Ostfront 1944: The German Defensive Battles on the Russian Front 1944 (Schiffer military history)

Ostfront 1944: The German Defensive Battles on the Russian Front 1944 (Schiffer military history)
by Alex Buchner

Ostfront 1944: The German Defensive Battles on the Russian Front 1944 (Schiffer military history)
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Book Summary Information

Author: Alex Buchner
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1991-11-01
ISBN: 0887402828
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.

Book Reviews of Ostfront 1944: The German Defensive Battles on the Russian Front 1944 (Schiffer military history)

Book Review: 1944 was a bad year for the Third Reich
Summary: 5 Stars

Mr Buchner, a German veteran and a popular author in Europe, has constructed, mostly from primary and some secondary German sources, the summary of six engagements of the German Army on the Eastern Front in 1944. The battles chosen are of different scale, locations and notoriety but they all have the same general outcome: a German loss. At Cherkassy, some say the partial escape of German troops could be considered a victory but the overall results make that stance debatable. The size of the summary is relegated to the scale of the battle.

The battles are:
Cherkassy Pocket..... January..... 56 pages
Ternopol Garrison..... March..... 24 pages
Crimea loss by 17th Army..... April..... 44 pages
Operation Bagration..... June..... 78 pages
Brody Pocket..... July..... 20 pages
Rumanian Defense..... August..... 66 pages

Though the battle coverage are summaries and the tactical descriptions are ample, its not to the same degree of a full length David Glantz book. In addition to the operational coverage of pocketing troops, crossing rivers, taking cities etc, the author includes personal experiences to enrich the reading experience and appreciation of what German troops endured during these dark days when they were highly outnumbered in all categories. The author also uses excerpts from divisional documents to back up his story.

The battles are spread out between Northern Russia, Southern Russia, the Crimea, Rumania and Poland.
Each battle is supplied with a hand drawn map that's effective and will help the reader follow the action. There is also an Order of Battle and Bibliography, Notes but no Index.

My favorite campaign in the book is Operation Bagration, the destruction of AGC in late June, 1944. The author provides first hand evidence that hasn't been read elsewhere which clearly shows the brutality of the campaign and the hopelessness of the German cause. By 1944, the Germans weren't capable of defending against the huge advantage the Russians had and the author shows the despair and hopelessness by weaving many diary entries and after action reports into his story.
The author provides hard to find info on these engagements and any serious student should consider reading this book but there is one criticism. While the German side is clearly identified, the Russian forces are often ambiguous. Its a little maddening when your trying to recreate the exact engagement for your records. I would rate this book 4.5 stars because of it.

The author has chosen his battles well and has done a good job of covering each battle. If your interest lies on the Eastern Front and don't mind the German bias, this book will be interesting and will probably add to your knowledge base and is recommended.

Summary of Ostfront 1944: The German Defensive Battles on the Russian Front 1944 (Schiffer military history)

OSTFRONT 1944: The German Defensive Battles on the Russian Front in 1944 Alex Buchner. In 1944, when the entire Russo-German front was ""ablaze"" under continual Soviet attacks, wrong estimations by the highest German command led to critical decisions with

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