The Korsun Pocket: the Encirclement and Breakout of a German Army in the East, 1944 Pdf

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Korsun Pocket: the Encirclement and Breakout of a German Army in the East, 1944 Pdf FREE THE KORSUN POCKET: THE ENCIRCLEMENT AND BREAKOUT OF A GERMAN ARMY IN THE EAST, 1944 PDF Niklas Zetterling,Anders Frankson | 320 pages | 08 Sep 2008 | Casemate Books | 9781932033885 | English | Havertown, United States Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy During the second half ofafter the failure at Kursk, Germany's Army Group South fell back from Russia under repeated hammer blows from the Red Army. Under Erich von Manstein, however, the Germans were able to avoid serious defeats, while at the same time fending off Hitler's insane orders to hold on to useless territory. Then, in January 1944, a disaster happened. Six divisions of Army Group South became surrounded after sudden attacks by the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts under command of generals The Korsun Pocket: The Encirclement and Breakout of a German Army in the East Vatutin and Ivan Konev around the village of Korsun near the larger town of Cherkassy on the Dnieper. The Germans' greatest fear was the prospect of another Stalingrad, the catastrophe that had occurred precisely one year before. This time, though, Manstein was in control from the start, and he immediately rearranged his Army Group to rescue his trapped divisions. A major panzer drive got underway, led by General der Panzertruppen Hans Hube, a survivor from Stalingrad pocket, which promptly ran up against several soviet tank armies. Leading the break-in was Franz Baeke with his Tiger and Panther-tanks. Due to both weather and ferocious resistance, the German drive stalled. Jus still flew into Korsun's airfield, delivering supplies and taking out wounded, but it soon became apparent that only one option remained for the beleaguered defenders: breakout. Without consulting Hitler, on the night of February 16 Manstein ordered the breakout to begin. Led by the strongest formation within the pocket, SS Wiking, the trapped forces surged out and soon rejoined the surrounding panzer divisions who had been fully engaged in weakening the ring. When dawn broke, the Soviets realized their prey was escaping. Although the Germans within the pocket lost nearly all of their heavy weapons and left many wounded behind, their escape was effected. Stalin, having anticipated another Stalingrad, was left with little but an empty bag, as Army Group South—this time—had pulled off a rescue. From grand strategy to soldiers' voices on the ground, including expert statistical analysis, the action, and the stakes, of the battle at Korsun are made vividly clear. THe Korsun or Cherkassy pocket was perhaps the last time the Wehrmacht gathered a large force of tanks equal in Niklas Zetterling is The Korsun Pocket: The Encirclement and Breakout of a German Army in the East military historian and researcher at the Swedish Defense College. Niklas ZetterlingAnders Frankson. The War in the East. Div Pz. Battle of the Korsun–Cherkassy Pocket - Wikipedia Description Imported from USA. Full description not available. I've come to expect good military history books to feature accurate, complimentary maps. Not every book offers the splendid maps included with Luther's Barbarossa Unleashed, but military history maps should at least provide reliable geographic context for the story being told. Korsun Pocket fails that test. The Korsun Pocket: The Encirclement and Breakout of a German Army in the East are many maps scattered through the book, but they often detract from the narrative because in some cases they lack important terrain details, and in other cases include many names of towns not mentioned in the text at all. Conversely, important features and towns are often omitted. I spent more time trying to make sense of the maps than enjoying the history, The poor maps made this a tedious and labored book to read. Read more Bought for my husband he loved the quality Excellent book on a little known but dramatic battle. This is a well researched and clearly presented book on the battles around Korsun in early when the German army managed to save encircled troops in horrible conditions. The hubris of Hitler was dramatically displayed in allowing the situation to develop as was the skill and determination of the German army leadership to make the best of a terrible situation. Well written and an easy read. Highly recommended. Very dry and lacks human interest. Too academic and it reads like a pedantic history would. Dry account of troops with incomprehensible russian names fighting in incomprehensible locations. You reallyhave to know alot about the geography and overall movements of troops. The lack of personal accounts except for those of Anton Meister really hurts this. Its very academic and Ididnt finish it to be honest. I dislike the style of writing and it lacks interest because of the style. A skilful melding of grand strategy and accounts from individual soldiers. The authors leave no stone unturned and include an holistic picture of the epic from high command to the squaddie. Excellent read. Una buena descripcion de la batalla de la bolsa de korsun. Es un relato ameno de una batalla poco conocida del 1944 del este. Describe tanto el ataque sovietico que dio lugar a la formacion de la bolsa de Korsun como la subsiguiente operacion de relevo organizada por los alemanes. Combina el relato de las operaciones con las vivencias personales de algunos soldados. Un buen libro An excellent example of good historical writing. Detailed, with human interest as well as a variety of vital