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Russia 1941-1942

$17.95

Blitzkrieg - Book 3

By Will Fowler
Published in 2003 by Ian Allen Publishing, UK
Softcover, 96 Pages
Size - 24cm * 17.5cm

This book examines Operation Barbarossa - the German invasion of Russia in 1941 and the campaign during the following year when the Axis forces renewed their offensive after the winter.

The invasion of June 1941 was the largest operation undertaken by German forces during the war, comprising more than 100 divisions including some 17 Panzer divisions along with 3,000 aircraft. Facing these forces were more than 150 Russian divisions along with 54 tank brigades. Despite the size of the Russian forces, which were expanded within six months by a further 300 divisions, the German and Axis forces swept eastwards at an unprecedented rate, capturing more than 3.3 million prisoners by December 1941.

Although the winter saw German forces fail to take their ultimate objectives, 1942 was to see further Axis advances as German forces moved towards Stalingrad. Using contemporary photographs, allied with line drawings and detailed analysis, the author explores how the strategy evolved during this epic campaign.

Unternehmen BARBAROSSA
The opening attacks of Operation Barbarossa seemed like a re-run of the triumph of Blitzkrieg. Tanks and vehicles plunged deep into western Russia and captured huge stocks of weapons and vast hordes of prisoners. The hope that the campaign could be concluded by the winter did not seem impossible

The Price of Victory
Army Group Centre closed on Moscow, capturing huge numbers of men and equipment in pockets, or more grimly, cauldrons - Kessel. However with ruthless efficiency the Soviet government had destroyed anything they could not evacuate and moved machinery and workers to new armaments factories in the Urals

Rasputitsa
The onset of the autumn rains turned the dusty roads of Russia into quagmires. It became the Rasputitsa - the season of no roads. The German and Axis forces were now hundreds of miles from their depots at the end of appalling roads and rail links that engineers had been obliged to rebuild to European standard gauge

Counter Attack
Soviet propaganda would later portray the counter attack at Moscow as a well planned operation. It was in fact a gamble in which bitter winter weather and the exhaustion of the German forces played a very significant part along with the Soviet T-34 tank and the bravery of the Soviet soldiers.

Fully Illustrated with over 100 B&W photos, and over 30 colour illustrations including maps, weapons and photographs.