The Lighthouse of Stalingrad
The Hidden Truth at the Centre of WWII's Greatest Battle
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The Lighthouse of Stalingrad
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Narrated by:
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Kris Dyer
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By:
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Iain MacGregor
About this listen
The sacrifices that enabled the Soviet Union to defeat Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-45 are sacrosanct. The foundation of their eventual victory was laid during the battle for the city of Stalingrad, resting on the banks of the river Volga. For Germany, the catastrophic defeat was the beginning of their eventual demise that would see the Red Army two years later flying their flag of victory above the Reichstag. Stalingrad is seen as the pivotal battle of the Second World War, with over two million civilians and combatants either killed, wounded or captured during the bitter winter of September 1942. Both sides endured terrible conditions in brutal house-to-house fighting reminiscent of the Great War.
Within this life-and-death struggle for the heart of the city and situated on the frontline was a key strategic building, codenamed: 'The Lighthouse'. Here, a small garrison of Red Army guardsmen withstood German aerial bombardments and fought off daily assaults of infantry and armour. Red Army newspaper reports at the time would be seized upon by the Moscow media needing to place a positive spin on the fighting that had at one point looked beyond salvation. By the end of the war, the story of this building would gather further momentum to inspire Russians to rebuild their destroyed towns and cities until it became the legend it is today, renamed after the simple sergeant who had supposedly led the defence - 'Pavlov's House'.
In time for the eightieth anniversary, The Lighthouse of Stalingrad will shed fresh insight on this iconic battle through the prism of the men who fought one another over five months and the officers who commanded them. A riveting narrative, informed by both German and Russian archives to unearth unpublished memoirs and eyewitness testimonies from veterans and civilians alike, this book will celebrate the real heroes and provide a truer picture of how this mighty battle finally ended.
202, Military History Matters Book of the Year Award, Winner
©2022 Iain MacGregor (P)2022 Hachette Audio UKListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Stunning. History at its very best: a blend of impeccably researched scholarship, genuinely revelatory primary sources, and a beautifully written narrative." (James Holland)
"The sheer brutal intimacy of his descriptions of the fighting are extraordinary." (Frederick Taylor)
"A wonderful and important and timely book." (Alexander Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Bedford Boys and First Wave)
What listeners say about The Lighthouse of Stalingrad
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Stewie
- 08-09-24
Nothing new
The narrator would be best off sticking to children’s story’s. I felt like I was being patronised for the entire book. The content is of great interest, but really if you read a lot on Stalingrad - you’re not learning anything new. Although there is an interesting account from some unpublished memoirs.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- jules
- 13-08-22
be careful
absolutely unlistenable narration, I would encourage people to listen to the sample piece first,
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amanda
- 04-08-22
Excellent
Does not replace A. Beever's book but excellent alongside it, adding useful information and a corrective.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Lukas Daalder
- 24-08-22
Lukas
The story of Stalingrad continues to be epic. This book does not add too much to the tale though, even if the author has unearthed some new firsthand insights.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Philip Kennedy
- 25-09-22
Not great I’m afraid.
I don’t doubt the author undertook a huge amount of research and discovered new facts. The narrator had an unusual style that has upset others but I coped. The narrative largely, but by no means entirely, from a Russian point of view was interesting. The story jumped about a bit and at times got bogged down in detail. It ended up being a bit of an endurance listen.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nerdy Bru
- 31-08-22
Highly detailed and good but….
The book describes very well the run-up to the extraordinary battle and siege of Stalingrad but dear oh dear the narrator isn’t to my taste personally and I suspect many peoples with a very strange manner of reading which I found just too difficult to allow me to complete the listen.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- C
- 15-01-23
Worst reader ever
This may well be a compelling book about what is a genuinely amazing story but it is unlistenable due to the incredibly untalented and monotonous reader,
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 07-11-23
Horrible narration - reasonable content
Narration is grim. Sounds like Julian Clary telling a naughty story, not a blow-by-blow account of one of the most decisive battles in history.
Content is sometimes 'this regiment moved here then this regiment moved there' but is generally interesting.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- paul davus
- 05-08-22
A bit repetitive and rambling
Feels like it's got a lot of padding, suddenly jumping back in the middle to give a potted history of the city. One account of bitter hand to hand fighting over one building sounds much like another. Got a much better idea of the what, why and who of Stalingrad from listening to a one hour podcast.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Woody
- 27-01-23
Very poor voice actor
Found this unlistenable. The voice actor is poor and delivery is stumbling and poorly paced.
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