Hitler's Panzers East: World War II Reinterpreted

R.H.S. Stolfi's "Hitler's Panzers East" is a great read. The central thesis of the book is that had Hitler not stopped his armed forces -- specifically, Army Group Center under Bock -- by diverting them, they could have captured Moscow and quite possibly won World War II. Ultimately, the German armed forces reached the outskirts of Moscow with winter approaching. It is important to remember that there were 3 separate thrusts by the German army into the Soviet Union as part of Operation Barbarossa. Army Group North led by General Leeb was heading towards St. Petersburg (Leningrad); Army Group Center under General Bock was headed for Moscow; and Army Group South under General Von Rundstedt was driving for Stalingrad/Caucasus Mountains.

The central point: did Adolf Hitler's decision to divert Army Group Center in August 1941 southward (to take Kiev and assist Army Group South) prevent and delay Army Group Center's ability to seize Moscow? Stolfi makes a very convincing case that the answer is most assuredly YES. Relying on many German Army documents, German general's books/biographies, Stolfi makes a convincing case that Hitler's one chance to defeat the Soviet Union was in 1941, not 1942 or 1943.

http://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Panzers-East-World-Reinterpreted/dp/080612...