elements of the operational, tactical and personal actions undertaken, the book gives a real flavour to a poorly documented and yet vital operation during the later war period in the USSR. Worth every penny. The Author fails to acknowledge this tenacit. I am less than impressed by the "new" breed of historians who seem to trust the archival information gleaned from the Soviet Union archives. The author himself read that these very same archives said that NO German soldier escaped the Korsun pocket, contrary to the approximately 40, who did so! Look it is plain to see that whenever the Wehrmacht met ANY of it's adversaries on the battlefield, it was only defeated by a preponderance of material and numbers and this is FACT! The author states with the usual blind hindsight that this battle was a Soviet victory, I believe that if some 40, German soldiers both endured then extracated themselves from an impossibly difficult combat situation such as Korsun, it is not a Soviet victory, but an example of the fighting capability of the German soldier under great duress. The Author fails to acknowledge this tenacity in this book. A good book about the Stalingrad on the Dnepr. For a wargamer like that was very passionated about a old board game named "Korsun Pocket- a little Stalingrad on the Dnepr", this was a very interesting book because The Korsun Pocket: The Encirclement and Breakout of a German Army in the East its subject. It tells the history of the second 1944 envelopmentin order of time, of German forces by the Soviet troops, during WWII. It happened at the end of January ,near the banks of the river Dnepr, and it ended differently, just because near that area there were about ten panzer divisions, that were ready to interveneinspite of the thaw that made very difficult the rescue of the surrounded troops. This is the typical book written by Mr Zetterling, I mean that is full of technical data and not so full of first hand accounts about the development of the battle. The maps are clear and detailed. Anyway it is a good interesting book about this battle, for all the people interested about the WWII on the Eastern Front. Good book that gives more depth into a battle that has not received much publicity through the years. If you want to see how a battle went for the Germans at the end of World War 2 on the Eastern Front that is not discussed much elsewhere, read this book. Wonderful Book for this Battle on Eastern Front in This is highly recommended -I found it to be very well writtenand informativeI compared this account with the description of this battle in'Ostfront The German Defensive Battles on the Russian Front '[published by Schiffer military history The Korsun Pocket: The Encirclement and Breakout of a German Army in the East Hardcover]written by Alex Buchner which is another great source - get it if you can and for me ' Korsun Pocket ' passed with flying colourswith added detail galore- 1944 was a wise investment for my bookshelves I am a little suprised at two comments in other reviews. But as a wargamer it may be because of the board games available on the subject and I've played. That may be a valid comment but this isn't that kind of book and anyone knowing Zetterling and his excellent 1944 to detail in orders of battles Normandy German Military Organization, Combat Power and Organizational Effectiveness and statistical info Kursk A Statistical Analysis Soviet Russian Study of War would know this. So warning, if you want to know how Rottenfuhrer Schultz felt and what he saw on January 31st it's possibly not the book for you. However if like me you want to know how many Stug III's 5th The Korsun Pocket: The Encirclement and Breakout of a German Army in the East had and how many were serviceable before the attack on I found it well researched and detailed with enough personal stuff to keep me interested with The Korsun Pocket: The Encirclement and Breakout of a German Army in the East detail on tactics, battles and statistics that I love and want in a book.
Recommended publications
  • Blitzkrieg: the Evolution of Modern Warfare and the Wehrmacht's
    East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 8-2021 Blitzkrieg: The Evolution of Modern Warfare and the Wehrmacht’s Impact on American Military Doctrine during the Cold War Era Briggs Evans East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Evans, Briggs, "Blitzkrieg: The Evolution of Modern Warfare and the Wehrmacht’s Impact on American Military Doctrine during the Cold War Era" (2021). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3927. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3927 This Thesis - unrestricted is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Blitzkrieg: The Evolution of Modern Warfare and the Wehrmacht’s Impact on American Military Doctrine during the Cold War Era ________________________ A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department of History East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in History ______________________ by Briggs Evans August 2021 _____________________ Dr. Stephen Fritz, Chair Dr. Henry Antkiewicz Dr. Steve Nash Keywords: Blitzkrieg, doctrine, operational warfare, American military, Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe, World War II, Cold War, Soviet Union, Operation Desert Storm, AirLand Battle, Combined Arms Theory, mobile warfare, maneuver warfare. ABSTRACT Blitzkrieg: The Evolution of Modern Warfare and the Wehrmacht’s Impact on American Military Doctrine during the Cold War Era by Briggs Evans The evolution of United States military doctrine was heavily influenced by the Wehrmacht and their early Blitzkrieg campaigns during World War II.
