Astute readers may have noticed that to date I have shied away from reviewing any of the books written by German officers who fought in the Second World War. So why this book? I'll get to that, my thoughts on the author, and a word of caution for readers, but first let's discuss the actual book.
Originally penned in 1956 this is the English language edition, and a good one at that. The translation by Linden Lyons is excellent.
Special Forces Berlin by James Stejskal is an engaging, informative, and eye-opening look at a special forces unit (though it was technically two units, with one ending in the mid-1980s and replaced by the other, these were ostensibly the same unit) that one could argue may have just been the proverbial best-of-the-best. I'll get to more on that arguably controversial statement in a moment, but note also that is a book which is very difficult to put down. That's because it is not just a unit history.
Igor Nebolsin should be a familiar name for this website's readers, as I have previously reviewed his suberb two-volumecombat history of the Soviet 2nd Guards Tank Army. For armored enthusiasts he has done it again - in this massive, well-sourced, and in-depth look into several little known or poorly understood but large Eastern Front tank battles that took place during the Second World War's final year. Tank-on-tank combat that mostly dwarfed the scale of armored clashes in Western Europe at the same time.
Douglas E. Nash has by this point become well-known amongst Second World War historians for providing painstakingly researched and well-written accounts focused on German military operations. With From the Realm of a Dying Sun he continues his streak of welcome additions to the existing body of research on the greatest war in history. This time, Nash focuses on the formation of IV-SS Panzerkorps and its combat operations near Warsaw in the late summer and fall of 1944.
By early in August of 1944 the Third Reich seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
Bait is an excellent book, and is so for a number of reasons. First off, without a doubt Bait provides a new look at a controversial battle that was fought during the Vietnam War; but It does something else as well. It provides a great new strategic perspective on the U.S. mid-late 1960's military approach to the Vietnam War in general. As if that were not enough it is also well written, and impeccably researched (as one would expect given one of the authors was a participant in this same battle).
Authors McLeroy and Sanders have crafted a compelling and clearly-written look at the little
Casemate's Illustrated Series has continued to grow and improve. The original volumes (previously reviewed here) were often reprints of French books. And though well done, with numerous of great images, they somewhat lacked in terms of the analysis that often makes the difference between one wanting to pick up a new book about a previously well-covered topic or not. However, since those initial volumes released in 2018 the series has evolved. In fact, in recent months it has rolled out an impressive series of totally new publications. Among them stands American Armor in the Pacific - a
Soviet Cavalry Operations During The Second World War offers a unique perspective on the fighting between Germany and the Soviet Union during World War II. In addition, the reader also gets a brief look into the developmental genesis of such operations and their impact on modern Soviet and Russian ground forces.
The strength of this book is in showing a reader otherwise confronted with a blizzard of works emphasizing the role of the tank on World War II's Eastern Front that in fact cavalry often proved decisive in the success of Soviet defensive and offensive operations.
Rollback: The Red Army's Winter Offensive Along The Southwestern Strategic Direction, 1942-1943 covers the fighting in Southern Russia and the Eastern Ukraine west and northwest of Stalingrad during the heart of the winter of 1942-1943. This book is an edited and translated reproduction of articles published by the Soviet General Staff both during and following the Second World War. As such, the book contains much insight into the effectiveness of the Red Army when on the offensive during this stage of the war, including a detailed look at its tank and mechanized formations.
The Forgotten Battle of the Kursk Salient is the third English language translation of Valeriy Zamulin's near incomparable break-down and analysis of The Battle of Kursk. I have previouslyreviewed his two earlier works covering other aspects of this, one of the most important battles of the Second World War. I find this latest effort as ranking among his finest work.
In this volume Zamulin once again returns to the efforts made by the Red Army's Voronezh and Steppe Fronts in defeating Germany's Army Group South’s quest to meet the goals set for Operation Citadel (the German code name for
Casemate's Illustrated Series is a welcome addition to the available literature targeted at the general World War II enthusiast. These volumes, originally published in French by Histoire & Collections during predominately the 1990s, do exactly what one would expect in an illustrated series - that being, offering up plenty of photos and high quality illustrations.
Each volume averages 128 pages in length and is packed with around 150 Second World War era photographs as well as numerous and excellent illlustrations (with credit here going to Jean Restayn). Background detail and history is
