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Opening the Gates of Hell

Operation Barbarossa, June–July 1941

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Opening the Gates of Hell

By: Richard Hargreaves
Narrated by: Philip Pope
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Bloomsbury presents Opening the Gates of Hell: Operation Barbarossa, June-July 1941 by Richard Hargreaves, read by Philip Pope.

A unique account of the opening weeks of history’s largest, most brutal conflict, told through the eyes of those who were there and based on original source material from across Europe.

Opening the Gates of Hell is based on over a decade’s research in archives and sites across Europe. It is a ground-breaking examination of the start of the Nazi–Soviet conflict, a narrative history not just of the fighting, but also the impact on civilians, the atrocities committed by both sides and ethnic cleansing carried out by the inhabitants of the regions invaded.

This fascinating history tells the stories of bravery, cowardice, misery and horror through the eyes of those who were there including ordinary soldiers, generals, leaders, politicians and civilians on both sides. The book draws on published and unpublished sources from across Germany and Eastern Europe with the majority of the material never having appeared in English-language accounts of the conflict before.

The combination of combat accounts, analysis of high-level diplomacy and leadership and the visceral accounts of the atrocities committed by both sides gives this book a unique approach to the war on the Eastern Front and will ensure that it is regarded as the definitive work on the subject for many years to come.©2025 Richard Hargreaves (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Armed Forces Europe Germany Military Russia War Imperialism Soviet Union
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Critic reviews

The pace never lets up in this epic story, with its vast canvas. It is vividly told and finely detailed … plunging the reader into the spectacular but horrifying vortex of Operation Barbarossa.
Richard Hargreaves exhibits supreme skill at uncovering and synthesising obscure primary sources and contemporary reports to craft a visceral yet enthralling account of the opening stage of Barbarossa.
Elegantly written, yet relentlessly searing in its content, Hargreaves’ new history of the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa, which weaves together grand strategy and heart-breaking personal testimony, sets a new benchmark for the subject.
Richard Hargreaves offers us an intricate and meticulous introduction to the start of [Operation Barbarossa]…The detail is extraordinary.
Without any doubt, this is a book that advances one's understanding and perspectives in relation to Barbarossa, making it highly recommended for those who study the fighting on the Eastern Front during the Second World War.
This is a powerful account of Operation Barbarossa and is essential reading for those seeking to understand a campaign that reshaped the scale and meaning of total war.
All stars
Most relevant
excellent in depth study and should be compulsory reading in schools ..it will show what our comming civil war may well sink to..gruesome but reality

excellent

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This is a very well researched book. Grim details of barbaric acts carried out on innocent people as Germany invaded Russia.

The first hand accounts of eyewitnesses

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Very good book highlights man’s inhumanity to man perpetrated by evil phycopaths. The sad thing is it is still happening today.

Excellent but horrific

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This was an absorbing, detailed and cautionary tale of the horrors of war and the depths to which humans can sink through unfounded ideologies. Drawing substantially on first hand accounts and records, it’s quite distinct from the more common accounts of war as battles and campaigns, focusing more on the human attrition and mindless slaughter of innocents, millions of them. Don’t let that put you off - it’s an education on the dark side of humanity when people become objects and targets

The real horror of atrocities in war

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You could tend to get confused at times between German and Russian forces, but that’s what a rewind button is for.

Gripping.

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