success , despite being forced to retreat. Ultimately, while a chronological narrative is examined as to why the advance was halted, little explanation is conducted related to why it was essential to win at that exact moment and why the war could not be won as a result of that moment. It would have been better to argue that merely going to war with Russia was the moment the war was lost, but this would defeat the purpose of the book. More disappointingly, once the advance comes to a halt, so does the book. To make matters worse, the accents adopted by the Narrator only detract from the otherwise bland reading. In contrast, I would recommend reading/listening to David Stahel's "Retreat from Moscow".
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- Platypus
- 10-24-13
You need a map
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
It was reasonably well-spent
What do you think your next listen will be?
Bill The Bastard
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
The way in which the distances were always converted to imperial measurements for those who do not think metric was annoying. I don't think that anyone who took the time to listen to the book would have needed the distance conversion.
Could you see The Drive on Moscow, 1941 being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
Perhaps. Don't know
Any additional comments?
You really need a map to appreciate the locations and where the battles occurred.
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- Matt
- 06-16-22
Decent
It needs maps downloadable as pdfs. Also the narrator should stop doing accents. But overall enjoyable and informative.
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