    [Show full text]
  • Week Beginning 1St June Title: Why Did Operation Barbarossa Fail?
    Lesson 1 – week beginning 1st June Title: Why did Operation Barbarossa fail? WHY DID OPERATION BARBAROSSA FAIL? ‘When Barbarossa commences, the world will hold its breath,’ Hitler said of his bold plan to invade the Soviet Union. The scale of the campaign was certainly huge. Hitler assembled 3 million troops, 3500 tanks and 2700 aircraft for ‘Operation Barbarossa’ - the German code name for the attack on Russia. Why did Hitler break the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact? Hitler invaded the Soviet Union on the 22nd June 1941, ordering his troops to ‘flatten Russia like a hailstorm’. The reasons for the invasion were a mixture of the military and the political. Hitler needed Russia's plentiful raw materials to support his army and population. There was oil in the Caucasus (southern Russia) and wheat in the Ukraine. He was also obsessed by racial ideas. The Russians, he believed, were an inferior ‘Slav’ race which would offer no real resistance (i.e. they wouldn’t be able to fight back) to ‘racially superior’ Germans. Russia's fertile plains could provide even more Lebensraum (living space) than Poland. Russia was also at the heart of world communism, and Hitler detested communists. The Russian Red Army had done very badly during its brief war with Finland in the winter of 1939 – 40. This convinced Hitler the Soviet Union and its Red Army could be beaten in four months. His confidence was also boosted by the fact that in the late 1930s, Stalin, the Soviet dictator, had shot 35,000 officers (43% of all his officers) in ‘purges’ of the Red (Russian) Army.
    [Show full text]
  • Comprehensive Encirclement
    COMPREHENSIVE ENCIRCLEMENT: THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY’S STRATEGY IN XINJIANG GARTH FALLON A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy School of Humanities and Social Sciences International and Political Studies July 2018 1 THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: FALLON First name: Garth Other name/s: Nil Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: MPhil School: Humanitiesand Social Sciences Faculty: UNSW Canberraat ADFA Title: Comprehensive encirclement: the Chinese Communist Party's strategy in Xinjiang Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASETYPE) This thesis argues that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has a strategy for securing Xinjiang - its far-flung predominantly Muslim most north-western province - through a planned program of Sinicisation. Securing Xinjiang would turna weakly defended 'back door' to China into a strategic strongpointfrom which Beijing canproject influence into Central Asia. The CCP's strategy is to comprehensively encircle Xinjiang with Han people and institutions, a Han­ dominated economy, and supporting infrastructure emanatingfrom inner China A successful program of Sinicisation would transform Xinjiang from a Turkic-language-speaking, largely Muslim, physically remote, economically under-developed region- one that is vulnerable to separation from the PRC - into one that will be substantially more culturally similar to, and physically connected with, the traditional Han-dominated heartland of inner China. Once achieved, complete Sinicisation would mean Xinjiang would be extremely difficult to separate from China. In Xinjiang, the CCP enacts policies in support of Sinication across all areas of statecraft. This thesis categorises these activities across three dimensions: the economic and demographic dimension, the political and cultural dimension, and the security and international cooperationdimension.
    [Show full text]
  • The Stalingrad Cauldron: Inside the Encirclement and Destruction of the 6Th Army
    6 January 2014 2012014444––––002002 Frank Ellis, The Stalingrad Cauldron: Inside the Encirclement and Destruction of the 6th Army . Lawrence: Univ. Press of Kansas, 2013. Pp. xiii, 542. ISBN 978978––––0000––––700670067006––––190119011901––––6.6.6.6. Review by Jeff Rutherford, Wheeling Jesuit University (jruthe([email protected]@[email protected]).).).). Research on the Battle of Stalingrad and its aftermath has burgeoned in the past fifteen years from both a classical military perspective and a cultural one that has located the battle's importance in the memory of the post-war German states. 1 Frank Ellis’s idiosyncratic The Stalingrad Cauldron connects the diverse treat- ments of the battle and places it in the larger context of the Stalinist state. The book is effectively a collec- tion of loosely related essays rather than one coherent narrative. Two propositions underlie Ellis’s presentation. First, that recognition of the soldierly virtues of German 6th Army is perfectly in order. Indeed, such recognition is de- manded by historical objectivity and fully consistent with it…. [T]hat 6th Army reached Stalingrad on the Vol- ga, the start of Central Asia, was itself an outstanding military achievement, a brilliant demonstration of high- speed warfare, toughness, planning, and, to use the German word, Daraufgängertum (offensive, aggressive spirit). Encircled and in crisis, it adapted; its remarkable junior leadership achieved wonders of command and improvisation in appalling conditions that undoubtedly made it possible for 6th Army to hold out as long as it did. (450, 65) To hammer home the role of the Wehrmacht’s junior officers, Ellis includes a photograph of a square- jawed Landser (roughly, “grunt”) at Stalingrad that “conveys something of the professionalism of German 6th Army and the exceptionally high quality of its junior leaders” (image 6).
