{"title":"Books by Robert Forczyk","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781472805836","title":"The Caucasus 1942–43","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMuch has been written of the titanic clashes between the Wehrmacht and the Red Army at Stalingrad. This volume tells the other, equally important half of the story of Fall Blau (Case Blue).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLearning from their experiences during the sweeping advances of Operation Barbarossa a year before, Wehrmacht commanders knew that Nazi Germany's lack of oil was a huge strategic problem. Seizure of the Caucasus oilfields, which were responsible for 82% of the Soviet Union's crude oil, would simultaneously alleviate the German army's oil shortages whilst denying vital fuel resources to the Red Army.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhilst Army Group B advanced along the Volga towards Stalingrad, Army Group A, spearheaded by Ewald von Kleist's elite Panzerarmee 1 was to advance into the Caucasus to seize the oilfields of Maikop, Grozny and Baku.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFeaturing full-colour artwork, archival photos and detailed analysis, this book follows the vicious, intense fighting that characterised one of the most important campaigns of World War II.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204459135154,"sku":"9781472805836","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472805836.jpg?v=1786020396"},{"product_id":"9781472816900","title":"Kursk 1943","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Kursk campaign was the major German offensive of 1943 and the last strategic offensive the Germans were to launch on the Eastern Front in World War II.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMauled at Stalingrad, the German army looked to regain the initiative on the Eastern Front with a huge offensive launched near the city of Kursk, 280 miles south-west of Moscow. Armed with the new Panther tank, Hitler and Field Marshal von Manstein were confident that they could inflict another crushing defeat on the Soviet Union. What they did not know is that the Soviets knew about the coming attack, and they were ready.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book focuses on the southern front of this campaign, which featured one of the biggest clash of armour of the warin the battle of Prokhorovka which involved over a thousand tanks. It examines in detail the tactics and mistakes of the army commanders as they orchestrated one of the bloodiest battles in World War II.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsing campaign maps, stunning photographs and vivid artwork, this new study, a companion to Campaign 272 \u003ci\u003eKursk 1943: The Northern Front\u003c\/i\u003e, examines whether that the German offensive was doomed from the start as it takes the reader through this titanic clash of armour.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56300119097717,"sku":"9781472816900","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472816900_9d5fe50a-27b7-423e-99a6-f0b7e4d94d08.jpg?v=1786020476"},{"product_id":"9781472842657","title":"Stalingrad 1942–43 (1)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe first in a three-book series examining the Stalingrad campaign, one of the most decisive military operations in World War II that set the stage for the ultimate defeat of the Third Reich.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter failing to defeat the Soviet Union with Operation \u003ci\u003eBarbarossa \u003c\/i\u003ein 1941, Adolf Hitler planned a new campaign for the summer of 1942 that was intended to achieve a decisive victory: Operation \u003ci\u003eBlue \u003c\/i\u003e(Case Blau). In this new campaign, Hitler directed that one army group (Heeresgruppe A) would advance to seize the Soviet oilfields in the Caucasus, while the other (Heeresgruppe B) pushed on to the Volga River. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe expectation was for a rapid victory – instead, German forces had to fight hard just to reach the outskirts of Stalingrad, and then found themselves embroiled in a protracted urban battle amid the ruins of a devastated city on the Volga.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Soviet Red Army was hit hard by the initial German offensive but held onto the city and then launched Operation \u003ci\u003eUranus\u003c\/i\u003e, a winter counteroffensive that encircled the German 6. Armee at Stalingrad. Despite a desperate German relief operation, the Red Army eventually crushed the German forces and hurled the remnants of the German southern front back in disorder.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis first volume in the Stalingrad trilogy covers the period from 28 June to 11 September 1942, including operations around Voronezh. The fighting in the Don Bend, which lasted weeks, comprised some of the largest tank battles of World War II – involving more armour than the tanks employed at Prokhorovka in 1943.