Demyansk

[Woolgar]

Just read this book from the excellent Osprey series. I was of course aware of the Demyansk pocket but hey, what a battle !!!

I recommend this as a starter book on this, imo, 'decisive battle'

Nick

[mauser9]

Sounds like a good read Woolgar. I will look for it as I like to read a book on individual battles. Have a couple on my Christmas list and if a truly good read will inform forum members.

[roger9344]

I'll look that one up, Nick. I like these books on battles. I have one on the Cherkassy pocket which was pretty good as well. A wealth of details!

[Datrus]

Yesterday i just read a book written by one of the many Danish volunteers that fought there. Obersturmbannführer K B Martinsen. I'm Danish A friend from our forum (thanks Shadwellarmy0 sent me the book. That must have been crazy fighting there. K B M is writing about fighting as close as 25 meters!

Regards, Lars

[Woolgar]

Yesterday i just read a book written by one of the many Danish volunteers that fought there. Obersturmbannführer K B Martinsen. I'm Danish A friend from our forum (thanks Shadwellarmy0 sent me the book. That must have been crazy fighting there. K B M is writing about fighting as close as 25 meters!

Regards, Lars

Yes Lars they really did! The casualties on both sides were incredible!


German
48,000 killed
140,000 wounded

Russian
200,000 killed
400,000 wounded

Nick

[mauser9]

Hells Gate by Douglas Nash is great on Cherkassy break out but too expensive in hard cover. But if you can download or buy second hand it is and awesome read. Don"t know how anyone that survived this battle could have any sanity left. Manstein at his finest if you ask me.

[alikat]

Hell's Gate is available more reasonably in 'used' condition. Mine looks like it was never read. Fantastic detail of the horror and misery that was the eastern front in the last years of the war. Well worth the money.

[Glenn66]

i have both the Hells Gate and the Demyansk books and can thoroughly recommend them both!

[Paul D]

Just read this book from the excellent Osprey series. I was of course aware of the Demyansk pocket but hey, what a battle !!!

I recommend this as a starter book on this, imo, 'decisive battle'

Nick

The area of Armee Gruppe Nord and Battles such as Demyansk have always not been studied or covered by authors as much as those further south where the great sweeping advances across the steppe seem more exiting but the combat on this front were truly horrendous , and fought in terrible conditions , Demyansk is one of the better known ones but the Battles around Lake Ilmen , the Volkov Pocket , Nevsky Pyatachok and the Neva Bridgehead and of course Narva are all worth studying to undersatns the terrible attritional combat of the OstFront.

Godd recomendation Nick !!

[Gunny Hartmann]

Yet another to add to the reading list!...