Antony Beevor

Den 6. juni 1944 ble Operasjon Overlord innledet – kodeordet for invasjonen i Normandie. Da de allierte troppene gikk i land på D-dagen var det den største amfibiske operasjonen verden noensinne hadde sett. Slaget om Normandie varte i åtti dager og skulle komme til å markere begynnelsen på slutten til den annen verdenskrig. I dette storslagne verket gir Antony Beevor den første omfattende skildringen av D-dagen i bokform som både tar for seg de allierte og de tyske soldatenes erfaringer, og ikke minst de franske siviles lidelser. Boken strekker seg fra planleggingen og landstigningen i Normandie, til de alliertes framrykking mot og befrielse av Paris. I det enorme kilde- og researcharbeidet har Beevor gått til de originale rapportene, til intervjuene som amerikanske krigshistorikere gjennomførte rett etter kampene, og ikke minst det store antallet dagbøker og brev som har blitt donert til arkiver og museer de senere årene. Det nye materialet viser at slaget om Normandie var langt mer brutalt enn hittil beskrevet. Med sin enestående evne til historiefortelling og formidling forener Beevor forståelsen av storpolitikk med en innsikt i skjebnene til sivilbefolkningen og de mange menige soldatene.

De amerikanske troppene inntar metropolen Paris i august 1944, og blir møtt av sterke gledescener. Men feiringen har også en bakside, og i skyggene tar motstandsbevegelsen et oppgjør med kollaboratørene. I tiden som følger utvikler Paris seg til å bli et intellektuelt og kulturelt sentrum, mens forholdet til USA blir svært ambivalent. Vi møter kunstnere, politikere og diplomater i et fascinerende miljø der intriger og maktkamp følger i krigens kjølvann. Ernest Hemingway, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein og Samuel Beckett er bare noen av personene i denne medrivende skildringen fra en avgjørende periode i europeisk politikk og kulturhistorie. Antony Beevor og Artemis Cooper tegner et bilde av Paris i etterkrigstiden som er fargerikt, balansert og fullt av vittige observasjoner.

Slaget om Stalingrad var et av de verste under andre verdenskrig, og ble et vendepunkt av stor militær og politisk betydning. Antony Beevors fortelling strekker seg fra tyskernes sommeroffensiv i 1942 til de kapitulerer i februar 1943. Vi får innblikk i de militære strategiene som lå til grunn for slaget, samtidig som de menneskelige lidelsene skildres med stor innlevelse. Nærkamp, sult og ekstrem kulde er bare noen av de ufattelige prøvelsene soldatene ble utsatt for. Antony Beevor gjør historien levende, forståelig og desto mer rystende.

Nazisympatisør eller russisk spion? Ingen ble riktig klok på den russiske skuespillerinnen Olga Tsjekhova. Hun vokser opp i Moskvas fargerike kunstnermiljø under den russiske revolusjon og den første verdenskrig. Tidlig bestemmer hun seg for å vende ryggen til fattigdommen i Russland og søke lykken i verdensmetropolen Berlin. Her blir hun filmdiva og Adolf Hitlers yndlingsskuespillerinne, samtidig som hun blir rekruttert som russisk agent. Antony Beevor har skrevet en medrivende og vidtspennende historie, ikke bare om en skuespillerinne og spion, men om revolusjonen og de store forandringene som oppsto i det russiske samfunnet rundt århundreskiftet og utover 1900-tallet.

Andre verdenskrig endte i Europa etter at nazistene mistet Berlin i et slag som skulle bli et av verdenshistoriens verste eksempler på krigens redsler. I sentrum av Antony Beevors historie står Hitler som gir sine siste desperate ordrer, og Stalin som ofrer 80 000 soldater for å hærta Berlin. Samtidig skildres Den røde armés brutale ferd mot byen med mord, voldtekter og ødeleggelser, og vi får et levende innblikk i sivilbefolkningens ufattelige lidelser. Den blodige Götterdämmerung ender når Hitler begår selvmord i førerbunkeren og Stalins Røde Armé noen dager senere har tatt kontroll over byen. På en unik måte forener Antony Beevor forståelse av storpolitikk og innsikt i skjebnene til sivilbefolkningen og de mange menige soldater.

