At the moment I am reading...
Robert Kershaw’s excellent War Without Garlands
Kershaw has a masterpiece here, and this book will explain in graphic detail the difficulty faced by the Landser in a 6 month period, from the start of the invasion until the end of December of 1941 and early 1942.
Much of the book highlighting the words of the soldiers themselves, who had a clarity of thought in describing the horrendous and excruciating pace in few words of the bitter fighting against a foe who often proved to be suicidally brave, inflicting casualties to a German army unprepared for the level of intensity they faced in this alien foe, in this alien land, one that went on and on forever into featureless steppe, and when slogging over the top of a hill one could look out and see many more ahead, with little else surrounding the never ending march.
Tired and exhausted from continual movement to support the Panzers as they encircled yet another number of Red Army Divisions, and without the infantry the pockets could not be collapsed. The trapped Soviets inside the circle would often charge forward in mass attacks in attempts to break out of this pocket, and their bodies piled up all around German machine gunners. Some would fight it out to the end and the result were companies depleted of both seasoned officers and NCO's from the brutal amount of resulting carnage.
It is a compelling tale of how the Wehrmacht far out ran its logistical reach & in the face of an enemy that just wouldn’t give up, victoried itself to death. Should you have any interest in learning more about Operation Barbarossa, can I heartily recommend this superb book to you
Comments
Have you read Eastern approaches by Fitzroy McLean?
Posted by: chris Edwards | August 26, 2009 4:04 AM
I bags that after you then!
Posted by: TimC | August 26, 2009 8:16 AM
Twos up
Posted by: nbc | August 26, 2009 10:20 AM
Facinating reading. I am always amazed that Germany, a country about twice the size of Wisconsin, thought they ever had a real chance of conquering the Soviet Union. The Russians have huge tracts of nothing they haven't even LOOKED at yet.
Posted by: Larry Anderson | August 26, 2009 3:23 PM
The guy sajer book is pretty good.
Posted by: thud | August 26, 2009 10:10 PM
I HAVE PHOTOS OF THOUSANDS OF HUGE SOVIET TANKS
GIVING UP WITHOUT A SINGLE SHOT TO THE GERMANS
IN THE EARLY PART OF THE WAR.AS SOON AS THEY HAVE SEEN THE GERMANS THEY OPENED THEIR TANK TURRETS AN WALKED TO THEM ARMS IN THE AIR.HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS ALSO JOYNED THE GERMAN ARMY AGAINST THE COMMUNIST.PLEASE TELL ALL THE TRUTH.AS ONE OF THE FORMER WERMACHT OFFICER SAID " SINCE THE END OF THE WAR, HYSTORY IS AN ENDLESS LIE.DO YOUR RESURGE
ABOUT MONTE- CASINO.
Posted by: NAVI | December 19, 2009 4:08 PM