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56300141511029,"sku":"9781472842657","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472842657_7d2609f7-9ad6-4b8c-91ce-979cf119ce3c.jpg?v=1786020781"},{"product_id":"9781472834973","title":"Case White","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis fascinating title from renowned World War II historian Robert Forczyk tells the story of Case White.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe German invasion of Poland on 1 September, 1939, designated as \u003ci\u003eFall Weiss \u003c\/i\u003e(Case White), was the event that sparked the outbreak of World War II in Europe. The campaign has widely been described as a textbook example of Blitzkrieg, but it was actually a fairly conventional campaign as the Wehrmacht was still learning how to use its new Panzers and dive-bombers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Polish military is often misrepresented as hopelessly obsolete and outclassed by the Wehrmacht, when in fact it was well-equipped with modern weapons and armour. Indeed, the Polish possessed more tanks than the British and had cracked the German Enigma machine cipher. Though the combined assault from Germany and the Soviet Union defeated Poland, it could not crush the Polish fighting spirit and thousands of soldiers and airmen escaped to fight on other fronts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe result of Case White was a brutal occupation, as Polish Slavs found themselves marginalized and later eliminated, paving the way for Hitler’s vision of \u003ci\u003eLebensraum \u003c\/i\u003e(living space) and his later betrayal and invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsing a wide array of sources, Robert Forczyk challenges the myths of Case White to tell the full story of the invasion that sparked history’s greatest conflict.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301013565813,"sku":"9781472834973","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472834973_abae19c9-0baf-4607-837f-d1c51aef5648.jpg?v=1786020665"},{"product_id":"9781472842732","title":"Stalingrad 1942–43 (3)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe final part in a three-book series on the Battle of Stalingrad, examining the Soviet encirclement, German relief efforts, and the final surrender of Paulus’ 6.Armee.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHaving fought hard just to reach the outskirts of Stalingrad, the Axis forces found themselves embroiled in a protracted urban battle amid the ruins of a devastated city on the Volga. The Soviet Red Army was able to hold onto the city then mount a surprise winter counter-offensive known as Operation \u003ci\u003eUranus\u003c\/i\u003e, which succeeded in encircling the German 6.Armee at Stalingrad. Despite a desperate German relief operation, the Red Army eventually crushed the 6.Armee and hurled the remnants of the German southern front back in disorder.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis third and final volume in the Stalingrad trilogy begins just after the German 6.Armee has been isolated at Stalingrad, and covers the period from 24 November 1942 to 2 February 1943. The specially commissioned maps and 3D diagrams guide the reader in step-by-step, easily to follow detail through the German relief operation (\u003ci\u003eWintergewitter\u003c\/i\u003e), the fighting on the Chir River, and the Soviet operations \u003ci\u003eKoltso\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLittle Saturn\u003c\/i\u003e, and are complimented by the battlescene artworks that vividly depict the harsh conditions experienced by the common soldiers fighting on both sides.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301016973685,"sku":"9781472842732","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472842732_6b5ab9d4-bc6f-43ad-9483-25c22068b598.jpg?v=1786020783"},{"product_id":"9781472855633","title":"Port Arthur 1904–05","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA gripping, illustrated narrative of the longest and most brutal land battle of the 1904–05 Russo-Japanese War.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrowing rivalry between Imperial Russia and Imperial Japan over territorial control in China and Korea led to the outbreak of war in February 1904. Japan struck the first blow with a surprise naval attack against the anchored Russian Pacific Fleet at its base in Port Arthur. Once the fleet had been neutralized, the Japanese landed their Second Army on the Liaotung Peninsula in May 1904, in order to besiege Port Arthur. The fighting that followed has become legend in military history. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRespected military historian Robert Forczyk describes the Russian relief operation towards Port Arthur (the Battle of Telissu), and the lengthy siege of the Russian-held town and harbour. The initial Japanese attempts to capture the port by assault are documented in detail, together with the Japanese progress through the heavily fortified lines protecting Port Arthur. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSpecially commissioned artworks bring to life in vivid detail the Battle of Nanshan Hill, the Japanese assault on the Wantai Heights, and the bombardments of the Russian forts. Maps and diagrams explore the strategic situation and tactical progress of the fighting in step-by-step detail, and over 60 period photographs reveal the appearance and weaponry of the opposing forces and the terrain around Port Arthur.