Battleground Prussia: The Assault on Germany's Eastern Front 1944-1945

[Bernie Brule]

I just finished this exceptional book on the brutal campaign by the Red Army to conquer East Prussia. It is written in the style of Paul Carrel's Scorched Earth and the harder to find Hitler Moves East.

Dr. Pritt Buttar uses unit histories and personal accounts of the savage fighting that occurred in East Prussia to include the Courland Pocket. The final days of the war in East Prussia were hell on earth for the soldiers of both sides. He describes how civilians suffered unimaginable hardships and freezing cold on their trek to the west while thousands of women were raped and killed by the Red Army. Individual accounts are also covered of both civilians and soldiers and how they survived.

He also covers the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of refugees by the Kriegsmarine while the decimated German Divisions did their best to hold off the Red Army at odds of sometimes 10 to 1.

A must read for those interested in the final bloody battles on the Eastern Front.

A more in depth review of this book can be found here:
http://www.feldgrau.net/forum/viewto...p?f=33&t=32817

Bernie

[leibregiment]

Yes an outstanding book

[Robert Shoaf]

I read it a few months ago; thought it was very good.

Bob Shoaf

[Captain Black]

Just finished this one myself and agree its a great read
Cheers Brad

[stonemint]

Bernie--

Is it a translated work (ie, from German to English?)

Second, is the vast majority from the German side, or is it more of a 50/50 split?

[hucks216]

Bernie--

Is it a translated work (ie, from German to English?)

Second, is the vast majority from the German side, or is it more of a 50/50 split?

It is the author's own work but as for what side has the majority of the viewpoint I can't help I'm afraid as while it has sat on my 'to read' pile for a while I have yet to get round to it. There are extra parts on the authors website that have been left out of the book.

[Robert Shoaf]

Bernie--

Is it a translated work (ie, from German to English?)

Second, is the vast majority from the German side, or is it more of a 50/50 split?

Book is not translated; despite his name, the author is British, was educated at Oxford, and served in the British Army as a doctor.
I would say that the book is very German oriented, but their is also decent coverage of the Red Army, especially of some of the generals that may be not as familiar as Zhukov, etc.
An very good book, on a depressing subject, especially since parts of East Prussia appear to have little likelihood of ever returning to German control, being part of that absurd concoction, the Kaliningrad oblast.

[pasoleati]

Excellent book, no doubt! And Dr. Buttar is an extremely kind person who responded to a non-book related question I had most generously!

[Willi Z.]

I am reading this now. So far it is a superb account on the part of the war we in the West know so little about.