Apocal Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I know there are a lot of East Front uber alles grogs here and I was just wondering where I might find a good account of East Front battalion or company level narratives of combat? Most of the scholarly stuff resides at a much higher level than anything CM scale and I barely played CMBB. Thanks in advance. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanir Ausf B Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 http://www.amazon.com/Hells-Gate-Battle-Cherkassy-January-February/dp/0965758435/ref=pd_sim_b_2 http://www.amazon.com/Panzer-Warfare-Eastern-Front-Schaufler/dp/0811710793/ref=pd_sim_b_5 http://www.amazon.com/KORSUN-POCKET-Encirclement-Breakout-German/dp/1935149849/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391063935&sr=1-1&keywords=korsun+pocket It's a German-centric selection, but I've had a hard time finding Soviet narratives outside of Glantz, whose work seems to be mostly higher level. EDIT: Here's something from the Soviet perspective. http://www.amazon.com/Demolishing-Myth-Prokhorovka-Operational-Narrative/dp/1906033897/ref=pd_sim_b_1 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Apocal, Penalty Strike, by Alexander Pyl'cyn. That author was, by then, a Company Commander of a Penal Battalion, composed of ex-officers, in Op Bagration. It's the nitty gritty of tactical combat by a man who feels, deeply, understands combat (was wounded several times; was mortared, shelled, went through mines, assaulted trenches, crossed rivers under fire and more) and can really write. The title should've been Penal Strike, for that's what the text describes, but somebody screwed up. I consider Penalty Strike to be a phenomenal personal account of what it's like to be in a war, losing friends at every turn, with the weight of command heavy on one's shoulders. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crinius Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Apocal, Penalty Strike, by Alexander Pyl'cyn. That author was, by then, a Company Commander of a Penal Battalion, composed of ex-officers, in Op Bagration. It's the nitty gritty of tactical combat by a man who feels, deeply, understands combat (was wounded several times; was mortared, shelled, went through mines, assaulted trenches, crossed rivers under fire and more) and can really write. The title should've been Penal Strike, for that's what the text describes, but somebody screwed up. I consider Penalty Strike to be a phenomenal personal account of what it's like to be in a war, losing friends at every turn, with the weight of command heavy on one's shoulders. Regards, John Kettler Thx for the tip. Sounds interesting and its available for the KIndle. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomm Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 OT²: Some time ago, on television, a German veteran said that he once killed a russian soldier by biting through his throat. It was the first time that I heard anything like that. Best regards, Thomm 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankster65 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 There are so many options for you but an author I came across whom I have great respect for is Walter S. Dunn. His books are well researched and he writes like a novel even though this is indeed a history book. He really explains superbly the tactics and organization of the two foes. Soviet Blitzkrieg is where you can start. http://www.amazon.com/Soviet-Blitzkrieg-Stackpole-Military-History/dp/081173482X/ref=pd_sim_b_3 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Joch Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 There are so many options for you but an author I came across whom I have great respect for is Walter S. Dunn. His books are well researched and he writes like a novel even though this is indeed a history book. He really explains superbly the tactics and organization of the two foes. Soviet Blitzkrieg is where you can start. http://www.amazon.com/Soviet-Blitzkrieg-Stackpole-Military-History/dp/081173482X/ref=pd_sim_b_3 +1. I just finished "Soviet Blitzkrieg", it is an excellent overview of Bagration. I am also reading "Hitler's Nemesis" also from Dunn which deals more generally with the Soviet Army in WW2. It is very interesting since Dunn is more interested in how the army was organised and functioned on the ground than the formal TO&E. An interesting point about the Soviets, especially once you get to 1944, is that the actual TO&E for many units differed as much from the formal TO&E as it did in the German Army. http://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Nemesis-1930-45-Stackpole-Military/dp/0811735435/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391116652&sr=1-2 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Crinius, You're welcome. May I suggest you get over to I Remember, Valera Potapov's grog site? Valera was a key contributor on Russian weaponry for the Cmx1 game CMBB, and his site's a treasure. For example, here's the account of a Russian enlisted man, who then went to officer school and became an armor technical specialist and was at it, all the way up to Army level, from the Battle of Moscow through the end of the War. Anatolij Shvebig http://english.iremember.ru/tankers/19-anatolij-shvebig.html Arseni Rod'kin was a tanker for many years and definitely fought in Op Bagration. He led a very exciting life, with many tanks shot out from under him; was in close combat, was bombed, tangled with StuGs, etc. Just what you're looking for! http://english.iremember.ru/tankers/18-arseni-rodkin.html?q=%2Ftankers%2F18-arseni-rodkin.html Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76mm Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 There are lots of good acounts, besides Penalty Strike, try Tank Rider by Bessonov and Panzer Destroyer by Krysov. I have several other accounts on my bookshelf which I've not read yet. Note that I'm not sure if these accounts cover Bagration itself, but they are good reading! If you're interested in Stalingrad, there are many many good accounts, from the classic Enemy at the Gates to Jason Mark's "Island of Fire", which I'm reading now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankster65 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 +1. I just finished "Soviet Blitzkrieg", it is an excellent overview of Bagration. I am also reading "Hitler's Nemesis" also from Dunn which deals more generally with the Soviet Army in WW2. It is very interesting since Dunn is more interested in how the army was organised and functioned on the ground than the formal TO&E. An interesting point about the Soviets, especially once you get to 1944, is that the actual TO&E for many units differed as much from the formal TO&E as it did in the German Army. http://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Nemesis-1930-45-Stackpole-Military/dp/0811735435/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391116652&sr=1-2 Don't have this one but I do have and read "Stalin's keys to Victory" along with Dunn's Kursk book. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apocal Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 Thanks guys. I got some reading to do. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76mm Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Other books on my shelf include: Red Road from Stalingrad--Abdulin 800 Days on the Eastern Front--Litvin Through the Maelstrom--Gorbachevsky Eastern Inferno: The Journals of a German Panzerjager on the Eastern Front, 1941-43--Roth I haven't read these yet, so can't vouch for them. There is also a two volume set called "Love and War" by Nicholas, who was an American who fought in the Red Army, including in Bagration, as a tanker. Haven't read it yet, either. All of the books above are on Amazon. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 76mm, Impressive. Sounds like the Russian part of my Eastern Front wish list. I've discussed Litvin in the fixing the ATG thread on the CMBN Forum. He was a 45mm gunner at Kursk and a terrific writer. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76mm Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I"ve also got some Russian accounts which I haven't read yet, including memoirs of several generals (including Rokossovsky, Zhukov, Eremenko, Sandalov, and Batov) and other books such as "Platoon, prepare to attack!" and "Diary of an SU gunner". I have no idea when I'll have the time to read all of this... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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