Military Model Scene

Title: The Waffen-SS at Kharkov
Author: Massimiliano Afiero
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 978-1-63624-439-6

February-March 1943, a new English translation of one originally published in Italian back in 2023. A 128-page soft-cover book.
Starting with a timeline, along with a handy glossary of terms, as used in the book. The rest is then spread across 9 sections telling the main story. Following the Soviet success at Stalingrad, with significant losses to the German armies on the Eastern Front were not the end of the story for German successes. Soviet armies pushed the German back over large distances, but despite these defeats, the German forces were not quite done, though we often think Stalingrad marked the end of their dominance. The Soviets had recaptured the Ukrainian city of Kharkov, after despite Hitler ordering them not to abandon the city, they did, rather than face total defeat. With the arrival of a third SS division, Totenkopf joined Das Reich and the Leibstandarte, to make up II SS-Panzerkorps. In an offensive overseen by Field Marshall Eric von Manstein, this tells the story of how these three SS Divisions were able to successfully re-take the city, in what was referred to as the 3rd Battle of Kharkov. With plenty of personal accounts of events, along with lots of archive photos throughout the book, plenty of maps, and some 'call-outs' giving profiles of key commanders such as Fritz Witt, Kurt Meyer and Joachim Peiper.
It provides an interesting account of this offensive, which was really the final successful German operation of the war. Casualties were much greater on the Soviet side, but the German divisions did have significant casualties and losses of equipment which could not be replaced as easily as the Soviets could. A story of the war on the Eastern Front, but I couldn't help but make me think of the current situation in Ukraine, and how the people of Kharkov are once again subject to military attack, although this time they are getting help from Germany and others, against attacks from their one time ally, the Russian Army. In terms of the story of WW2, a story of success for 3 famous SS-Divisions, and some well known commanders.
Thanks to Script Books, part of Pen & Sword, for the review copy.

Robin