From Pen & Sword,
Often overshadowed by D-Day Operation Bagration, the code name for the Red Army's summer offensive of 1944, broke the back of the Axis on the Eastern Front. Coincidentally beginning on the third anniversary of Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, Bagration demonstrated that the Red Army had learnt the lessons of mobile warfare and was capable of putting them into ruthless practice. A series of well-coordinated attacks combined with major partisan strikes struck the defence lines of Army Group Centre in Belarus. Weak in armour and air support AGC had not been the target Hitler had anticipated that the Soviets would chose for this operation. It was only when the Red Army had almost outrun its supply lines and panzer formations had be relocated from elsewhere on the Eastern Front in early July that the Germans managed to defend effectively.
However, this book only covers the fighting until the liberation of Minsk in early July. The Soviet's summer offensive would not officially end until the last week of August by which time Finland had sued for an armistice, Romania had switched sides and the German forces had been savaged, holding a line hundreds of kilometres to the west of its original positions outside the gates of Warsaw.
Contents,
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: Plans and preparations
Chapter 2: Target Vitebsk
Chapter 3: Festung Orsha
Chapter 4: Festung Mogilev
Chapter 5: Festung Bobruisk
Chapter 6: The Polotsk Operation and Elsewhere
Chapter 7: Model takes command
Chapter 8: The fall of Minsk and the aftermath
Being a collection of images relating to Operation Bagration and the liberation of Minsk, there is little reading to be done here. Each chapter has a couple of pages of text that give an overarching explanation of what follows, there is no in-depth analysis here, the images are the story.
Each image is accompanied by a few sentences to give some context to the image; the images themselves are clear and unique, are about a half page or larger and come from a variety of sources. The images cover a variety of subjects from both sides of the war, including men, machines, and the physical environment, and be a handy reference on the operation.
There is plenty here to motivate a modeler or interest a person researching the subject
About my only gripe with the book would be the large blank spaces, particularly where the image is a half-page with a couple of sentences in explanation.
Easily recommended.
I just liked the inclusion of the He 177, such a cool bomber
A good supporting explanation of the image is essential.
Typical map showing the strategic position for a given date. Not cluttered, clear, and easy to read.
hands up who brought their rifle to work today?
typical page where half the page is blank
and what is a book without words...