UPK’s David M. Glantz Named 2020 Pritzker Award Recipient

CHICAGO, July 22, 2020— Military historian and author, Colonel David M. Glantz is the 14th recipient of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing.

The Pritzker Literature Award—which includes a gold medallion, citation, and $100,000 honorarium—recognizes and honors the contributions of a living author for a body of work dedicated to enriching the understanding of military history and affairs. Author or co-author of over 60 publications, Glantz has recognition as a leading expert on the Eastern Front during World War II and the role of the Soviet Union during the conflict.

“I accept this award with genuine humility and heartfelt joy. To be awarded for doing what you have loved doing for more than forty years is an honor indeed,” stated Glantz.

Glantz is a dedicated author and scholar whose work highlights the military history of the Soviet Union and the Red Army in World War II. His books include When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler, a book that has become the standard reference book for non-specialists, Armageddon in StalingradThe Battle of Kursk, Operation Barbarossa: Hitler’s Invasion Of Russia 1941, and others.

“The breadth and depth of Colonel David Glantz’s contribution to the military history field makes him an the embodiment of the mission and vision of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library,” stated Dr. Rob Havers, President and CEO of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library. “His work is essential reading for those studying World War II, making him an indispensable part of military history scholarship. Colonel Glantz is truly a worthy recipient of the 2020 Pritzker Military Museum & Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. The screening committee, Colonel Pritzker, and I are proud to bring his contributions to the forefront with this honor.”

Now in its fourteenth year, the Pritzker Literature Award was first presented to historian James McPherson in 2007. Past recipients – several of whom served as members of the award’s 2020 screening committee – are Dennis Showalter, Peter Paret, Sir Hew Strachan, David Hackett Fischer, Sir Antony Beevor, and Tim O’Brien.

Beginning his military career in 1963, Glantz has more than thirty years of service in the United States Army including field artillery assignments in Germany and Vietnam. In addition to his military career and the extensive education that came with it, Glantz has also earned a degree in History as well as the designation of being a Distinguished Military Graduate from the Virginia Military Institute. Later, after accepting a commission as Second Lieutenant of Artillery, he earned a master’s degree in Modern European History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in June 1965.

Glantz founded and was editor of the Journal of Soviet (Slavic in 1989) Military Studies in 1988, a position he held until January 2018.  He is a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of the Russian Federation and a 2015 recipient of the Russian Federation Ministry of Defense’s medal “For the Strengthening of Military Cooperation.” In 2000 he received the Society for Military History’s Samuel Eliot Morison Prize for his work in the field of Soviet military history.

Glantz is a recipient numerous military awards including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars medals, two Meritorious Service medals, and many others.

To learn more about the award or the selection process, or to watch Dr. Rob Havers the announce Colonel David Glantz as this year’s winner, visit pritzkermilitary.org.

 ABOUT THE PRITZKER MILITARY MUSEUM & LIBRARY

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is open to the public and features an extensive collection of books, artifacts, and rotating exhibits covering many eras and branches of the military. From its founding in 2003, it is a center where citizens and soldiers come together to learn about military history and the role of the military in a democracy. The Museum & Library is a non-partisan, non-government information center supported by its members and sponsors.

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