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301039649141,"sku":"9781472855633","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472855633_f44da66e-7d69-4e96-a6be-aa8084a706e1.jpg?v=1786021043"},{"product_id":"9781472822598","title":"The Kuban 1943","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA fully illustrated study of the defensive struggle for the Kuban bridgehead on the Eastern Front of World War II, where the Red Army repulsed a series of ferocious German offensives in the Caucasus.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the summer of 1942, the Wehrmacht invaded the Caucasus in order to overrun critical oil production facilities at Maikop, Grozny and Baku. However, the Red Army stopped the Germans short of their objectives and then launched a devastating winter counteroffensive that encircled them at Stalingrad. Consequently, Hitler grudgingly ordered an evacuation from the Caucasus, but ordered 17. Armee to fortify the Kuban bridgehead and hold it at all costs in order to leave open the possibility of future offensives. On the other side, the Soviet Stavka ordered the North Caucasus Front and the Black Sea Fleet to eliminate the Kuban bridgehead as soon as possible. The stage was set for a contest between an immovable object and an unstoppable force.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith the help of stunning specially commissioned artwork, this book tells the enthralling story of the impressive but strategically foolish German stand at Kuban, which tied down seven Soviet armies in a sideshow battle of attrition, which the Soviets dubbed ‘the Kuban meat grinder.’\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301108953461,"sku":"9781472822598","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472822598_aa41e7b8-b581-4acf-b141-8a8cd77683c1.jpg?v=1786020530"},{"product_id":"9781472816788","title":"Where the Iron Crosses Grow","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Crimean Peninsula was the setting for the destruction of a number of armies in World War II, both Soviet and German.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen the Soviets fortified Sevastopol in 1941 it heralded the beginning of a period of intense fighting over the Crimea. In this remarkable work, acclaimed author Robert Forcyzk assembles new research to investigate the intense and barbaric fighting for the region in World War II, where first Soviet and then German armies were surrounded and totally obliterated.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eForcyzk’s unique account provides a definitive analysis of the many unique characteristics of the conflict, exploring the historical context as it uncovers one of the most pivotal theaters of the Eastern Front during World War II.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301109150069,"sku":"9781472816788","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472816788_88e6788b-5dbb-4937-babb-243e3508709d.jpg?v=1786020474"},{"product_id":"9781472830692","title":"Velikiye Luki 1942–43","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA highly illustrated study of one of the most dramatic yet overlooked episodes on the Eastern Front in World War II, the siege of Velikye Luki by Soviet forces in 1942–43.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVelikiye Luki had been an important Russian fortress city since the 13th century and had become an important rail-hub by the 19th century. In August 1941, the Germans occupied the city of 30,000 during Operation \u003ci\u003eBarbarossa\u003c\/i\u003e and made it a bulwark on the boundary between Heeresgruppe Nord and Heeresgruppe Mitte.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the winter of 1942–43, while Soviet forces were encircling Stalingrad, the Stavka (High Command) conducted a simultaneous offensive to isolate and destroy the 7,500-man German garrison in Velikiye Luki. After surrounding the city on 27 November 1942, the Soviet 3rd Shock Army gradually reduced the city to rubble, while the German garrison, sustained by Luftwaffe air lifts, hunkered down in the medieval city and awaited rescue. This compact account reveals the full story of the tense seven-week siege of Velikiye Luki, which saw Soviet forces striving to liberate the city in the face of a determined garrison and fierce relief efforts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDetailed analysis by renowned World War II historian Robert Forczyk is complimented by stunning and historically accurate battlescenes, maps, and bird’s-eye-views to offer a comprehensive look at this gripping campaign.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301112197493,"sku":"9781472830692","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472830692_380c56fa-fef4-422a-8b10-4995bb2ece92.jpg?v=1786020610"},{"product_id":"9781472842695","title":"Stalingrad 1942–43 (2)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe second in a three-part series examining the Stalingrad campaign, one of the most decisive military operations in World War II, that set the stage for the ultimate defeat of the Third Reich.