Not a book, but the 1970's series "The Unknown War" narrated by Burt Lancaster is first-rate, although a bit Soviet-friendly (conveniently failing to make any reference to the Gulag or to the NKVD troops who followed Red Army troops in most of the early battles and shot any deserters.)

At any given time 2/3 of the German war effort was expended on the Eastern Front. The size of the battles are orders of magnitude larger than anything seen in any other theater of that war.

Most of the millions of POW's on either side never made it back home -- and the Russians who did were forever tainted in Stalin's eyes because they had seen then West.

That sounds right up my alley, thanks.

And yeah I've also learned that there's a big difference in the material out there about the USSR pre and post dissolution. Once the archives were opened to everyone we learned some nasty stuff that everyone suspected but we just couldn't speak of with absolute certainty.

Though it isn't solely focused on Barbarossa, I thought Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder was great.
It is half way (Chapt.5) into the book before the invasion. Snyder described it as "It was the beginning of a calamity that defies description."
Snyder's "Bloodlands" and then his book " Black Earth" are in my opinion great reads to at least somewhat understand how this "calamity" came about. If unfamiliar they, (particularly Black Earth) provide some insight into Hitler's thinking, and why the ultimate strategic goal (beyond Lebensraum) was the reordering of the world in accordance with Race, which required the extermination of Jews. They also make clear the relationship between the destruction of the State and the ability to operate lawlessly. This destruction of the State is a requirement for total war and genocide. (In Black Earth he emphasizes the "double destruction' by first the Soviet occupation followed then by the Germans)

The next book recommendation take with a grain of salt as I haven't read it. I mention it because:
1. I understand that it would be more about "the eastern front as a whole" than the 2 Snyder books.
2. I understand that the book is primarily from the Soviet perspective. Should be plenty of books out there that have a more Western Allies and German perspective. Supposedly this one emphasizes the Slavs, so a little twist for an English language publication.

"When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler"
By David Giantz
and Jonathon House
Published 1995

If "Command and Control" interests you, perhaps a work of fiction might also:

"Nuclear War: A Scenario"
by Annie Jacobsen

This was a scary read.

Haven't picked them up yet, but I heard they were all good. All German perspectives;

The Forgotten Soldier
Blood Red Snow
Until the Eyes Shut
Adventures in my Youth
Tigers in the Mud
Panzer Ace

And one I did read, that was a little dry, Fighting in Hell.

Tangent, and not so much about nasty stuff, but to pre/post archive. They myth that the T-34 was the "best tank" of WW2, when it was later revealed that it was actually WASN'T all that. Just a crap ton of those things produced......

Though, that goes down the broader picture of "needs", capabilities of production, overall design philosophy/intent of execution, etc etc etc.

A twist:

Any "most anticipated" books for 2026?

I'll start:

Fiction: (not everything is doom and gloom, a hagiography, or practical knowledge useful in day to day)

"The Timerman", by Theodore Judson.

Sequel to "Fitzpatrick's War" (2004) which was a fun read about a fictional steampunk future where cyclical history was mastered by (of all people) the Canadians.

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Religion:

The KJV store reader edition bible. Bit of a snob factor here. But they put some real thought into making the book readable as an actual book. (Then packaged it in goat leather and charged the be-jezzus out of it)

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US History:

Vol. 3 of Rick Atkinson's trilogy about the American Revolution.

Didn't read 1 or 2 until I watched the PBS Ken Burns series. The PBS series was, well, underwhelming, but this particular author was excellent. His "Liberation Trilogy (WWII)" was incredible.

Excellent author. May be the successor of the reigning king of American oriented history after the death of David McCullough.

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I'd love to read books about what the actual heck is going on vis-a-vi Iran. "King of Kings" by Scott Anderson is a good contextual background story. As is a certain book by JM (If you know you know)

The real book has yet to be written. I've some professional exposure to Iranian pilot refugees. They are not, the "Arab street", and would probably punch you in the nose if you called them "Arab".

Looking forward to "Earned" by NHL Hall of Famer Chris Pronger. His bio.

Also looking forward to "Streetwise" by Lloyd Blankfein retired CEO of Goldman Sachs.

Finally, "Take it Personal" by the King of Miami nightlife, Dave Grutman.

All non-fiction and bio's.

If you haven't read Sean Pronger's book it's surprisingly funny, a look at the life of a fringe NHLer. It could be a nice companion piece to Chris's book.

I did! I read it this past year and really enjoyed it. Sean Avery’s bio is great as well. What a pest.

One more really good hockey bio is Brian Burkes, “Burkes Laws”.