Does Antony Beevor's account of Stalingrad say anything positive about human behaviour? In the final analysis, emphatically yes. All sides did terrible things. And all sides were capable of astonishing endurance and courage. And great compassion at times.
Just one random example. Beevor notes the temptation to commit suicide experienced by so many Germans hopelessly pinned in the kessel. the area encircled by the Red Army in late 1942 This included the doctors, who had easy access to the drugs that made this 'easy' in its way. But the doctors felt they had a duty to stay with the wounded. He writes simply, Of the 600 doctors with the Sixth Army, none capable of working flew out.
Considering the hell that the kessel manifested, a quietly amazing statistic.
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