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy early September 1942, 6.Armee and 4.Panzer-Armee had reached the outskirts of Stalingrad, and Hitler believed it was about to fall. He ordered for the capture of the city as soon as possible, but this was easier said than done.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn 13 September, a direct German assault was launched against the city on the Volga and a protracted urban battle followed amid the ruins, already devastated by massive Luftwaffe raids. Although hit hard by the initial German offensive, a ruthless and obstinate Red Army was able to hold onto the city through a costly battle of attrition that sacrificed huge amounts of men and materiel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis second volume in the Stalingrad trilogy, written by a leading expert on the military history of the Eastern Front, brings the fighting in the city to life in full visual detail, including the iconic battles at the Krasny Oktyabr Steel Plant, the Grain Elevator, the Barrikady and STZ factories, the ‘Tennis Racquet’ and Rynok–Spartanovka.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing from sources on both sides, this book offers a truly comprehensive account of history’s greatest urban battle.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301119897973,"sku":"9781472842695","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472842695_9fe49726-92af-47a6-80e5-39fefef227c9.jpg?v=1786020782"},{"product_id":"9781472851888","title":"Desert Armour","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRobert Forczyk covers the development of armoured warfare in North  Africa from the earliest Anglo-Italian engagements in 1940 to the  British victory over the German Afrikakorps in Operation \u003ci\u003eCrusader\u003c\/i\u003e in  1941. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe war in the North African desert was pure mechanized warfare, and in many respects the most technologically advanced theatre of World War II. It was also the only theatre where for three years British and Commonwealth, and later US, troops were in constant contact with Axis forces. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWorld War II best-selling author Robert Forczyk explores the first half of the history of the campaign, from the initial Italian offensive and the arrival of Rommel’s Panzergruppe Afrika to the British Operation \u003ci\u003eCrusader\u003c\/i\u003e offensive that led to the relief of Tobruk. He examines the armoured forces, equipment, doctrine, training, logistics and operations employed by both Allied and Axis forces throughout the period, focusing especially on the brigade and regimental level of operations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFully illustrated throughout with photographs, profile artwork and maps, and featuring tactical-level vignettes and appendices analysing tank data, tank deliveries in-theatre and orders of battle, this book goes back to the sources to provide a new study of armoured warfare in the desert.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301128974709,"sku":"9781472851888","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472851888_8f49374c-856f-4b46-a12d-c2456ed8a57b.jpg?v=1786020969"},{"product_id":"9781472862266","title":"The Kamenets-Podolsky Pocket 1944","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA detailed exploration of a critical month-long battle, which set the stage for German strategic-level defeats on both the Eastern and Western fronts.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn February 1944, 1st Panzer Army (under Generaloberst Hube) played a major role in the relief operation that saved part of the German forces trapped in the Korsun Pocket. However, the losses suffered in that effort left Hube’s forces materially weakened, exhausted and with vulnerable flanks. Unexpectedly, Zhukov’s 1st Ukrainian Front and Konev’s 2nd Ukrainian Front attacked on 4 March, conducting a huge pincer operation against 1st Panzer Army. Within three weeks, Hube’s 200,000-strong army was isolated, with its back to the Dniester River. The destruction of Hube’s army would doubtless precipitate a rapid German collapse on the Eastern Front – two months before the Allied invasion of France. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this work, Eastern Front expert Robert Forczyk presents a superbly illustrated examination of the initial Soviet encirclement operation, Hube’s full-scale breakout operation to save his army, and the relief operation by 2nd SS-Panzer Corps (redeployed from the West) in April 1944. Although Hube’s army managed to escape Zhukov’s trap, it lost most of its equipment and was no longer fully combat capable. The German Army in the East had been seriously weakened, and the amount of German armour deployed in the West to counter any Allied landings in France had simultaneously been reduced.