“STALINGRAD 1942 – 43 (Book 3) – Catastrophe: the Death of 6 th Army”, by Robert Forczyk,Illustrated by Steve Noon, Campaign 385 Series. OSPREY PUBLISHING Ltd/ Bloomsbury
Publishing, Plc: 2022, 96 pages, 7 ¼” x 9 ½”, softcover; $24. Visit, www.ospreypublishing.com.
“STALINGRAD AIRLIFT 1942 – 43 –The Luftwaffe’s broken promise to the Sixth Army”, byWilliam E. Hiestand, Illustrated by Adam Tooby, Air Campaign Series. OSPREY PUBLISHINGLtd/Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc: 2023, 96 pages, 7 ¼” x 9 ½”, softcover; $25. Visit,www.ospreypublishing.com.“WAFFEN – SS SOLDIER VERSUS SOVIET RIFLEMAN – – Rostov-on-Don and Kharkov 1942 – 43”,by Chris McNab, Combat Series. OSPREY PUBLISHING Ltd/Bloombury Publishing, Plc: 2023, 80pages, 7 ¼”x 91/2”, softcover; $23. Visit, www.ospreypublishing.com.“SOVIET NAVAL INFANTRY 1917 – 91”, by David Greentree, Illustrated by Johnny Shumate, Elite249 Series. OSPREY PUBLISHING Ltd/Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc: 2023, 64 pages, 71/4” x 91/2”,
softcover; $21. Visit, www.ospreypublishing.com.
On December 25, 1942, alone, 1,280 Germans died of frostbite, dysentery, typhus, andstarvation. General Friedrich von Paulus (1890-1957), the archetypal German staff officer,meticulously respectful and loyal, soon to be castigated by Hitler as a coward after his troopsnear death surrendered, sanctioned the slaughter of 400 draught horses for food. They struggleto fight on, but knew the end was near. The severe Russian winter meant it was impossible tobreak out of the ring of encirclement. Hitler either ignored the 6 th Army or denied its problems.Even the makeshift hospitals were so crowded they had to close the doors to the increasingwounded. The bunkers of troops still fighting were infested with lice. Hitler’s liaison officer fromBerlin to the 6 th Army reported to the German General Staff that he saw a man whose numb,frostbitten feet and toes were being partly eaten by bulging rats as he slept. Hitler was angeredby such “defeatist” reports. He didn’t believe them.The third and final volume in Robert Forczyk’s Stalingrad trilogy begins just after the 6 th hasbeen isolated, covering 24 November to 2 February 1943. His specially commissioned maps and3D diagrams guide the reader in step-by-step, easy-to-follow detail through the German reliefoperation, “Wintergewitter”, the fighting on the Chir River, and the Soviet operations ‘“Koltso” and “Little Saturn”. They are complemented by battle scene artworks that vividlydepict the harsh conditions experienced by the common soldiers fighting on both sides.“Stalingrad Airlift 1942 – 43 – The Luftwaffe’s (read Hermann Goring) broken promise to theSixth Army covers more historical information in one 96 page softcover than previous militaryresearchers have in 400-page hardcover volumes. What a superb addition in hithertounpublished photos of major participants, new facts, recently discovered documents,anecdotes, vignettes, personal notes, brief memoir recollections and reminiscences viagathering dust-covered letters and staff memos, known and unknown! Author Bill Hiestand hasprovided us Stalingrad-reading fanatics the ultimate summary! And wait until you beginperusing the fascinating original artwork and explanatory diagrams and maps. Again, Ospreyand one of its top writers, feed our appetites with new and revealing information – this one, on
the most important air campaign on the Eastern Front.
Who were the Russian heroes who fought in Stalingrad, and the other cities, provinces, evenvillages who held out to the final person’s last bullet? Two additional Osprey title’s help answerthe question, “Waffen-SS Soldier versus Soviet Rifleman”, and “Soviet Naval Infantry 1917-1991”. Each presents insights into the realities of front-line combat, innovative split-screenartwork, expert analysis combined with gripping battle accounts, strategic and tactical maps,photos in color, unrivalled detail, and its wonderful accompanying minutiae. Buff, you knowand agree, quality of accuracy and new information always supersedes quantities of the known,repeated, copied, and recognized! If I were you, I’d buy all four for less than five $20 bills. What
an enriching addition to your growing library!