Den 20. mai 1941 går tyskerne til et massivt angrep på Kreta – fra luften. Etter voldsomme kamper er de allierte nedkjempet. De mister ikke bare Kreta, men også makten i middelhavsområdet. For britene blir kampen om Kreta en militær fiasko, og øya kan først gjenerobres i krigens siste fase. Kreta – okkupasjon og motstand er en dramatisk fortelling om angrepet og om okkupasjonen av øya, men det er også en gripende skildring av soldatenes liv ved fronten. Antony Beevor viser oss på en enestående måte krigens redsler sett både med soldatenes og sivilbefolkningens øyne.

Den spanske borgerkrigen startet i 1936 da den nasjonalistiske generalen Francisco Franco gjorde opprør mot den sittende regjeringen. Etter tre år endte den med at han kom til makten som fascistdiktator. Antony Beevor forteller om et Spania som står i brann. Franco støttes av Tyskland med sine bombefly og Italia med sine "svartskjorter". Bare Sovjetunionen støtter den spanske regjeringen. Men fra hele verden strømmer frivillige til for å kjempe på republikkens side. Beevor gir oss et suverent historisk overblikk, samtidig som han levende skildrer skjebnene til sivile så vel som til krigens aktører.

Den 20. mai 1941 gikk tyskerne til et massivt angrep på Kreta – fra luften. Etter voldsomme kamper var de allierte nedkjempet. De mistet ikke bare Kreta, men også makten i middelhavsområdet. For britene ble kampen om Kreta en militær fiasko, og øya kunne først gjenerobres i krigens siste fase. Kreta – okkupasjon og motstand er en dramatisk fortelling om angrepet og om selve okkupasjonen av øya, men det er også en gripende skildring av soldatenes liv ved fronten. Antony Beevor, forfatter av millionselgeren Stalingrad, viser i denne boken krigens redsler sett både med soldatenes og sivilbefolkningens øyne.

20. mai 1941 gikk tyskerne til et massivt angrep på Kreta – fra luften. Etter voldsomme kamper var de allierte nedkjempet. De mistet ikke bare Kreta, men også makten i middelhavsområdet. For britene ble kampen om Kreta en militær fiasko. Øya kunne først gjenerobres i krigens siste fase. Kreta – okkupasjon og motstand er en dramatisk fortelling om forberedelsene og selve okkupasjonen av øya, men det er også en gripende skildring av soldatenes liv ved fronten. Antony Beevor viser krigens redsler sett med sivilbefolkningens og soldatenes øyne – som da tyskerne brente landsbyer og henrettet sivile.

The international million copy bestseller recounting the epic turning point of the WW2______________In October 1942, an officer wrote 'Stalingrad is no longer a town . . . Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure'. The battle for Stalingrad became the focus of Hitler and Stalin's determination and its citizens endured unimaginable hardship as a result. But the eventual victory of the Red Army, and the failure of Hitler's Operation Barbarossa, was the first defeat of Hitler's territorial ambitions in Europe, and the start of his decline. An extraordinary story of tactical genius, civilian bravery, obsession, carnage and the nature of war itself, Stalingrad will act as a testament to the vital role of the soviet war effort.______________'He reveals the full awfulness and human cost of the conflict with scholarly verve and deep sympathy' Ben Macintyre'A superb re-telling. Beevor combines a soldier's understanding of war's realities with the narrative techniques of a novelist' Orlando Figes, Sunday Telegraph'A brilliantly researched tour de force of military history' Sarah Bradford, The Times

A remarkable historical account of the chaos and uncertainty that followed the liberation of Paris in August, 1944'A beautifully written book about a vast tapestry of military, political and social upheaval. Remarkably well-researched, wise, balanced, very funny at times' Dirk Bogarde______________ Post-liberation Paris: an epoch charged with political and conflicting emotions. Liberation was greeted with joy but marked by recriminations and the trauma of purges. The feverish intellectual arguments of the young took place amidst the mundane reality of hunger and fuel shortages. This is a thrilling, unsurpassed account of the drama and upheaval of one of history's most fascinating eras.______________'A dashing, multi-dimensional story. This book covers all aspects of life - diplomacy, strategy, rationing, politics and politicking (from Churchill, Pétain's and de Gaulle's point of view), the international theatricals and the tourist invasion, blitzkrieg and Ritzkrieg' Olivier Todd, Sunday Times'Absorbing . . . a rich, many-layered account, selecting from official documents, private archives, memoirs and histories with a wonderful lightness of touch, so that the most complex events become clear' Jenny Uglow, Independent on Sunday

THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER ON THE LAST DAYS OF THE THIRD REICH2025 marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Read and remember the history that led to this important moment.'Recounts, in harrowing detail and with formidable skill, the brutal death-throes of Hitler's Reich at the hands of the rampaging Red Army' Boyd Tonkin, Independent'An irresistibly compelling narrative, of events so terrible that they still have the power to provoke wonder and awe' Adam Sisman, ObserverThe Red Army had much to avenge when it finally reached the frontiers of the Reich in January 1945. Political instructors rammed home the message of Wehrmacht and SS brutality. The result was the most terrifying example of fire and sword ever known, with tanks crushing refugee columns under their tracks, mass rape, pillage and destruction. Hundreds of thousands of women and children froze to death or were massacred because Nazi Party chiefs, refusing to face defeat, had forbidden the evacuation of civilians. Over seven million fled westwards from the terror of the Red Army. Antony Beevor reconstructs the experiences of those millions caught up in the nightmare of the Third Reich's final collapse, telling a terrible story of pride, stupidity, fanaticism, revenge and savagery ­- but also one of astonishing endurance, self-sacrifice and survival against all odds.'Makes us feel the chaos and the fear as if every drop of blood was our own . . . compellingly readable, deeply researched, and beautifully written' Simon Sebag Montefiore, Spectator'Brilliant. Combines a soldier's understanding of war's realities with a novelist's eye for detail' Orlando Figes, Sunday Times'Startling, chilling, compelling. Beevor's writing burns like a torch at night in a landscape of ruins'Literary Review'Powerful, diligently researched and beautifully written . . . even better than Stalingrad' Andrew Roberts, Mail on Sunday

The bestselling author of STALINGRAD and BERLIN: THE DOWNFALL on the Spanish Civil War, drawing on masses of newly discovered material from the Spanish, Russian and German archives. The civil war that tore Spain apart between 1936 and 1939 and attracted liberals and socialists from across the world to support the cause against Franco was one of the most hard-fought and bitterest conflicts of the 20th century: a war of atrocities and political genocide and a military testing ground before WWII for the Russians, Italians and Germans, whose Condor Legion so notoriously destroyed Guernica. Antony Beevor's account narrates the origins of the Civil War and its violent and dramatic course from the coup d'etat in July 1936 through the savage fighting of the next three years which ended in catastrophic defeat for the Republicans in 1939. And he succeeds especially well in unravelling the complex political and regional forces that played such an important part in the origins and history of the war.

A fresh and acclaimed account of the Spanish Civil War by the bestselling author of Stalingrad and The Battle of Arnhem To mark the 70th anniversary of the Spanish Civil War's outbreak, Antony Beevor has written a completely updated and revised account of one of the most bitter and hard-fought wars of the twentieth century. With new material gleaned from the Russian archives and numerous other sources, this brisk and accessible book (Spain's #1 bestseller for twelve weeks), provides a balanced and penetrating perspective, explaining the tensions that led to this terrible overture to World War II and affording new insights into the war-its causes, course, and consequences.

Acclaimed historian and best-selling author Antony Beevor vividly brings to life the epic struggles that took place in Second World War Crete - reissued with a new introduction.'The best book we have got on Crete' ObserverThe Germans expected their airborne attack on Crete in 1941 - a unique event in the history of warfare - to be a textbook victory based on tactical surprise. They had no idea that the British, using Ultra intercepts, knew their plans and had laid a carefully-planned trap. It should have been the first German defeat of the war, but a fatal misunderstanding turned the battle round. Nor did the conflict end there. Ferocious Cretan freedom fighters mounted a heroic resistance, aided by a dramatic cast of British officers from Special Operations Executive.

