In November 1941 Hitler ordered German forces to
complete the final drive on the Soviet capital. Army
Group Centre was pressed into the attack for one last
attempt to break Soviet resistance before the onset of
winter. From the German perspective the final drive on
Moscow had all the ingredients of a dramatic final
battle in the east, which, according to previous
accounts, only failed at the gates of Moscow. David
Stahel now challenges this well-established narrative by
demonstrating that the last German offensive of 1941 was
a forlorn effort, undermined by operational weakness and
poor logistics.
New in d/w - 440pp, 24 b/w
illustrations, 18 maps
Cambridge University Press,
2015
ISBN 9781107087606
A concise combat history of the three Waffen-SS cavalry divisions
in World War II. The 8th SS-Cavalry Division “Florian Geyer” was
established out of the SS-Cavalry Brigade under Hitler’s future
brother-in-law, Hermann Fegelein. The 22nd SS-Freiwilligen
Cavalry Division “Maria Theresia” was formed out of ethnic
Germans from Hungary. The 37th SS-Freiwilligen Cavalry Division
“Lützow” was built out of the first two cavalry divisions along
with new volunteers from Hungary including ethnic Germans and
Hungarians. The formation and combat histories of each are
discussed in detailed text, along with maps and rare
photographs.
New in illustrated boards - 168pp,
150+ b/w photos & illustrations, maps
The Occupation and Denazification of
Germany. Germany had entered the twentieth century prosperous and
strong. During the 1930s, embittered by a lost war and scarred by
mass unemployment, Germany embraced the dark cult of National
Socialism. Within less than a generation, its great cities lay in
ruins and its shattered industries and its cultural heritage
seemed beyond salvation. This is the story of Germany’s year zero,
telling of the final Allied campaign, the hunting down of the Nazi
resistance, the vast displacement of peoples, the competition
between Soviet Russia and the West and the hunger and near
starvation of a once proud people.
The author's experiences from 1941 to the end of WWII. The
author took part in the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941
with the 43 Motorcycle Infantry Battalion of the 13 Panzer
Division. After undertaking an Officer Candidate course in
Germany, he became a Leutnant and platoon leader to the division’s
reconnaissance battalion in April 1942. After being wounded he
went on to serve with Panzerjager Abteilung 88 as a platoon
commander on Marder tank destroyers. Later serving in Poland and
Galicia, Schiebel fought through Silesia and eastern Germany to
Karlsbad where, on May 7, 1945, PZJ Abteilung 88 surrendered to
American troops.
New in illustrated boards - 272 pages,
12 colour images, 45 b/w photos,
4 colour 3D drawings.
A comprehensive biography of General-leutnant Fritz Bayerlein
(1899-1970), commander of the elite Panzer Lehr Division during
World War II and Erwin Rommel's former Chief-of-Staff. Covers his
experiences with General Heinz Guderian in the invasions of
Poland, France, and Russia, plus his service in North Africa,
Hungary, Normandy and the Ruhr. During the Russian winter of
1943-1944, Bayerlein commanded the famous Berlin-Brandenburg 3rd
Panzer Division. In his own words he shows his feelings and
frustrations on fighting a war of useless bloodshed. Bayerlein's
personal friend, Manfred Rommel, provides remarkable insight into
the man's nature. Many previously unpublished photographs plus
twenty maps drawn by Bayerlein make this book invaluable to
military historians.
New in d/w - Large format, 296pp,
340 + colour & b/w ills