    [Show full text]
  • PDF Download the Korsun Pocket: the Encirclement and Breakout Of
    THE KORSUN POCKET: THE ENCIRCLEMENT AND BREAKOUT OF A GERMAN ARMY IN THE EAST, 1944 PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Niklas Zetterling,Anders Frankson | 320 pages | 08 Sep 2008 | Casemate Books | 9781932033885 | English | Havertown, United States Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy Under Erich von Manstein, however, the Germans were able to avoid serious defeats, while at the same time fending off Hitler's insane orders to hold on to useless territory. Then, in January , a disaster happened. Six divisions of Army Group South became surrounded after sudden attacks by the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts under command of generals Nikolai Vatutin and Ivan Konev around the village of Korsun near the larger town of Cherkassy on the Dnieper. The Germans' greatest fear was the prospect of another Stalingrad, the catastrophe that had occurred precisely one year before. This time, though, Manstein was in control from the start, and he immediately rearranged his Army Group to rescue his trapped divisions. A major panzer drive got underway, led by General der Panzertruppen Hans Hube, a survivor from Stalingrad pocket, which promptly ran up against several soviet tank armies. Leading the break-in was Franz Baeke with his Tiger and Panther-tanks. Led by the strongest formation within the pocket, SS Wiking, the trapped forces surged out and soon rejoined the surrounding panzer divisions who had been fully engaged in weakening the ring. When dawn broke, the Soviets realized their prey was escaping. Although the Germans within the pocket lost nearly all of their heavy weapons and left many wounded behind, their escape was effected. Stalin, having anticipated another Stalingrad, was left with little but an empty bag, as Army Group South—this time—had pulled off a rescue.
    [Show full text]
  • The Battle of Stalingrad: a Behavior Analytic Perspective Revista Mexicana De Análisis De La Conducta, Vol
    Revista Mexicana de Análisis de la Conducta ISSN: 0185-4534 [email protected] Sociedad Mexicana de Análisis de la Conducta México Pulido, Marco A. The battle of stalingrad: a behavior analytic perspective Revista Mexicana de Análisis de la Conducta, vol. 33, núm. 2, 2007, pp. 239-246 Sociedad Mexicana de Análisis de la Conducta Guadalajara, México Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=59333208 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative REVISTA MEXICANA DE ANÁLISIS DE LA CONDUCTA 2007 NÚMERO 2 (DIC) MEXICAN JOURNAL OF BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS 33, 239-246 NUMBER 2 (DEC) THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD: A BEHAVIOR ANALYTIC PERSPECTIVE LA BATALLA DE STALINGRADO: UNA PERSPECTIVA BASADA EN EL ANÁLISIS DE LA CONDUCTA MARCO A. PULIDO1 LABORATORIO DE CONDICIONAMIENTO OPERANTE UNIVERSIDAD INTERCONTINENTAL ABSTRACT The purpose of the present paper is to suggest ways in which historians may use behavior analysis as a tool to design research agendas that may help them understand complex human behavior and atypical decision making pro- cesses. This paper presents a brief outline describing the general epistemo- logical and pragmatic virtues of approaching human behavior from a behavior analytic perspective. This outline is followed by a general description of the elements that should be taken into consideration when developing a research agenda based on behavior analytic principles. Lastly a research agenda re- garding a series of puzzling events leading to the encirclement of German Sixth Army during the so called “Battle of Stalingrad,” is used to exemplify the methodology proposed in this paper.
