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Casemate Illustrated
volume xv, issue i, summer 2024
The German Infantryman on the Eastern Front

The German Infantryman on the Eastern Front

by Simon Forty and Richard Charlton-Taylor

Series: Casemate Illustrated

Imprint: Casemate

128 Pages, 7 x 10 in, 150 photographs plus maps

Paperback
9781636243610
January 2024
In Stock

$28.95

$18.99

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Description
Contents
Authors
Praise

A fully illustrated survey of the German infantryman on the Eastern Front in World War II.

The German Army was all-conquering until late 1941 when, only a few miles short of Moscow, it ran out of steam. Maniacal defense, the Russian winter and exhaustion all played their part and, although they didn’t realize it, the German forces wouldn’t advance further on this front. While they continued their offensives into 1942, Soviet defenses had stiffened. Its equipment – notably the T-34 – had improved and the Germans had lost too many of their best men: the savvy NCOs and experienced junior officers that gave the Wehrmacht its edge over the opposition. They had lost their moral compass as well. Complicity in the massacres of the SS-Einsatzgruppen, the barbarity of the anti-Partisan operations and summary execution for those who flagged, were the hallmarks of the German Army’s fight for survival against people it considered less than human.

Outnumbered, under attack on many other fronts, their homeland bombarded unceasingly from the air, the German servicemen endured the hell of the Eastern Front until their armies were destroyed in 1945. While the morality of the regime they fought for and its reprehensible actions should never be forgotten, what cannot be denied is the indefatigable courage of the German infantrymen.

Fully illustrated with over 150 contemporary photographs and illustrations – and exploring a broad range of topics from uniform, weapons and provisions to tactics and communications – this title provides valuable insights into the Germans’ main theater of operations in World War II.

Timeline
Introduction

The Soldier
Facilities
Tactics
Life in the Field

Bibliography
Index

Simon Forty was educated in Dorset and the north of England before reading history at London University’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies. He has been involved in publishing since the mid-1970s, first as editor and latterly as author. Son of author and RAC Tank Museum curator George Forty, he has continued in the family tradition writing mainly on historical and military subjects including books on the Napoleonic Wars and the two world wars. Recently he has produced a range of highly illustrated books on the Normandy battlefields, the Atlantic Wall and the liberation of the Low Countries with co-author Leo Marriott.

Richard Charlton-Taylor has been schoolteacher, light infantryman and businessman. A collector and trader in World War II militaria, he has worked with Simon Forty on several projects sourcing images and providing detailed military knowledge of weapons, equipment, and tactics.

"Whether a deadly serious buff of World War II, Eastern Front, or the casually curious photo thumbing-enjoyer, the two volumes will be riveting." ~ARGunners.com

“In all, it is a great book not only for the information it provides, but the sort of inspiration that it gives to modelers.” ~ModelingMadness.Com

“Highly recommended.” ~AMPS Indianapolis

“…covers the uniforms, weaponry and equipment of German infantry in WWII in detail, with additional information about formations and practices that I found quite useful and interesting.” ~Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

“The book doesn’t deal with the history of the war in the East but rather, as the title defines, the German infantry in that conflict. Who they were, how they fought, how they were supported, etc. I’ve never seen this approach to such a topic used before, and I found it very effective.” ~AMPS

“I believe that modelers of the Wehrmacht and the Eastern Front will find a cornucopia of reference material in this book… For me, it has expanded my knowledge of some topic, and introduced me to others. Recommend.” ~Armorama