Ostfront 1944: The German Defensive Battles on the Russian Front 1944 (Schiffer military history)
by Alex Buchner
List Price:
Our Price: $19.77
You Save: $10.18 (34%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $9.78 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Alex BuchnerEdition: 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.
More Ostfront 1944: The German Defensive Battles on the Russian Front 1944 (Schiffer military history) reviews:
1
1
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 withGermany Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Germany Books
Hitler 1889-1936: Hubrisby Ian Kershaw
E-Penguin; Published: 2002-10-04; Hardcover; Book
Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris Ebookby Ian Kershaw
E-Penguin; Published: 2001-12-07; Hardcover; Book
Hitler 1936-1945: Vol 2by Ian Kershaw
E-Penguin Press; Published: 2002-01-11; Hardcover; Book
The Face of the Third Reich (Pelican)by Joachim C. Fest
Penguin Books Ltd; Published: 1972; Paperback; Book
Dynamics of Nazism (Studies in Social Discontinuity)by Fred Weinstein
Academic Pr; Published: 1980-09; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops:
Arrows of the Almighty: The Most Extraordinary True Spy Story of World War IIby Michael Bar-Zohar
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1985-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $39.11
Hitler: the Fuhrer and the Peopleby J.P. Stern
Fontana Press; Published: 1989; Paperback; Book
Foreign Fieldby Ben MacIntyre
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2002-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $42.88
History of the German Jewsby Amos Elon
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; Published: 2002-10-05; Hardcover; Book
Heisenberg's War: The Secret History Of The German Bombby Thomas Powers
Da Capo Press; Published: 2000-08-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Demolishing the Myth: The Tank Battle at Prokhorovka, Kursk, July 1943: An Operational Narrativeby Valeriy Zamulin
Helion Pub; Published: 2011-07-19; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $44.07
Price in other shops:
BARBAROSSA DERAILED: THE BATTLE FOR SMOLENSK 10 JULY-10 SEPTEMBER 1941 VOLUME 1: The German Advance, The Encirclement Battle, and the First and Second Soviet Counteroffensives, 10 July-24 August 1941by David Glantz
Helion Pub; Published: 2010-10-19; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $95.00
Ostkrieg: Hitler's War of Extermination in the Eastby Stephen G. Fritz
The University Press of Kentucky; Published: 2011-09-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.39
Price in other shops:
King Tiger vs IS-2: Operation Solstice 1945 (Duel)by David R. Higgins
Osprey Publishing Limited; Osprey Publishing; Published: 2011-08-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.98
Price in other shops:
The Wehrmacht: Last Witnesses: First-Hand Accounts from the Survivors of Hitler's Armed Forces (The Last Witnesses)Andre Deutsch; Published: 2010-07-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.57
Price in other shops:
Scorched Earth: The Russian-German War 1943-1944by Paul Carell
Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.; Published: 1994-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $29.16
Price in other shops:
Last Victory in Russia: The SS-Panzerkorps and Manstein's Kharkov Counteroffensive - February-March 1943by George M., Jr. Nipe, George M. Nipe
Schiffer Publishing; Published: 2000-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $42.50
Price in other shops:
BLOOD, STEEL, AND MYTH: The II.SS-Panzer-Korps and the Road to Prochorowkaby George Nipe Jr.
RZM Publishing; Published: 2011-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $47.25
Price in other shops:
Battleground Prussia: The Assault on Germany's Eastern Front 1944-45 (General Military)by Prit Buttar
Osprey Publishing; Published: 2010-09-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.25
Price in other shops:
Kiev 1941: Hitler's Battle for Supremacy in the Eastby David Stahel
Cambridge University Press; Published: 2012-01-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $21.98
Price in other shops: