The Siege of Brest, 1941: A Legend of Red Army Resistance on the Eastern Front

by Rostislav Aliev, Stuart Britton (Translator)

Overview

A Russian historian recounts the legendary Soviet defense of Brest against Nazi invasion in this lively and authoritative WWII chronicle.

On June 22nd, 1941, Hitler’s Operation Barbarossa began with the Nazi attack on the Soviet frontier fortress of Brest. Across a massive front stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea, the German forces advanced, taking the Red Army by surprise and brushing aside the first stunned defenses. But the isolated stronghold of Brest held out. The defenders, trapped and without hope of relief, put up a tenacious resistance against an entire Wehrmacht division as the Soviet front collapsed behind them.

The heroic defense of Brest has become one of the legends of the Second World War on the Eastern Front, an example of selfless Soviet heroism in the face of Nazi aggression. Rostislav Aliev describes the fighting, hour by hour, in vivid detail. In the process, he strips away the myths and exaggerations that have grown up around this famous story.

Using eyewitness testimony and extensive research, Aliev reconstructs each stage of the siege. From the shock of the initial artillery barrage, he describes the defenders’ chaotic struggle to organize resistance, their doomed counter-attacks, the continuous pounding of German guns and bombs, the grim fate of the Soviet survivors, and the extraordinary resistance of small groups of soldiers operating in the underground passages of the shattered fortress.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473826946
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/31/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

On 22 June 1941, soon after 3am, the first German shells smashed into the Soviet frontier fortress of Brest – Hitler’s Operation Barbarossa had begun. Across a massive front stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea, the Wehrmacht advanced, taking the Red Army by surprise, brushing aside the first stunned resistance, breaking through and taking thousands of prisoners, but the isolated stronghold of Brest held out. The defenders, trapped and without hope of relief, put up a tenacious resistance against an entire German division as the Soviet front collapsed behind them. The Germans had allowed twelve hours to secure the area, but it took them nine days. The heroic defence of Brest has become one of the legends of the Second World War on the Eastern Front, an example of selfless Soviet heroism in the face of Nazi aggression. Rotislav Aliev, in this gripping narrative, describes the fighting in vivid detail, hour by hour, and he strips away the myths and exaggerations that have grown up around this famous story.

Table of Contents

Maps vii

Translator's Note xv

Introduction 1

Part I Thunderstorm is Approaching 5

1 'Gentlemen, our objective is Brest-Litovsk' 6

2 King Tiger 14

3 The Brest Fortress 23

4 'Dortmund' 43

Part II The Assault 67

5 Like a Knife through Butter 68

6 Like a Scythe around a Stone 101

7 The Church of Saint Nikolai 123

Part III Mopping Up 145

8 Leutnant Hurm's Operation 146

9 The Officers' House 175

10 The East Fort 204

Epilogue 215