Kampfgruppe
Scherer’s outstanding feat of arms was one of Germany’s most
famous military achievements during the Second World War.
With only a few thousand men from all branches of the
service, Generalmajor Theodor Scherer was ordered to hold
Cholm in the face of a superior enemy force. That Scherer
and his men prevailed is now an historical fact but at times
senior commanders doubted if it could be saved. On several
occasions, Soviet onslaughts looked poised to inflict the
death blow but somehow the exhausted men of Cholm grimly
clung on.
New in
illustrated boards - 608pp, 328 b/w photos, 22 maps &
sketches
After 16 months of training and
garrison duty in France, Pionier-Bataillon 305 was sent to
the Eastern Front. This would lead to their destruction at
Stalingrad barely nine months later. Commanded by apolitical
officers, reservists mainly, its ranks were filled with
older-than-normal recruits. When they arrived on the Eastern
Front in May 1942 they sensed what awaited them. Weeks of
monotonous, endless marching were interspersed with
terrifying encounters and set-piece attacks. How would this
fresh battalion compare with experienced units? Was the
arrival of a tough, battle-hardened commander enough to
compensate for the unit’s lack of combat experience?
New in illustrated boards - 620pp, 330
+ photos, 56 maps/sketches, tables, appendices
An account of the defeat of XXXXI Panzerkorps at Ponyri
Train Station in early July, 1943. Operation Citadel, the
twin-pronged summer offensive was the final throw of the
dice for Hitler and his Ostheer, and its defeat spelled the
end of German ambitions in the East. Kursk is the subject of
dozens of books, almost all of them focusing on the southern
shoulder of the battle, yet the offensive in the north was
crucial to Citadel's success. The German plan was to crack
open the Soviet defensive line, seize Ponyri Station which
sat astride the best navigable route through gully-riven
terrain, and then feed through fresh panzer divisions for
the final push to Kursk. Infantry units, supported by a
formidable array of armor, were ordered to take Ponyri on
Day 1, but the Soviets were ready and waiting for them in
three thick defensive lines. Vicious fighting slowed the
German advance and dramatically upset their timetable.
XXXXI. Panzerkorps eventually seized Ponyri Station, but
then faced furious Soviet counter attacks. This new Study
provides a day-by-day account of the battle, each text page
being coupled with a contemporary map, satellite image or
aerial photo plus riveting first-hand accounts.
New in pictorial
boards. Pages printed on on high quality gloss stock - Large
landscape format, 204pp, 92 photos, 18 colour satellite
images, 28 maps
ANGRIFF: THE
GERMAN ATTACK ON STALINGRAD IN PHOTOS
by Jason D Mark
Angriff is a
rich cache of spectacular images from collections across the
globe. The photos used in this book often show periods of
the battle that never fell within the viewfinder of a
professional photographer. Every image has been
painstakingly researched and is paired with a meaningful and
accurate caption. In most cases, the location has been
pinpointed, as has the date and unit depicted. This has
enabled it to be placed in its correct historical,
chronological and geographical context.
New in illustrated boards - Large
format, 368pp, 700 photos
The Battle of Stalingrad is
perceived as a fierce, man to man struggle in the ruins of
the city, yet the German 6 Armee possessed formidable
armoured assets that helped it reach the Volga, defend its
flanks and support assault groups within the claustrophobic
confines of Stalingrad. In this first volume of a series on
German armoured operations at Stalingrad, the combat
histories of Panzer-Abteilungen 103, 129 and 160 will be
examined in detail. These panzer battalions were
incorporated into motorised divisions for the 1942 summer
campaign, and were deployed to Stalingrad. As manpower
levels dropped in their parent formations, the battalions
assumed a greater role in holding lengthy flanks while the
main body of 6. Armee laid siege to Stalingrad. After
encirclement in November 1942, the panzers assembled for a
break-out, and when that failed, they supported their
struggling infantry brethren until fuel, ammunition and
morale were depleted.
This is a large, heavy book
weighing almost 2.5kg and will be subject to a supplement
for shipping and insurance.