    [Show full text]
  • Glantz Vol III Book 1 LATEST.Indd
    © University Press of Kansas. All rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution prohibited without permission of the Press. Contents List of Maps, Tables, and Illustrations ix Preface xv Selected Abbreviations xxi Part I. Soviet Strategic Planning 1. Framework for Disaster 3 Frustration 3 The Wehrmacht in November 1942 8 German Field Commanders 11 The Red Army in November 1942 12 Soviet Field Commanders 15 2. Soviet Strategic Planning: The Genesis of Plan Uranus 20 Who Formulated Plan Uranus? The Historical Debate 20 Competing Offensive Concepts 23 Triumph of the “Different Solution,” 1–13 October 31 Plan Uranus Takes Shape, 14–31 October 38 Final Preparations, 1–18 November 41 Reflections 50 3. Gathering the Troops: Soviet Order of Battle and the Uranus Plan 55 Regrouping Forces for the Counteroffensive 55 Soviet Order of Battle 58 The Uranus Plan 79 Front and Army Plans 93 4. The Balance of Opposing Forces on 18 November 127 Soviet Forces 127 Axis Forces and Defenses 131 The Correlation of Opposing Forces 165 Part II. The Uranus Counteroffensive 5. The Penetration Battle, 19–20 November 185 Preliminaries 185 © University Press of Kansas. All rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution prohibited without permission of the Press. viii Contents The Southwestern and Don Fronts’ Offensive, 19–20 November 192 The Stalingrad Front’s Offensive, 20 November 248 6. The Encirclement Closes, 21–23 November 268 German Dilemmas on 21 November 268 The Southwestern and Don Fronts’ Offensive, 21 November 271 The Stalingrad Front’s Offensive, 21 November 288 The Southwestern and Don Fronts’ Offensive, 22 November 299 The Stalingrad Front’s Offensive, 22 November 323 The Southwestern and Don Fronts’ Offensive, 23 November 337 The Stalingrad Front’s Offensive, 23 November 358 The Situation Late on 23 November 369 German Dilemmas on 23 November 371 7.
    [Show full text]
  • Soviet Blitzkrieg: the Battle for White Russia, 1944
    EXCERPTED FROM Soviet Blitzkrieg: The Battle for White Russia, 1944 Walter S. Dunn, Jr. Copyright © 2000 ISBNs: 978-1-55587-880-1 hc 978-1-62637-976-3 pb 1800 30th Street, Suite 314 Boulder, CO 80301 USA telephone 303.444.6684 fax 303.444.0824 This excerpt was downloaded from the Lynne Rienner Publishers website www.rienner.com D-FM 11/29/06 5:06 PM Page vii CONTENTS List of Illustrations ix Preface xi Introduction 1 1 The Strategic Position 17 2 Comparison of German and Soviet Units 35 3 Rebuilding the Red Army and the German Army 53 4 The Production Battle 71 5 The Northern Shoulder 83 6 Vitebsk 95 7 Bogushevsk 117 8 Orsha 139 9 Mogilev 163 10 Bobruysk 181 11 The Southern Shoulder 207 12 Conclusion 221 Appendix: Red Army Reserves 233 Bibliography 237 Index 241 About the Book 249 vii D-Intro 11/29/06 5:08 PM Page 1 INTRODUCTION he Battle for White Russia erupted south of Vitebsk on the T morning of 22 June 1944, when Russian artillery began a thun- dering barrage of over a thousand guns, mortars, and rockets that blasted away for 2 hours and 20 minutes in an 18-kilometer-long sec- tor. At the same time a Soviet fighter corps, two bomber divisions, and a ground attack division pummeled the bunkers of General Pfeiffer’s VI Corps with bombs and strafed any foolhardy German troops in the trenches with machine gun fire. The sheer weight of explosives that rained down on the German dugouts and bunkers paralyzed the defenders, especially the new replacements who had arrived during the previous few months.
