Osprey Men-at-Arms 330 : The German Army (4) 1939-1945 : Eastern Front 1943-1945

On 2 February 1943 the Stalingrad garrison surrendered. From June 1941 to December 1941, and then from June to November 1942 in the Caucuses, the German Army Groups had advanced into the Soviet Union, employing the Panzer divisions and Luftwaffe bombers to penetrate Soviet lines and attack enemy command centres with Blitzkrieg tactics, and Panzer and infantry divisions to destroy the resultant pockets of by-passed Soviet troops in the 'Decisive Manoeuvre' tactic. This twin-track strategy required well-equipped, well-armed and well-supplied mobile forces enjoying tactical independence and room for manoeuvre; but by February 1943 all these advantages had been lost. Thereafter German divisions were defending fixed positions from which they were gradually dislodged by overwhelming Soviet superiority in weapons and manpower. German advances in 1941-42 had been paid for by huge casualties, and by February 1943 the 3 million-strong army had already been reduced to 2,300,000. Hitler insisted on re-raising destroyed units, developing new types of divisions, and raising Waffen-SS and Luftwaffe formations which competed for resources. The result was that the number of field divisions actually increased, but potential front-line troops were diverted into support units to complete divisional tables of organisation, leaving existing divisions seriously understrength but still expected to accomplish their original missions. This fourth book in a series examining the German Army of the Second World War [Men-at-Arms 311, 316, 326 & 330] by Nigel Thomas focuses on the Eastern Front from 1943-45, covering the campaigns, uniforms and insignia of the German Army [including information on European and Eastern volunteer units]. There are plenty of illustrations to complement the text, including eight full page colour plates by Stephen Andrew.

Contents

• The Context of the Eastern Front 1943-45
• Campaign Summary 1943-45
• Army Uniform
• The Plates