The End of the Gallop
The Battle for Kharkov February - March 1943
by
Alexei Isaev
Translated by
Kevin Bridge
This book is about the Third Battle for Kharkov. This would be at the end of a string of Russian victories that started with the encirclement of the German 6th Army in Stalingrad. After this battle would come a relatively long lull for the Eastern Front until the Battle of Kursk started.
The book is not a long one at about 130 pages. However, the author packs into its pages everything the reader needs or wants to know. I have read two books from Alexei Isaev, and I am very impressed with the detail and impartiality that this author brings to the table. The book gives an explanation of why the Battle of Kursk had to be postponed as long as it was. The German troops were in very bad shape after plugging the huge gap that the defeat in the South had caused. This was also the first time that the Soviet Armed Forces had ever fought and had to resupply attacks that reached far into the German rear. So, their forces were as bad off as the Germans at that time. The author shows us just how debilitated the divisions on each side were before the battle even started. For a division or higher to have only 20-30 available tanks on its roster was not uncommon, sometimes even less.
The fight for Kharkov was akin to two older fighters slogging it through the last round. In this case, the Germans had just enough left in the gas tank to eke out a win. In the author's conclusion, he also goes into what effect if any the new German Tiger tanks had on the fighting.
This is a very well-done book on the Third Battle of Kharkov. By its length you would think it would be just a primer, but this is not the case at all. This is just more proof that good things do come in small packages. Thank you, Casemate Publishers for allowing me to review this book. I will have another book review authored by Mr. Isaev coming up. It is 'Stalingrad: City on Fire'.
Robert
Book: The End of The Gallup: The Battle for Kharkov February - March 1943
Author: Alexei Isaev
Publisher: Helion & Company
Distributor: Casemate Publishers
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