Decision in the Ukraine, Summer 1943: II. SS and III. Panzerkorps

by George M. Nipe

Decision in the Ukraine: 75 photographs and 29 maps and orders of battle. For the first time in English, the full story of the crucial battles on the Mius River by the 6. Armee and the successful counterattack spearheaded by the II. SS-Panzer-Korps, consisting of "Das Reich" and "Totenkopf". Also covered in detail are the offensives after Kursk in July/August 1943. The author uses many primary sources and conveys the action in vivid detail.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Military History, Ebooks

390 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2012

Reviews

[Dj]

A book that could have carried more weight if he had been willing to have a more realistic idea of what the German Army was capable of at Kursk and after.

[Mark Merritt]

It’s ok. Repetitive. But, interesting discussion on Kursk and the troubles of the reconstituted German 6th Army defense down south. Good battle descriptions however. Hard to find the overall focus of the book. Great battle detail, but lacking in cohesion.

[Dean Marquis]

This book had an enormous amount of information for the Reader. It must have been very Time consuming collecting it. The problem is that it could have been organized better. His focus was mainly on three or four key German Divisions and largely ignored the Rest. The Battle of Kursk was the decision that decided the Ukraine and while the Battle of Kharkov was brilliant, it only for stalled the enevitable. Anything after Kharkov shouldn't have been included and the Crossing of the Dneiper required a book in itself.

[Robert Brightwell]

I found this book to be unreadable. I was lost most of the time. Sad as there is lots of materiel of value here it is just so poorly organized. The author tends to be very repetitive making the book needlessly long.

[John Williams]

This book covers the battle for Prokovorka, Battle of the Mius River, and the battle for Bogodukov. the author does a tremendous job integrating these fights as tied to the battle of Kursk. This is From the German perspective and addresses some key myths surrounding these battles. This is a great read and does not allow the PC culture get in the way of describing selfless actions of the Waffen SS Panzer and Panzer Grenadier Divisions during desperate fights often outnumbered 8 to 1 and besting their Russian counterparts. This book speaks of the soldiers not of the politics other than the challenges with dealing with Hitler and his role in the defeat of the German Army. Definitely an eye opener.

[Duncan Rice]

You will need some basic background to appreciate this book. It would benefit from better maps. The maps in the book are excellent for historical reference but difficult to understand. Otherwise a fantastic book.

[Lesley Oddi]

Ok

Not the best read, but it was alright. Not exactly what I expected. Another work that seem s make you think that it was a surprise that the Germans lost the war.

[Piotr]

Mius river and Kursk battles described in great detail. Tactical warfare and troop movements rarely make an engaging read, but Nipe managed to present dry facts and limited first hand quotes in a way that is both accessible and very professional.
Excellent read for all the armchair generals and readers interested in history of the war on the eastern front.

[Teddy Salad]

Good read.