Michael K. Jones's new history of Stalingrad offers a radical reinterpretation of the most famous battle of the Second World War. His concise and compelling account combines eyewitness testimony, a painstaking study of the battleground and the previously unpublished recollections of senior Red Army officers who give a dramatic insight into the thinking of the Russian high command. In particular he focuses on the story of the Russian 62nd Army which began the campaign in utter demoralisation, yet turned the tables on the powerful German 6th Army which Hitler claimed could storm the gates of heaven itself. As he recounts the course of the battle and seeks to explain the Red Army's extraordinary performance, the author takes a novel approach - battle psychology. He emphasizes the vital role of leadership, morale and motivation which were critical factors in a triumph that turned the course of the war."While I'm sure this is a good book and a worthy read, I'm not sure the facts are all that complicated.
The 62d army were trapped like rats. They had the wehrmacht in front, the Volga behind, and nowhere to go in the middle. Every mammal will fight ferociously when trapped, including Red Army mammals. As it happened they had a number of mitigating circumstances in their favor that were beyond anyone's control. The biggest being that combat in a destroyed urban landscape turns out to be a huge playing field leveler...