White Hell: Winter Warfare on the Eastern Front
Gordon Rottman & Stephen Andrew
Winter! This theme forms the centerpiece around which this
photographic volume is built. Despite being delayed by the need to
invade the Balkans, Germany expected an early conquest of Russia
when it attacked on 22 June 1941. When the expected victory did not
come as easily as anticipated, the German Wehrmacht soon found
itself embroiled in Russia's brutal & bitterly cold winters. A
quarter of a million German soldiers suffered frostbite in that
first Russian winter simply because they were ill-equipped and
poorly supplied with the requisite cold-weather gear. Soldiers who
survived this first bitter winter actually received a specific
medal for it (called the Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42,
and which the soldiers often called "Frozen Meat Order")! This book
is thus full of snow and mud!
Beginning with an introductory text explaining the impact of cold
weather on the performance of the German armed forces, the book
quickly moves on to an excellent selection of black and white
photographs. They show troops in all sorts of wintry landscapes,
the majority of which unsurprisingly show snow! Soldiers in
trenches, emplaced artillery positions, vehicles negotiating
unforgiving terrain, horses and reindeer, and soldiers on skis, all
receive due attention. The photos also reveal a wide range of
cold-weather solutions in terms of uniforms worn by German
soldiers. Their small-arms weaponry and personal equipment are also
on vivid display. In the center of the book are four full-page
color plates produced by the talented artist Stephen Andrew.
Accompanying descriptions offer pertinent details about specific
uniform items.
The harsh Russian winter played a pivotal part in the failure of
Germany's invasion of the vast nation of Russia. This book
illustrates some of those atrocious conditions encountered by the
average soldier, and the photo contents are a veritable historical
treasure chest. Military enthusiasts and model-makers alike will
find plenty to inspire in this new volume from Concord.
Format 21 x 28 cm, Paperback, 52 Seiten, 136 s/w-Fotos, 4
Farbtafeln, englischer Text, Best.-Nr. Con6523