Robert Forczyk

An in depth study of the siege of Leningrad with particular emphasis on the garrison's defences.Hitler's protracted siege of Leningrad resulted in one of the most brutal campaigns on the Eastern Front during World War II. The German Army Group North was able to isolate the city and its garrison for a period of 900 days, during which an estimated 1.5 million Soviets died from combat, disease and starvation.For over two years, German forces pounded the city with artillery and air assaults while the Soviets made repeated efforts on the frozen swamplands of the Volkhov Front to break through. Finally, in January 1944, the Soviets were able to break Army Group North's front and relieve Leningrad.While most histories of the siege of Leningrad focus on the plight of the starving civil population, this refreshing title instead examines the strength of the garrison's defenses – which ultimately prevented the Germans from capturing the city – and the growing sophistication of Soviet offensive tactics.Dr Forczyk also provides an assessment of how weather and terrain factors shaped the campaign in this superb addition to the history of the Eastern Front.

This illustrated account tells the story of the dramatic uprising of the Polish Home Army in Warsaw in 1944.Defeated and occupied in 1939, Poland had suffered under the Nazi heel for nearly five years. Undaunted, however, the Poles formed an underground army, the Armia Krajowa (Home Army), and waited for a moment of German weakness. That moment seemed to have arrived in July 1944 as the Soviet armies began to advance into eastern Poland. The AK launched its revolt in Warsaw on 1 August 1944.Though its 5,000 fighters achieved some initial successes, the Germans were able to retain control over both the Vistula River bridges and the airbase, dooming the revolt to isolation and defeat. The SS was put in charge of suppressing the rebellion, beginning a wave of atrocities shocking even by Eastern Front standards.Featuring full-colour maps and archive photography throughout, this volume describes the desperate rebellion and its outcomes.

The first major clash between a European and Asian state in the modern era signalled the beginning of Japan's rise as a major power on the world stage. Watched by the rest of the world's superpowers, this incredibly violent war was disastrous for the Russians who, despite their superior numbers, were defeated by the Japanese underdogs in a spectacular fashion. The key technical elements of firepower, protection, maneuverability and communications for each side are covered in detail and accompanied by first-hand accounts and specially commissioned artwork to explain and illustrate this historically significant duel.

A detailed, illustrated examination of the various factors at play during Operation Sturgeon Haul.In late July 1941, Hitler ordered Army Group South to seize the Crimea as part of its operations to secure the Ukraine and the Donets Basin, in order to protect the vital Romanian oil refineries at Ploesti from Soviet air attack. After weeks of heavy fighting, the Germans breached the Soviet defences and overran most of the Crimea. By November 1941 the only remaining Soviet foothold in the area was the heavily fortified naval base at Sevastopol.Operation Sturgeon Haul, the final assault on Sevastopol, was one of the very few joint service German operations of World War II, with two German corps and a Romanian corps supported by a huge artillery siege train, the Luftwaffe's crack VIII Flieger Korps and a flotilla of S-Boats provided by the Kriegsmarine. This volume closely examines the impact of logistics, weather and joint operational planning upon the last major German victory of World War II.

This book describes the design and development of these two deadly opponents, the Panther and the T-34, analysing their strengths and weaknesses and assessing their tactics, weaponry and training. Moreover it gives an insight into the lives of the tank crews themselves who were caught up in the largest land conflict of World War II in some of the most important engagements in the history of warfare. This was a duel between the titans of the Soviet and German armed forces in a ruthless and relentless death match that would determine the war on the Eastern Front and indeed the fate of Nazi Germany.

The story of Operation Typhoon, the largest German operational attack of the war and Hitler's desperate attempt to seize Moscow.Suffering a staggering loss of over 2 million troops by September 1941, Soviet forces were faced with the prospect of Hitler victoriously re-directing his powerful German armies toward the heart of Soviet Russia - Moscow. However, the season was late and the Germans found themselves in a race to launch a final decisive attack before the arrival of the dreaded Russian winter. Stalin desperately sought to play for time by mustering all available military resources to save his capital.With expert knowledge of the subject, author Robert A. Forczyk successfully manages to bring to life the battle which saw the most horrific losses for the Soviet defending forces and marked the first defeat of the Wehrmacht.

In August 1793, revolutionary France was in a precarious position, surrounded by enemies. In Toulon, a coup had handed over the entire French fleet to the British navy. For France to survive, Toulon had to be retaken, and France's saviour materialised in the shape of Napoleon Bonaparte. He organised guns and batteries to bombard the Allied fleet and on 17 December 1793, when the French attacked, he was able to take one of the key Allied positions. This book describes the eventual French victory at Toulon which saved the Revolution and promoted the young Napoleon Bonaparte, beginning his meteoric rise to power and catalysing the effect on Europe during the rest of the nineteenth century.