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301135364469,"sku":"9781472862266","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472862266_7dcf29b9-1d85-4153-8cd4-d198c7863dc6.jpg?v=1786021181"},{"product_id":"9781472829832","title":"We March Against England","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWe March Against England\u003c\/i\u003e tells the thrilling tale of Operation Sea Lion, Hitler's plan to invade Britain and end its involvement in World War II.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn May 1940 Nazi Germany was master of continental Europe, the only European power still standing was Great Britain – and the all-conquering German armed forces stood poised to cross the Channel. Following the destruction of the RAF fighter forces, the sweeping of the Channel of mines, and the wearing down of the Royal Naval defenders, two German army groups were set to storm the beaches of southern England. Despite near-constant British fears from August to October, the invasion never took place after first being postponed to spring 1941 before finally being abandoned entirely.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRobert Forcyzk, author of \u003ci\u003eWhere the Iron Crosses Grow\u003c\/i\u003e, looks beyond the traditional British account of Operation\u003ci\u003e Sea Lion\u003c\/i\u003e, complete with plucky Home Guards and courageous Spitfire pilots, at the real scale of German ambition, plans and capabilities. 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This major study of the greatest tank war in history is compelling reading.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368786112885,"sku":"9781399077712","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399077712_c009fdca-830c-49b5-9c3f-53f91ea17cf4.jpg?v=1786034315"},{"product_id":"9781472874382","title":"Generalship on the Eastern Front, 1941–45","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA comprehensive evaluation of generalship on the most important front in World War II.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe war on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1945 was the largest sustained air-ground conflict in military history and played the decisive role in the defeat of the Third Reich. This new study seeks to analyse the command and generalship of the combatants.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe scale of the conflict was immense. Lasting over 46 months it involved over 10 million combatants at its peak, and resulted in roughly 15 million military deaths, as well as about 20 million civilian deaths. More than 50 percent of all German military fatalities in 1941–45 occurred there, and by the time the Western Allies invaded France in June 1944, the Wehrmacht was already decimated.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWho were the generals who led these campaigns on the Eastern Front? The standard historiography of World War II tends to focus on a few prominent leaders while ignoring the mass of commanders and operational-level military staffs who actually fought most of the war and this new study by renowned Eastern Front historian Robert Forczyk seeks to redress the balance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eGeneralship on the Eastern Front\u003c\/i\u003e offers an objective analytic framework for assessing the senior German and Soviet commanders on the Eastern Front through the lens of generalship and battle command, examining a total of 54 German and 140 Soviet officers.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368895852917,"sku":"9781472874382","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472874382_a9c15594-b0de-4179-b8e7-7fc3300b78e8.jpg?v=1786020513"},{"product_id":"smolensk-1943","title":"Smolensk 1943","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA highly illustrated history of Operation \u003ci\u003eSuvorov\u003c\/i\u003e, the Soviet assault against German positions around Smolensk in late 1943.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith the German defeat at Kursk, the Soviet \u003ci\u003eStavka \u003c\/i\u003e(high command) ordered the Western and Kalinin Fronts to launch Operation \u003ci\u003eSuvorov\u003c\/i\u003e in order to liberate the city of Smolensk. The Germans had held this city for two years and \u003ci\u003eHeeresgruppe Mitte\u003c\/i\u003e’s (Army Group Centre) \u003ci\u003e4. Armee\u003c\/i\u003e had heavily fortified the region.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Soviet offensive began in August 1943 and they quickly realized that the German defences were exceedingly tough and that the Western Front had not prepared adequately for an extended offensive. Consequently, the Soviets were forced to pause their offensive after only two weeks, in order to replenish their combat forces and then begin again. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe German \u003ci\u003e4. Armee\u003c\/i\u003e was commanded by Generaloberst Gotthard Heinrici, one of the Wehrmacht’s top defensive experts. Although badly outnumbered, Heinrici’s army gamely held off two Soviet fronts for seven weeks. Eventually, the \u003ci\u003e4. Armee\u003c\/i\u003e’s front was finally broken and Smolensk was liberated on 25 September 1943. However, the Western Front was too exhausted to pursue Heinrici’s defeated army, which retreated to the fortified cities of Vitebsk, Orsha and Mogilev; the \u003ci\u003e4. Armee\u003c\/i\u003e would hold these cities until the destruction of Army Group Centre in June 1944.