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 The book draws on published and unpublished sources from across Germany and Eastern Europe with the majority of the material never having appeared in English-language accounts of the conflict before.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.

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 *
Elegantly written, yet relentlessly searing in its content, Hargreaves’ new history of the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa, which weaves together grand strategy and heart-breaking personal testimony, sets a new benchmark for the subject. * Roger Moorhouse, author of 'Poland 1939' and 'Berlin at War' *
Richard Hargreaves offers us an intricate and meticulous introduction to the start of [Operation Barbarossa]…The detail is extraordinary. * Aspects of History *
Without any doubt, this is a book that advances one's understanding and perspectives in relation to Barbarossa, making it highly recommended for those who study the fighting on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. * Iron Cross *
This is a powerful account of Operation Barbarossa and is essential reading for those seeking to understand a campaign that reshaped the scale and meaning of total war. * Classic Military Vehicle *

Richard Hargreaves has been a journalist for 30 years, ten 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 works for the Royal Navy as a press officer/writer and sub editor of its monthly magazine Navy News. He has had three books published to date (Germans in Normandy, 2006; Blitzkrieg Unleashed, 2008; Hitler’s Final Fortress, 2011) which are all still in print.