In his latest work, Antony Beevor--bestselling author of Stalingrad and The Battle of Arnhem and one of our most respected historians of World War II--brings us the true, little-known story of a family torn apart by revolution and war. Olga Chekhova, a stunning Russian beauty, was the niece of playwright Anton Chekhov and a famous Nazi-era film actress who was closely associated with Hitler. After fleeing Bolshevik Moscow for Berlin in 1920, she was recruited by her composer brother Lev to become a Soviet spy--a career she spent her entire postwar life denying. The riveting story of how Olga and her family survived the Russian Revolution, the rise of Hitler, the Stalinist Terror, and the Second World War becomes, in Beevor's hands, a breathtaking tale of survival in a merciless age.

'An extraordinary drama of exile and espionage' Boyd Tonkin, Independent'Compelling . . . as engaging a read as Stalingrad and Berlin' Guardian______________Olga Chekhova was the niece of playwright Anton Chekhov and a Russian beauty. She was also a famous Nazi-era film actress, closely associated with Adolf Hitler. After fleeing Bolshevik Moscow for Berlin in 1920, she was recruited by her composer brother Lev to work for Soviet intelligence; in return, her family were allowed to join her. By 1945, several of them were trapped in Berlin as the Red Army approached; meanwhile, as Olga had appeared in photographs with Hitler and his entourage, the rest of her family in Moscow were waiting to be arrested by the NKVD secret police. The dramatic tale of how one family survived through the Russian Revolution, the Civil War, the rise of Hitler and Stalin, and the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union is, in Antony Beevor's hands, a breathtaking tale of glamour and survival. It's an extraordinary story of extraordinary times.______________'Fascinating. An intricate, gracefully told and often moving social history of a talented family in times of revolution, civil war, dictatorship and world conflict' Rachel Polonsky, New Statesman

"A rich and intriguing story whcih the authors disentangle with great skill."--Sunday Telegraph From Antony Beevor, the internationally bestselling author of D-Day and The Battle of Arnhem In this brilliant synthesis of social, political, and cultural history, Antony Beevor and Artemis Cooper present a vivid and compelling portrayal of the City of Lights after its liberation. Paris became the diplomatic battleground in the opening stages of the Cold War. Against this volatile political backdrop, every aspect of life is portrayed: scores were settled in a rough and uneven justice, black marketers grew rich on the misery of the population, and a growing number of intellectual luminaries and artists including Hemingway, Beckett, Camus, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Cocteau, and Picassocontributed new ideas and a renewed vitality to this extraordinary moment in time.

“The best account yet written on the death knell of Hitler’s vaunted Thousand Year Reich.”—Carol D’Este, The New York Times Book Review The Red Army's invasion of Berlin in January 1945 was one of the most terrifying examples of fire and sword in history. Frenzied by terrible memories of Wehrmacht and SS brutality, the Russians wreaked havoc, leaving hundreds of thousands of civilians dead and millions more fleeing westward. Drawing upon newly available material from former Soviet files, as well as from German, American, British, French, and Swedish archives, bestselling author Antony Beevor vividly recounts the experiences of the millions of civilians and soldiers caught up in the nightmare of the Third Reich's final collapse. Now this New York Times bestseller is available in a trade paper edition.

The Battle of Stalingrad was not only the psychological turning point of World War II: it also changed the face of modern warfare. From Antony Beevor, the internationally bestselling author of D-Day and The Battle of Arnhem. In August 1942, Hitler's huge Sixth Army reached the city that bore Stalin's name. In the five-month siege that followed, the Russians fought to hold Stalingrad at any cost; then, in an astonishing reversal, encircled and trapped their Nazi enemy. This battle for the ruins of a city cost more than a million lives. Stalingrad conveys the experience of soldiers on both sides, fighting in inhuman conditions, and of civilians trapped on an urban battlefield. Antony Beevor has itnerviewed survivors and discovered completely new material in a wide range of German and Soviet archives, including prisoner interrogations and reports of desertions and executions. As a story of cruelty, courage, and human suffering, Stalingrad is unprecedented and unforgettable. Historians and reviewers worldwide have hailed Antony Beevor's magisterial Stalingrad as the definitive account of World War II's most harrowing battle.