When Titans Clashed
Academic Academic Secondary Sources
☭ Soviet
The Eastern Front from the Soviet side, by the Western historian who did most to open the Red Army archives.
The Verdict
The book that rebuilt the Eastern Front from the Soviet side after fifty years of half-blindness. For decades the Western understanding of the German-Soviet war rested largely on German generals' memoirs; David Glantz, more than anyone, went into the Red Army's own records and reconstructed the war as the Soviets actually fought it — the operational art, the scale, the catastrophes and recoveries the German accounts obscured. Written with Jonathan House, it is the concise, authoritative synthesis of that revolution in the field. The foundation modern Eastern Front history stands on.
Who Should Read It
Read it if you want
- The Eastern Front rebuilt from Soviet records
- Readers who want operational scale and accuracy
- A corrective to German-memoir distortion
- Serious students of the German-Soviet war
Look elsewhere if you want
- The soldier's-eye experience (try Ivan's War)
- Readers new to the Eastern Front
- Narrative drama over analysis
Why We Rated It 4.5
Historical Context
When Titans Clashed surveys the German-Soviet war of 1941-45 from the Soviet perspective, drawing on Red Army archival sources that earlier Western accounts lacked. Glantz is the historian most responsible for reconstructing the Eastern Front from Soviet records; the book, written with Jonathan House, was published in 1995 and later revised.
Events Covered
Editions & Reading Notes
University Press of Kansas (1995)First edition; a revised edition followed.
Revised paperbackUpdated with later scholarship.
Read It Alongside
Ivan's War Catherine Merridale · 2006 · ★ 4.5
Popular History 
Russia at War, 1941-1945 Alexander Werth · 1964 · ★ 4.6
Popular History 
Stalingrad Antony Beevor · 1998 · ★ 4.8
Popular History Collector's Corner
Common and inexpensive. Check current listings. → Check listings on AbeBooks.
Where to Buy
ISBN: 978-0700621217
Read This Against
The same events seen from a different vantage point. The fullest understanding often lives in the space between accounts that don't agree.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is When Titans Clashed important?
- It reconstructed the Eastern Front from Soviet archival records, correcting decades of reliance on German generals' memoirs.
- Is it accessible to newcomers?
- It is authoritative but operationally dense; readers new to the theatre may prefer to start with a narrative history and come to it second.