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This is the penultimate book in Buttar’s excellent series on the Eastern Front, and covers the Soviet conquest of German occupied Poland and their entry into the eastern parts of Germany itself. This was the last time the Germans were able to mount an even faintly coherent defense on the Eastern Front – despite the crushing losses they had suffered in Operation Bagration in 1944 they had been able to restore a stable front line, although a very weakly defended one.
The book starts with the Soviets ready to resume the offensive after a pause to recover from their excersions during Operation Bagration. That had seen them smash the German Army Group Centre, clear the Germans out of the pre-war Soviet Union and reach the Vistula. Both sides suffered massive casualties during that campaign, but the Soviets were able to replace their losses, while the Germans were not. As a result by January 1945 the Soviets were ready to launch another massive offensive, this time against a greatly weakened German army. Their objective this time would be to clear the Germans out of the rest of occupied Poland, and then invade eastern Germany. There were two main objectives – the industrial region of Silesia, which was the most significant source of weaponry in what was left of Germany, and to prepare for the battle for Berlin.
This is one of the most skilfully executed Soviet operations of the Second World War. Very rapid progress was made, and for once the Germans suffered heavier casualties than the Soviets. This was the period in which Himmler was given command of a key army group, and demonstrated his total lack of suitability for the role, although elsewhere more experienced, skilled commanders also struggled to cope. On the Soviet side we see how they had learnt from earlier experiences, even if they were still prone to suffering heavier casualties than other armies might have done.
On the German side we see the beginning of the end of the Wehrmacht – this time it wouldn’t be possible to recreate a new front line further to the west – instead a variety of semi-isolated armies would end up fighting almost unrelated battles as the Soviets finally advanced towards Berlin. This campaign sees Germany lose its last major industrial area in Silesia, and with it any chance of prolonging the war, or building the ‘miracle weapons’ that Hitler continued to rely on.
The Germans were still able to mount a limited counterattack – operation Sonnerwende – which briefly worried the Soviets (although mainly because the German army involved was renamed twice, inadvertently giving the Soviets the impression three armies were involved!).
This is an excellent account of a very one-sided battle, with the Germans unable to mount a solid defense despite having little doubt where the Soviets would be attacking and operating closer to home and their limited remaining supplies.
Chapters
1 – Preparing for Armageddon: The Wehrmacht
2 – The Red Army: ‘Forward, forward at any cost!’
3 – Konev’s Hammer Blow: 12-13 January
4 – Zhukov Joins the Offensive: 14-16 January
5 – Warsaw-Krakow-Lodz: 17-19 January
6 – Roads of Suffering and Death
7 – Draconian Punishment, Fanatical Defence
8 – Poznan and the Northern Sector
9 – The Wandering Cauldron: Konev Turns South, 20-31 January
10 – 1st Belarussian Front: The Advance to the Lower Oder
11 – 1st Ukrainian Front: The Conquest of Silesia
12 – Sonnenwende and Pomerania
13 – Lauban
14 – Conclusion: Defiance and Despair
Author: Prit Buttar
Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 2025
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 448