The Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy

The Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy PDF Author: Nikolaus von Vormann
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1612006043
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 121

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Book Description
A primary source account of the WWII Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy written by a Nazi commander who survived the Soviet victory. In 1943, the tide began to turn against Germany on the Eastern Front. Their summer offensive, Operation Citadel, was a failure. The Red Army’s Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive was pushing back on Germany’s Army Group South in a war of attrition. By October, Kiev was liberated, and the Soviets had reached the Dnieper River in Ukraine. After sudden attacks by the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts, the Russians achieved a major encirclement of six German divisions, a total of 60,000 soldiers, in a pocket near the Dnieper River. A dramatic weeks-long battle ensued. After a failed attempt led by Erich von Manstein to break into the pocket from the outside, the trapped German forces focused their efforts on escape. Abandoning equipment and wounded soldiers, the survivors rejoined the surrounding panzer divisions. Beginning with the German retreat to the Dnieper in 1943, Generalleutnant von Vormann chronicles the battle and describes the psychological effects of the brutal combat. As one of the few primary source materials that exists on the subject, this volume is of significant historical interest.

The Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy

The Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy PDF Author: Nikolaus von Vormann
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1612006043
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 121

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Book Description
A primary source account of the WWII Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy written by a Nazi commander who survived the Soviet victory. In 1943, the tide began to turn against Germany on the Eastern Front. Their summer offensive, Operation Citadel, was a failure. The Red Army’s Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive was pushing back on Germany’s Army Group South in a war of attrition. By October, Kiev was liberated, and the Soviets had reached the Dnieper River in Ukraine. After sudden attacks by the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts, the Russians achieved a major encirclement of six German divisions, a total of 60,000 soldiers, in a pocket near the Dnieper River. A dramatic weeks-long battle ensued. After a failed attempt led by Erich von Manstein to break into the pocket from the outside, the trapped German forces focused their efforts on escape. Abandoning equipment and wounded soldiers, the survivors rejoined the surrounding panzer divisions. Beginning with the German retreat to the Dnieper in 1943, Generalleutnant von Vormann chronicles the battle and describes the psychological effects of the brutal combat. As one of the few primary source materials that exists on the subject, this volume is of significant historical interest.

Hell's Gate

Hell's Gate PDF Author: Douglas E. Nash
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780965758437
Category : Cherkassy Pocket, Battle of the, Ukraine, 1944
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Virtually unknown in the English-speaking world, the Battle of Cherkassy (also known as the Korsun Pocket) still stirs controversy in both the former Soviet Union and in Germany. It was at Cherkassy that the last German offensive strength in the Ukraine was drained away, creating the conditions for the victorious Soviet advance into Poland, Rumania, and the Balkans during the summer and autumn of 1944. Eclipsed by a war of such gigantic proportions that saw the deaths of over one million men or more as commonplace, the events which occurred along the banks of the Gniloy Tickich river should have faded into obscurity. However, to the 60,000 German soldiers who were encircled there at the end of January 1944, this was perhaps one of the most brutal, physically exhausting, and morally demanding battles they had ever experienced. Thirty-four percent of them would not escape.The culmination of years of research and survivor interviews, Hell's Gate is a riveting hour by hour and day by day account of this desperate struggle analyzed on a tactical level through maps and military transcripts, as well as on a personal level, through the words of the enlisted men and officers who risked the roaring waters of the Gniloy Tickich to avoid certain death at the hands of their Soviet foe.

