by Antonio Munoz.
Hardback (6.3×9.3 inches). 274 pages. 2026.
Subtitle: Final Battles of the Eastern Front in World War II
This quick operational look at the last year of WWII on the Eastern Front offers overviews of significant battles and sieges. The text is peppered with German OOBs, which is a marvelous reference for those seeking to create tabletop scenarios. The Berlin OOBs have actual numbers of troops associated with units, but not the earlier ones — although the text often cites numerical details.
This also contains a cornucopia of maps, especially German period maps, which make up about half the total number of maps and is a good thing. And you know how much I like to follow a battle or campaign using a map.
On the down side, it’s about a 50-50 chance of the period maps being too light and blurry to read. It’s a good thing significant towns are often labeled with overprinting. I believe these period maps come from bound volumes and might have been tricky to photograph. I seem to recall that Osprey’s Barbarossa 1941 semi-reprint of the 1941 maps had some curvature problems, but were readable. So, some squinting may be necessary to discern terrain. The other maps are perfectly clear, if lacking the same level of detail.
One possible non-fatal typo: “Stephen B. Cole,” founder of Jagdpanther Magazine, I believe is really Stephen V. Cole. He is better known for Star Fleet Battles with a secondary nod to co-founding Task Force Games, publisher of StarFire series of spacewar games. Somewhere in my attic, I have a couple issues of Jagdpanther and wrote a couple articles for it back in the 1970s. Starfire I have in my library.
The book contains 66 black and white period maps, 16 black and white photos, two black and white visual TO&Es, and 15 black and white vehicle silhouettes.
The ebb and flow of forces, combined with analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of positions and maneuvers, offers a marvelous encapsulation of the relentless tide of the Soviet Army at the height of its prowess. It certainly encourages more than a few tabletop scenarios. Well done.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