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis detailed volume focuses on a major offensive that is virtually unknown in the West and which set the stage for the decisive defeat of \u003ci\u003eHeeresgruppe Mitte\u003c\/i\u003e in the next summer offensive.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57484298813813,"sku":"9781472830746","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472830746.jpg?v=1786266355"},{"product_id":"desert-armour","title":"Desert Armour","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRobert Forczyk covers the development of  armoured warfare in North Africa from Rommel's Gazala offensive  in 1942  through to the end of war in the desert in Tunisia in 1943. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe war in the North African desert was pure mechanized warfare, and in many respects the most technologically advanced theatre of World War II. It was also the only theatre where for three years British and Commonwealth, and later US, troops were in constant contact with Axis forces.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWorld War II best-selling author Robert Forczyk explores the second half of the history of the campaign, from the Gazala offensive in May 1942 that drove the British forces all the way back to the Egyptian frontier and led to the fall of Tobruk, through the pivotal battles of El Alamein, and the final Allied victory in Tunisia. He examines the armoured forces, equipment, doctrine, training, logistics and operations employed by both Allied and Axis forces throughout the period, focusing especially on the brigade and regimental level of operations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFully illustrated throughout with photographs, profile artwork and maps, and featuring tactical-level vignettes and appendices analysing tank data, tank deliveries in-theatre and orders of battle, this book goes back to the sources to provide a new study of armoured warfare in the desert.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57484320801141,"sku":"9781472859846","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472859846.jpg?v=1786266379"},{"product_id":"kursk-1943","title":"Kursk 1943","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Kursk campaign was the major German offensive of 1943 and the last strategic offensive the Germans were to launch on the Eastern Front in World War II.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the summer of 1943, recoiling from defeat at Stalingrad, Hitler conducted a limited objective offensive to eliminate the Soviet Kursk salient. Operating a classic pincer attack of the kind that succeeded during the 1942 Kharkov campaign he hoped that the resulting heavy losses inflicted on the Red Army would give the Wehrmacht time to recover its strength. However, the Soviet anticipation of the attack led to extensive losses on both sides as Soviet anti-tank mines and fierce fighting pushed the Germans back, liberating the German-held Orel in the process.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFocusing on the northern front of the battle with Generaloberst, Walter Model’s forces pitted against General Rokossovsky’s Central Front between 5 July and 18 August, this volume will explore both the German offensive and the Soviet counteroffensive. Using documents from both sides, extensive photographs – both contemporary and modern, maps and bird’s-eye-views this title will shed new light on this often ignored part of the battle.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57487758066037,"sku":"9781782008194","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781782008194.jpg?v=1786354983"},{"product_id":"tank-warfare-on-the-eastern-front-1941-1942","title":"Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front, 1941-1942","description":"The German panzer armies that swept into the Soviet Union in 1941 were an undefeated force that had honed their skill in combined arms warfare to a fine edge. The Germans focused their panzers and tactical air support at points on the battlefield defined as Schwerpunkt - main effort - to smash through any defensive line and then advance to envelope their adversaries.   Initially, these methods worked well in the early days of Operation Barbarossa and the tank forces of the Red Army suffered defeat after defeat. Although badly mauled in the opening battles, the Red Army's tank forces did not succumb to the German armoured onslaught and German planning and logistical deficiencies led to over-extension and failure in 1941\\. In the second year of the invasion, the Germans directed their Schwerpunkt toward the Volga and the Caucasus and again achieved some degree of success, but the Red Army had grown much stronger and by November 1942, the Soviets were able to turn the tables at Stalingrad.   Robert Forczyk's incisive study offers fresh insight into how the two most powerful mechanized armies of the Second World War developed their tactics and weaponry during the critical early years of the Russo-German War. 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