Korsun Pocket

Korsun Pocket PDF Author: Niklas Zetterling
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1935149849
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
During the second half of 1943, after the failure at Kursk, GermanyÕs Army Group South fell back from Russia under repeated hammer blows from the Red Army. Under Erich von Manstein, however, the Germans were able to avoid serious defeats, while at the same time fending off HitlerÕs insane orders to hold on to useless territory. Then, in January 1944, a disaster happened. Six divisions of Army Group South became surrounded after sudden attacks by the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts under command of generals Nikolai Vatutin and Ivan Konev around the village of Korsun (near the larger town of Cherkassy on the Dnieper). The GermansÕ greatest fear was the prospect of another Stalingrad, the catastrophe that had occurred precisely one year before. This time, though, Manstein was in control from the start, and he immediately rearranged his Army Group to rescue his trapped divisions. A major panzer drive got underway, led by General der Panzertruppen Hans Hube, a survivor from Stalingrad pocket, which promptly ran up against several soviet tank armies. Leading the break-in was Franz Baeke with his Tiger and Panther-tanks. Due to both weather and ferocious resistance, the German drive stalled. Ju-52s still flew into KorsunÕs airfield, delivering supplies and taking out wounded, but it soon became apparent that only one option remained for the beleaguered defenders: breakout. Without consulting Hitler, on the night of February 16 Manstein ordered the breakout to begin. Led by the strongest formation within the pocket, SS Wiking, the trapped forces surged out and soon rejoined the surrounding panzer divisions who had been fully engaged in weakening the ring. When dawn broke, the Soviets realized their prey was escaping. Although the Germans within the pocket lost nearly all of their heavy weapons and left many wounded behind, their escape was effected. Stalin, having anticipated another Stalingrad, was left with little but an empty bag, as Army Group SouthÑthis timeÑhad pulled off a rescue. In The Korsun Pocket, Niklas Zetterling, a researcher at the Swedish Defense College since 1995 and Anders Frankson, have provided a highly detailed and often breathtaking account of one of the most dramatic battles of World War II. From grand strategy to soldiersÕ voices on the ground, including expert statistical analysis, the action, and the stakes, of the battle at Korsun are made vividly clear.

Battle for the Ukraine

Battle for the Ukraine PDF Author: David M. Glantz
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135775052
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
A comprehensive guide to the battle for the Ukraine from the Soviet perspective during the winter of 1943-1944. This volume is an unexpurgated translation of the originally classified Soviet General Staff Study No.14.

Vitebsk

Vitebsk PDF Author: Otto Heidkämper
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1612005497
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
A highly decorated Wehrmacht general gives “an incisive and accurate account” of a pivotal Eastern Front battle during World War II (Army Rumour Service). The city of Vitebsk in Belarus was of strategic importance during the fighting on the Eastern Front, as it controlled the route to Minsk. A salient in the German lines, Vitebsk had been declared a Festerplatz—a fortress town—meaning that it must be held at all costs. A task handed to 3rd Panzer Army in 1943. Otto Heidkämper was chief of staff of Georg-Hans Reinhardt’s 3rd Panzer Army, Army Group Center, which was stationed around Vitebsk and Smolensk from early 1942 until June 1944. His detailed account of the defense of Vitebsk through the winter of 1943 into 1944, right up to the Soviet summer offensive, is a valuable firsthand account of how the operations around Vitebsk played out. Twenty maps accompany the narrative. During this time, 3rd Panzer Army undertook numerous military operations to defend the area against the Soviets; they also engaged in anti-partisan operations in the area, deporting civilians accused of supporting partisans, and destroying property. Finally, in June 1944, the Soviets amassed four armies to take Vitebsk, which was then held by 38,000 men of 53rd Corps. Within three days, Vitebsk was encircled, with 53rd Corps trapped inside. Attempts to break the encirclement failed, and resistance in the pocket broke down over the next few days. On June 27, the final destruction of German resistance in Vitebsk was completed. Twenty thousand Germans were dead and another 10,000 had been captured.

Russian Front Wolf

Russian Front Wolf PDF Author: Matt Brownson
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781500942205
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 68

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Book Description
Set in January 1944 on the Eastern Front during WWII, this graphic novel depicts a story based on the battle of the Korsun Pocket, sometimes referred to as the Cherkassy Pocket. The Russians claimed to have encircled and destroyed a large German force, by killing or capturing over 60,000 soldiers and their equipment. It was largely forgotten as the war continued and larger conflicts overshadowed it. But in recent years, from official resources and actual accounts from the men who fought there, over 40,000 Germans escaped the encirclement and linked up with a rescue force. Sergeant Wolfgang "Wolf" Maiers, the main character in the story, must fight and ultimately escape from the Russians. The story follows Wolf during his encirclement and long retreat, walking miles through the snow. His experience culminates when he's forced to swim across a frigid cold river! Over a year in the making and after revising some errors; this is a full color Graphic Novel featuring the Germans on the Eastern Front during WWII. Sixty-four watercolor hand-drawn pages were necessary to depict the gritty conditions. This novel does not glorify any political view. It is a story of human endurance set against a backdrop of total war. Those interested in WWII and the German experience may appreciate the attention to detail on the uniforms and equipment. For young adults and mature readers.

