Erhard Rauss Livres

The brilliant panzer tank general who was also one of the German army's best field commanders

On 22 June 1941, the German army invaded the Soviet Union, one hundred fifty divisions advancing on three axes in a surprise attack that overwhelmed and destroyed whatever opposition the Russians were able to muster. The German High Command was under the impression that the Red Army could be destroyed west of the Dnepr River and that there would be no need for conducting operations in cold, snow, and mud. They were wrong.In reality, the extreme conditions of the German war in Russia were so brutal that past experiences simply paled before them. Everything in Russia--the land, the weather, the distances, and above all the people--was harder, harsher, more unforgiving, and more deadly than anything the German soldier had ever faced before.Based on the recollections of four veteran German commanders of those battles, FIGHTING IN HELL describes in detail what happened when the world's best-publicized "supermen" met the world's most brutal fighting. It is not a tale for the squeamish.

General Erhard Raus was one of the German Army's finest panzer generals and a leading exponent of blitzkrieg in the east. German panzers were witness to the incredible onslaught that was the first few months of Barbarossa, then the gradual strengthening of Russian resistance, counterattack, and, ultimately, the long and drawn- out German retreat. Raus and his panzers therefore were tested in every conceivable tactical situation and, inevitably, Raus became highly versed in all aspects of mobilized warfare. This account by Erhard Raus, edited by leading Eastern Front expert Peter G. Tsouras, concentrates on German efforts to relieve Stalingrad and Raus, as commander of 6th Panzer Division, was in the thick of this bitter action, urging his panzers forwards in a massive effort to break the Soviet stranglehold. Written originally to brief the American Army, this valuable material is now made available for the first time.--Provided by publisher

Kniha uvádí čtyři zprávy vysokých německých důstojníků o jejich zkušenostech z bojů v Rusku. Tyto zprávy byly sepsány pod záštitou americké armády po válce a vyšly jako brožury amerického Ministerstva obrany.