The taking of Pest and Buda

Still slogging through From Stalingrad to Berlin by john Erikson. It's long and dry and tedious mainly, but since ive wanted to read his two deeply authoritative books on the Russian-German war sine the early 1980's. I finished the first volume before school let out, and have cut this book into three parts - 1943, to be read (successfully,a s it turned out) in june; 1944, to be finished in July(finished on 1 Aug.- close enough); and 1945, to be finished in August before school starts (to be seen). The book is so sloggish that planning out some sorta schedule was necessary for myself.

Per usual for long tedious books that I read, there is an initial rush when it first starts, then a period where I drop it completely, then a determination to finish it - and finally a rush and a push to finish it when 'a lite @ the end... ' appears. Seems I'm near the final stage. I got 200 pages to go - but it was 310 only 5 days ago - so I am working @ it. If i don't get to another lull, I mite kill it by next week. here's hoping.

A big issue with reading this summer was to get Ericksons books read, and then read stuff on the Russian German War that was published after 1990 and the fall of the Soviet union. (Yes, I know I have written of this before- persevere) I was expecting lots and lots of new revelations that had been hidden behind the Iron Curtain and all that - but I have a feeling that a lot of stuff had already been out. I am in no way a Soviet expert or whatever - but I think basically that what you get in Ericksons books (written 1975 and 1983) is to the most part generally what happened. And a lot of that credit, i think, goes to Erickson. He uses a vast array of sources from the Soviet side as well as stuff that the Germans had captured in the early parts of the war. He had numerous talks with many of the living Soviet officers (no, no Stalin or Beria - or Hitler, for that matter). It may get tedious, but it also supports a lot of what I have read post 1990 published. Now I know full well there are various parts and points where this statement by me isnt supported - but mainly ..... the phrase I think of is that the general outlines of the War remain the same - although the details dazzle ... and if the 'god' I seek in reading these books is new views on the War, then in this case maybe God truly is in the details.


And part of Ericksons success is that he really did popularize and publised the Soviet side of the story in the West. Again - and I am a prime example - most in the West were fed their particular countries war context in the post war period- despite the fact that 9 of every 10 Nazis soldiers were killed by the Russians. So for me, it was all Midway, D Day, Battle of the Bulge, Pearl Harbour, and the daylight bombing campaigns growing up. Only older me was able to sample the various theaters and then o to various ages of war. The Russians really appreciated Ericksons efforts to give the Soviet side of the story out for the record. This, i think was a huge help in opening doors for access to sources for his books.

Again - Pest and Buda have been finally taken, the Russian drive to the Oder is on and the end is near - well, in 200 pages, that is.