Eastern Front

Eastern Front PDF Author: Bob Carruthers
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473845327
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Book Description
The ferocious battles for survival fought by trapped German forces in Russia have become synonymous with that most terrible of all military campaigns. shortly after the war the personal experiences of those who had fought in the battles were collected together as the German report series. These reports include invaluable information from impeccable sources on the pockets formed at Klin, Velikiye Luki, Cherkassy and Kamenets-Podolskiy.Also included are contemporary reports featuring German encirclement tactics, and an in-depth feature on the Kiev operation. This new compilation is essential reading for anyone interested in discovering the real experience of the German forces trapped in Russia.This book is part of the 'Hitler's War Machine' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of Hitler's Wehrmacht.The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'.

On to Stalingrad

On to Stalingrad PDF Author: Horst Scheibert
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1612008070
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 195

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Book Description
The first English translation of a German account of the attempt to relieve the Nazis’ Sixth Army at Stalingrad during World War II. In late November 1942, Soviet forces surrounded General Friedrich Paulus’ Sixth Army in a pocket at the Russian city of Stalingrad. In response the Germans planned a relief operation, Operation Winter Thunderstorm, intended to break through the Soviet forces and open the pocket, releasing the encircled units. The 6th Panzer Division was the spearhead of the German relief force. The attack started on 12 December 1942 and was aborted on 23 December after heavy Soviet counterattacks. This failure sealed the fate of the German Sixth Army in Stalingrad. This account of the operation was first published in German in 1956, written by the well-respected military historian and retired German officer, Horst Scheibert, who was a tank commander in 6th Panzer Division during the attempt. Utilizing many excerpts from war diaries, and telegrams sent during operations, it is a unique account of the entire operation from the situation in mid-November through the two German offensives, the Soviet counteroffensive, and ongoing fighting until early January. This book includes 16 maps from the original edition and is the first English translation of this important German account. Praise for On to Stalingrad “Rich and detailed like very few of its kind are, with a crisp writing style and critical eye for the events of the battlefield that almost makes you feel as if you were there with Sixth Panzer. On to Stalingrad is a book so compelling that it simply should not be overlooked for your personal and professional enjoyment.” —ARMOR Magazine “Offers a unique viewpoint from an actual veteran who is able to provide an immediate military analysis of this mostly forgotten operation of the Stalingrad campaign.” —New York Journal of Books

Counter-Strike Operations

Counter-Strike Operations PDF Author: F. M. von Senger und Etterlin
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 163624081X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
Detailed analysis of WWII operations undertaken by Germany’s armed forces on the Eastern Front, with illustrative case studies, maps, and diagrams. This volume in the Die Wehrmacht im Kampf series offers detailed analysis of a number of operations on the Eastern Front during World War II to draw out universally applicable principles of counter-strike operations and “agile defense.” The combat examples discussed including delaying operations in Southern Ukraine in March 1944; defensive operations Nikopol and Moldau; and counter-strikes undertaken by panzer divisions and panzerkampfgruppen in operations in November 1943 and May 1944. Combat examples are fully described with maps and diagrams, followed by detailed lessons learned and an explanation of consequences of the operation. The author, F.M. von Senger und Etterlin, himself took part in all of the combat operations described as a young officer leading armored troops. He would later go on to hold the rank of four-star general in the Bundeswehr and his final assignment was CINCENT.

Narvik

Narvik PDF Author: Alex Buchner
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1612009182
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
“An intensely detailed historical account and counterfactual analysis of the strategic dilemmas faced by German and Allied forces at Narvik.” —Naval Historical Foundation Published for the first time in English, this is a German account of the German invasion of Norway in the spring of 1940. It focuses on the efforts of Group “1” led by Eduard Dietl. This group of Gebirgstruppen—mountain troops—was landed at Narvik in early April by ten destroyers. These ships were then all sunk by the Allies. Dietl’s troops were outnumbered by Allied troops but his defense utilized ammunition, food and sailors from the sunken ships and his men retook Narvik once the Allies abandoned their efforts to push the Germans out of Norway. “The book does provide detailed accounts of the numerous battles and skirmishes around Narvik in the spring of 1940. The maps are useful to help understand the terrain and geography. The focus of the text is at the tactical level, and any historian interested in the tactics of the Norwegian campaign or of German mountain troops at this time would find this especially useful.” —Journal of Military History “The story of Dietl’s improvisation in the face of such inadequacies is quite impressive . . . the best account in English of the German side of Narvik.” —Stone & Stone Second World War Books “A fascinating look at the battle from the German side. While the book does reflect the attitudes of the time it was written, it also reveals what the German troops faced and provides a good account of the various engagements in and around Narvik.” —WWII History Magazine