From the Realm of a Dying Sun: Volume I - IV. SS-Panzerkorps and the Battles for Warsaw, July–November 1944
Product ID: 122778951
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"The book is eminently readable and, unlike a myriad of other books that focus on units, never seems to get mired in writing mud but moves along briskly. Overall the volume is well-illustrated, and the reader will sense this is a well-researched book. Critically the book is well-steeped in doctrinal materials from both sides of the hill in a deft manner." ― ARMOR Magazine During World War Two, the armed or Waffen-SS branch of the Third Reich’s dreaded security service expanded from two divisions in 1940 to 38 divisions by the end of the war, eventually growing to a force of over 900,000 men until Germany’s defeat in May 1945. Not satisfied with allowing his nascent force to be commanded in combat by army headquarters of the Wehrmacht, Heinrich Himmler, chief of the SS, began to create his own SS corps and army headquarters beginning with the SS-Panzerkorps in July 1942. As the number of Waffen-SS divisions increased, so did the number of corps headquarters, with 18 corps and two armies being planned or activated by the war’s end. The histories of the first three SS corps are well known – the actions of I, II, and III (Germanic) SS-Panzerkorps and their subordinate divisions, including the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, Das Reich, Hitlerjugend, Hohenstaufen, Frundsberg and Nordland divisions, have been thoroughly documented and publicized. Overlooked in this pantheon is another SS corps that never fought in the west or in Berlin but one that participated in many of the key battles fought on the Eastern Front during the last year of the war – the IV SS-Panzerkorps. Activated during the initial stages of the defense of Warsaw in late July 1944, the corps, consisting of both the 3. and 5. SS-Panzer Divisions (Totenkopf and Wiking, respectively) was born in battle and spent the last ten months of the war in combat, figuring prominently in the battles of Warsaw, the attempted Relief of Budapest, Operation Spring Awakening, the defense of Vienna, and the withdrawal into Austria where it finally surrendered to U.S. forces in May 1945. Herbert Otto Gille’s IV SS-Panzerkorps was renowned for its tenacity, high morale and, above all, its lethality, whether conducting a hard-hitting counterattack or a stubborn defense in situations where its divisions were hopelessly outnumbered. Often embroiled in heated disputes with its immediate Wehrmacht higher headquarters over his seemingly cavalier conduct of operations, Gille’s corps remained to the bitter end one of the Third Reich’s most reliable and formidable field formations. Table of Contents Contents Forward Illustrations Maps I: Early Formation 1943 – 44 II. Role of a corps headquarters III: Command and Staff IV: The Divisions: Wiking and Totenkopf V: Activation 19 - 28 July 1944 VI: Initial Commitment to Battle 28 July 1944 VII: The Defense of Warsaw VIII: Relief of Budapest IX: Operation Spring Awakening X: Retreat and Defense of Vienna XI: Withdrawal and Surrender XII: Appendices: Command and Staff Organization Battle Calendar Subordinated Divisions XIII: Bibliography XIV: Index Review: Outstanding Read - The most comprehensive histories on the 4th SS Pz Korps ever written. I enjoyed going back and forth between media, hard cover, kindle, and audible versions. Thank You so much for the monumental effort. Review: good - this is a 3 volume set. the first 2 are excellent,the third not so much as the author had a lot fewer sources he could use on the third volume
| Best Sellers Rank | #373,346 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #28 in Armored Vehicles Weapons & Warfare History #530 in Russian History (Books) #815 in German History (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 243 Reviews |
H**9
Outstanding Read
The most comprehensive histories on the 4th SS Pz Korps ever written. I enjoyed going back and forth between media, hard cover, kindle, and audible versions. Thank You so much for the monumental effort.
C**R
good
this is a 3 volume set. the first 2 are excellent,the third not so much as the author had a lot fewer sources he could use on the third volume
C**.
Too much of a good thing?
Reading this book is like trying to eat a bucket of chocolate mousse. It's rich. Its' delicious. But boy, is it filling. This tactical and operational tour-de-force will show the reader literally hundreds of attacks, counter attacks, artillery barrages, and unit movements. Its authority and comprehensiveness is unassailable. However, even an Eastern Front buff like myself found it numbing--almost tedious--after awhile. But perhaps that's the point. If you want a window into the grinding, attritional nightmare that was the fighting around Warsaw, this will make you feel it on a gut level. Still, if you're going to tackle the trilogy, I'd advise doing a "palette cleanser" book between volumes, just to clear your head.
W**2
Covers A German Unit During a Critical Time On The Eastern Front
Another outstanding effort by historian Douglas Nash. I've been interested in his writings since reading "Hell's Gate" years ago. Nash seems to be able to burrow into the same primary sources and use them in a way to present something new and detailed. In this case, he presents the history of the IVth SS Panzer Korps during the desperate attempts to stop the Russian steamroller after Operation Bagration in the Summer of 1944. I greatly enjoy how Nash follows one unit (and it's attachments) over a period in time, providing detail and depictions that you don't typically find in other narratives. I'm a long-time WW II amateur historian, and I learned things from this book. Five stars.
S**N
Nice German unit history
It’s about time someone started writing histories of German units in World War II it would be nice if they would do British French Russian and Italian units also but this is an excellent history
M**.
An absolute must read
This book is the best book on ?World War Two I have read this year. The author, Douglas Nash, has produced a book with the passages easy to read and captivating. I really like the way he starts the story by beginning with "what is in a Panzer Corps" and continues it with the narrative of the IV SS Panzer Corps in action. My only regret with this book is that I finished it! Nash as a style of writing that flows and is a real pleasure to read, he has become my new favorite author. I find it hard to wait for his other books i ordered to arrive! Read this book, you will not be disappointed!
M**N
Great read!
Nice page turner work on combat on the Eastern Front involving the Waffen SS! If you like works on Eastern Front combat, you'll love this work! A real page turner!
S**H
Statistics
Enjoyed the history, however more from the individuals who participated and less on the statistics would have provided the reader with a more in depth feel for the struggle
R**D
Great read
An essential history for any student of the eastern front during World War II . Thoroughly readable and highly recommended
A**E
Exemplary research work
Incredibly detailed book that is half campaign history covering July to November 1944, and half forensic examination of how an SS panzer Corps headquarters was first assembled and then how it worked in the field. I have the first two books in this remarkable and very even handed series and cannot recommend them highly enough. Essential reading for anyone interested in the fighting on this front from July 44 to the end of the war.
B**B
Good read
A real well written and researched book. I've read a lot of books about the Eastern front. This one rates quite high.
L**S
uma diarista guardou o livro e somente achei hoje, perdão por ter reclamado sem motivo.
excelente
M**S
the great leadership by men who new what they were doing
they are not many books on the maket to date that explain the complex of battles that went on around warsaw at this time of the war, most pertain to the uprising in warsaw, therefore when a writer of mr nash calaber brings out a book on this subject people who have read his other books will be very excited, He does not disapoint the sheer scale of the fighting & casualties detail how brutal this battle was, If it wasnt for the expert leadership of the divisions involved army &ss the whole front would of colapsed,To give one instance totenkopfs maserly use of its artillery saved the regiments time & again from disaster + regular injections of manpower, This is a masterly book on this subject by a auther who nows his stuff on the eastern front buy it you will be glad you did.
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