Colonel Wilhelm Adam, senior ADC to General Paulus, commander of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad, wrote a compelling and controversial memoir describing the German defeat, his time as a prisoner of war with Paulus, and his conversion to communism. Now, for the first time, his German text has been translated into English. His account gives an intimate insight into events at the 6th Army headquarters during the advanced Stalingrad and the protracted and devastating battle for the possession of the city. In vivid detail he recalls the sharp personality clashes among the senior commanders and their intense disputes about tactics and strategy, but he also records the ordeal of the German troops trapped in the encirclement and his own role in the fighting. The extraordinary story he tells, fluently translated by Tony Le Tessier offers a genuinely fresh perspective on the battle, and it reveals much about the prevailing attitudes and tense personal relationships of the commanders at Stalingrad and at Hitler's headquarters. -- From the back cover.

Marching to the Volga -- The shattered attack on the city -- Counter offensive and encirclement -- Between hope and destruction -- An end to the horrors -- New shores -- For the new Germany.