To be published by Vaktel förlag and Casemate Publishing in June 2016, in connection with the 75th anniversary of Operation Barbarossa!

Christer Bergström, author of the book, is a well-known and highly acclaimed expert and author of books on the Second World War, and in particular on the Eastern Front. He has written 26 books on the Second World War, about half of them dealing with various aspects on the Eastern Front. For instance, his series ”Black Cross/Red Star: Air War over the Eastern Front” from 2000 and onward is very successful and is commonly regarded as THE standard work on the air war on the Eastern Front.

Christer Bergström’s two latest books, ”The Ardennes 1944-1945: Hitler’s Winter Offensive” (2014) and ”The Battle of Britain” (2015) have been quite successful and have received very positive reviews.

Based on decades of research work in both German and Russian archives, as well as interviews with a large number of key figures and veterans, ”Operation Barbarossa: The Largest Military Campaign in History: Hitler Against Stalin”, will bring the knowledge on the war on the Eastern Front several big steps forward. It reveals and dispels very many myths and misconceptions regarding the war on the Eastern front. Here is a sample:

* The myth of mass surrenders by Soviet soldiers

* The myth of the vast differences in troop casualies between the two sides on the Eastern Front.

*The myth about the Master Spy Sorge’s contribution to the alleged relocation of the Soviet Far East armies that are supposed to have saved Moscow.

* The myth of the Soviet partisans.

* Myths and legends concerning Finland’s participation in Operation Barbarossa.

* The myth that it was the Arctic cold that halted the German offensive.

Moreover, several previously unkown facts are presented in this book, such as the massive scale of rapes committed by German troops on the Eastern Front. (At the same time, the modern version of ”the criminal Wehrmacht” is nuanced. War crimes are described, and at the same time exaggerations are dispelled.)

”Operation Barbarossa: The Largest Military Campaign in History: Hitler Against Stalin” is an objective account, balanced 50-50 between both sides in the narrative. The book is based on first-hand archive material from both Russia and Germany, as well as on interviews with numerous veterans from both sides.

Dramatic eye-witness accounts play an important role in the book, and are given a generous space.

The book is in large format (like ”The Ardennes” and ”The Battle of Britain”) and illustrated with over 250 photos (many of them absolutely unique, never previously published), and a several clear and detailed maps.

22 June 2016 will be the 75th anniversary of Operation Barbarossa. That will definitely be commemorated to a quite large extent in the media, and it will increase the interest in learning more about it. ”Operation Barbarossa: The Largest Military Campaign in History: Hitler Against Stalin” will be published in time for the 75th anniversary. It will be published simultaneously in English, Spanish, Swedish and Finnish.