Opening the Gates of Hell

Operation Barbarossa, June–July 1941

Richard Hargreaves

$62.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Osprey
04 November 2025

History; History: specific events & topics; Second World War; Land forces & warfare; Battles & campaigns

A unique account of the opening weeks of history’s largest, most brutal conflict, told through the eyes of those who were there and based on original source material from across Europe.

Opening the Gates of Hell is based on over a decade’s research in archives and sites across Europe. It is a ground-breaking examination of the start of the Nazi–Soviet conflict, a narrative history not just of the fighting, but also the impact on civilians, the atrocities committed by both sides and ethnic cleansing carried out by the inhabitants of the regions invaded.

This fascinating history tells the stories of bravery, cowardice, misery and horror through the eyes of those who were there including ordinary soldiers, generals, leaders, politicians and civilians on both sides. The book draws on published and unpublished sources from across Germany and Eastern Europe with the majority of the material never having appeared in English-language accounts of the conflict before.

The combination of combat accounts, analysis of high-level diplomacy and leadership and the visceral accounts of the atrocities committed by both sides gives this book a unique approach to the war on the Eastern Front and will ensure that it is regarded as the definitive work on the subject for many years to come.

By: Richard Hargreaves
Imprint: Osprey
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 236mm, Width: 160mm, Spine: 46mm
Weight: 760g
ISBN: 9781472869463
ISBN 10: 147286946X
Pages: 496
Publication Date: 04 November 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

[Subject to confirmation] Introduction Prologue: Red Square Chapter 1: One More Blitzkrieg Chapter 2: A Beautiful Day is Beginning Chapter 3: To Leningrad Chapter 4: To Moscow Chapter 5: To Kiev Chapter 6: To Murmansk Chapter 7: Victory Denied Afterword Index

Richard Hargreaves has been a journalist for 30 years, 10 of them in regional newspapers. Since 2000 he has almost exclusively covered the Royal Navy and naval affairs and was an official UK war correspondent in Iraq, 2003. He currently work for the Royal Navy as a press officer/writer and writer/sub editor of its monthly magazine Navy News. Richard has researched World War II since 1992. He has had three books published to date (Germans in Normandy 2006; Blitzkrieg Unleashed 2008; Hitler’s Final Fortress 2011 – all published by Pen & Sword and all still in print).

Reviews for Opening the Gates of Hell: Operation Barbarossa, June–July 1941

The pace never lets up in this epic story, with its vast canvas. It is vividly told and finely detailed … plunging the reader into the spectacular but horrifying vortex of Operation Barbarossa. * Iain Ballantyne, author of 'Arnhem: Ten Days in The Cauldron' * Richard Hargreaves exhibits supreme skill at uncovering and synthesising obscure primary sources and contemporary reports to craft a visceral yet enthralling account of the opening stage of Barbarossa. * Jason D. Mark, author and editor *