    [Show full text]
  • Theories of Warfare
    Theories of Warfare French Operations in Indo-China Author Programme Alexander Hagelkvist Officers Programme, OP 12-15 Tutor Number of pages Stéphane Taillat 71 Scholarship provider: Hosting unit: Swedish National Defence Report date: 2015-06-02 Écoles de Saint-Cyr University Coëtquidan (FRANCE) Subject: War Science Unclassified Institution: CREC (le Centre de Level: Bachelor Thesis Recherche des Écoles de Coëtquidan) Alexander Hagelkvist War science, Bachelor Thesis. “French Operations in Indo-China” Acknowledgements First and foremost I offer my sincerest gratitude to the Swedish Defence University for the scholarship that made my exchange possible. Furthermore to Écoles de Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan for their hospitality, as well as le Centre de Recherche des Écoles de Coëtquidan. I wish to express my sincere thanks to Director Doare, Principal of the Faculty, for providing me with all the necessary facilities for the research. I also want to thank Colonel Renoux for constant support and availability with all the surroundings that concerned my work at the C.R.E.C. And to my supervisor, Stéphane Taillat, who has supported me throughout my thesis with his patience and knowledge whilst allowing me the room to work in my own way. I attribute the completion of my Bachelor thesis to his encouragement and effort and without him this thesis, would not have been completed. I am also grateful to Lieutenant Colonel Marco Smedberg, who has provided me with the interest and motivation for my subject. I am thankful and grateful to him for sharing expertise and valuable guidance. I take this opportunity to express gratitude to Guy Skingsley at the Foreign Languages Section, War Studies at the Swedish Defence University for his help and support on the linguistic parts of the thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • The 11Th Panzers in the Defense, 1944
    The 11 th Panzers in the Defense, 1944 by A. Harding Ganz frauleins,fu~e~!of the~si~ma'm'selles~fl;;~I;~ii~~:~~~~~~~~:i~~F~~~~~~~I;1 of sunny southern France, tan­ talized the weary Landsers ­ troopers - of the 11 th Panzer Division. The rumors were true: it was the spring of 1944, and the battered division was to be redeployed from the Russian Front to southern France for recuperation and re­ building. On the Ostfront, the brutal struggle continued un­ abated.· The Gennan defense of the Dnieper had been costly, as massive Russian of­ fensives resulted in huge en­ circlement battles at Korsun­ Cherkassy and Kamenets-Po­ dolsky. Fierce winter blizzards had alternated with the raspu­ titsa, the sudden spring thaws, that sank vehicles into the Ukrainian mud, and then froze them in solid again, as in con­ crete. The elated troopers boarded their trains near Kishinev, bound for Bordeaux. The rest of the division followed in May, by road and rail, via Bu­ dapest and Vienna. But even if the home of the 11 th was in Silesia, safely beyond the fighting fronts, Allied bomb­ ing of the homeland and talk of the expected invasion of ~,.~ Festung Europa by the British and Americans was sobering. Long gone were the dramatic days of the blitzkrieg through the Balkans and the drives on Kiev and Moscow. These had made the reputation of the Gespenster Panzer would wage a fighting with­ Even if Gennany were ultimately de­ Division - the "Ghost" Division, its drawal up the Rhone valley of south­ feated, the lith PD would generally emblem an eerie sword-wielding spec­ ern France against the advancing accomplish the difficult missions tre on a halftrack.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives Lecture
    King's College London Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives Annual Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives Lecture How the cold war froze the history of World War Two Professor David Reynolds, FBA given Tuesday, 15 November 2005 © 2005 Copyright in all or part of this text rests with David Reynolds, FBA, and save by prior consent of Professor David Reynolds, no part of parts of this text shall be reproduced in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, now known or to be devised. ‘Anyone who delves deeply into the history of wars comes to realise that the difference between written history and historical truth is more marked in that field than in any other.’ Basil Liddell Hart struck this warning note at the beginning of a 1947 survey of historical literature about the Second World War. In fact, he felt that overall this writing was superior to the instant histories of the Great War a quarter-century or so earlier, mainly because ‘war correspondents were allowed more scope, and more inside information’ in 1939-45 than in 1914-18 and therefore presented a much less varnished portrait of warfare. Since their view was ‘better balanced’, he predicted ‘there is less likely to be such a violent swing from illusion to disillusion as took place in the decade after 1918.’ 1 Despite this generally positive assessment of the emerging historiography of the Second World War, Liddell Hart did note ‘some less favourable factors.’ Above all, he said, ‘there is no sign yet of any adequate contribution to history from the Russian side, which played so large a part’ in the struggle.
    [Show full text]
  • Battle for the Ruhr: the German Army's Final Defeat in the West" (2006)
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2006 Battle for the Ruhr: The rGe man Army's Final Defeat in the West Derek Stephen Zumbro Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Zumbro, Derek Stephen, "Battle for the Ruhr: The German Army's Final Defeat in the West" (2006). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 2507. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/2507 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. BATTLE FOR THE RUHR: THE GERMAN ARMY’S FINAL DEFEAT IN THE WEST A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of History by Derek S. Zumbro B.A., University of Southern Mississippi, 1980 M.S., University of Southern Mississippi, 2001 August 2006 Table of Contents ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................iv INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................1
    [Show full text]