Customer Reviews

Hell's Gate: The Battle of the Cherkassy Pocket, January-February 1944

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an epic work that covers a forgoten battle from a forgoten war... Soviets v.s. 3rd Reich in yet another battle to the death... Two months in 1944 that went mostly unnoticed by all, except those who were actually there...

Yet somehow, Col Nash manages to bring this "lost" battle to life, re-telling the tale in minute and fascinating detail. He shows us the players, the setting, the story... he draws us in, and makes us feel part of the struggle.

I am very impressed with this book! Firstly, it is HUGE! Almost "coffee table book" in size, it is literally bursting with rare photos, detailed organizational charts and informative maps and charts. Second, it is packed with invaluable and otherwise impossible to find information. Third, it is masterfully writen... Col Nash has re-invented the military history book! This is no dry listing of dusty facts... this is an exquisite retelling of history... a true "page turner" that draws you in and holds your attention until the last page! The best history book I have ever read, military or otherwise. I give this book my highest and most enthusiastic rating, especilly to students of WWII and/or the Russian Front.

Nash has written, I believe to be, one of the greatest works on the East Front. Stories of courage, imagination, and leader innovation are traits that mark the history of the East Front and are clearly present in this book. What makes this book an anomaly as my heading states? It is the fact that Douglas Nash clearly projects how personal the war was - not only at a tactical level, but also at the operational.

The Battle of Cherkassy (Korson) Pocket signified the destruction of the last German offensive capability in the East.
More importantly, it symbolizes two great operational struggles: The Russian will to destroy their invaders by attempting to create another Stalingrad catastrophe and the German resolve to survive and escape annihilation.

The Book describes the battle in three major levels: strategic, operation, and tactical. Each level includes the planning, coordination, and execution of their respective missions. The decisive characteristic of this work is the smooth intregration of all three of the levels and their respective components. Coupled with the operational and strategic awareness, Nash presents a myriad of personal accounts and stories at the tactical level that are uncommon for a book that covers an event of such size and magnitude. As a result, one will easily "feel" the desperation on the opposing forces. The result of Nash's diligent work: one will become immersed in the story rather than bored or confused from the complexity of the battlefield.

Finally, I want to address to the physical attributes of the book. The old saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover" should NOT apply here. The size, material, mere construction, and the cover pic leave an incredible, positive impression which is absolutely fullfilled by its content.

I became fascinated with the Battle of the Cherkassy (Korson) Pocket after reading about it in Paul Carrel's SCORTCHED EARTH; however, Carrel left me yearning for more detail about the battle - Douglas Nash successfully filled the void.

Mr. Nashs' recent release concerning the Kourson Pocket Jan.- Feb. 1944 is, to me the closest thing to perfect military historical writing that I've read yet! To begin with, the book is physically HUGE. The fact that Mr. Nash has done exhaustive research from both the german and soviet sides is evident - having a bibliography following each chapter was quite impressive. In addition, the author has done many, many interviews with surviving participants that add a intimate flavor to his writing, with a myriad of details that gives the reader the reader the feel of being immersed amid the chaos and desperation of the action. Numerous side stories to the main action are covered in astonishing detail. And the pictures! Where on earth did he collect all these wonderful pictures that make it much easier to visualize what was going on. I have been a long time student of the Ost Front, having read all of Carell's books, the recent autobiographies by common landsers' and many, many other books on the subject. None of them comes even close to the detail and pure readibility of Mr. Nashs' masterpiece on the Kourson Pocket! Buy the book, eagerly await its' arrival, and then savor it like a fine wine upon obtaining it. This should be required reading for anyone thinking of pursuing writing in military history - the gold standard against which any future writing will be measured. My only hopes are (1)That the author wil turn his protean writing talents to other neglected, but equally exciting Ost Front actions such as Mansteins' actions in the Crimea in '42, or his masterful retreat from the Caucasas, or his crowning jewel - the recapture of Kharkov in '43. (2)That the motion picture industry will recognize this work that captures the chaos and hell of war on a personal level and the sacrifice involved for its' participants and make a movie that attempts to convey this. Friends and colleagues, it doesn't get any better than this!

Hell's Gate is a very good, in depth analysis of one of the Eastern front's most important battles. The buyer should be aware however that this book, in my opinion, is meant for military historians, not for the casual reader. As indicated in previous reviews, the book would benefit from better maps and detailed illustrations supporting the troop movements and positions well described in the book. My other criticism is that the author approaches the subject very analytically, and while he has incorporated first person material he has missed an opportunity to make the subject matter much more exciting and a better read. All in all it is a very good, detailed account of military history and if you are a serious student of WWII & the Eastern Front you would benefit by purchasing this product.

Excellent book, with loads of anecdotes and personal accounts, at least for the German side. The book would have been even better if the author could have managed to obtain more Soviet first hand accounts as well, but even without them he does a good job of describing and assessing the Soviet side of the battle as well.

While the Eastern Front in World War II has generally been well covered by military historians, the campaign in the Ukraine in early 1944 has had only spotty coverage. After the defeat at Stalingrad and the long retreat to Berlin, the Germans were less interested in documenting their defeat. But stubborn resistence by the Germans after Kursk through the Ukraine, slowing Stalin's reclaiming of the Soviet Union, meant the Soviets were not eager to write much history of this part of the Eastern Front. Douglas Nash's book on the Cherkassy Pocket is a welcome, detailed work on a brutal battle, the first in a series of Soviet pocketing actions of the Germans in the Ukraine. The five months of fighting in the Ukraine were perhaps the most terrible of the war. Through assiduous research in archives plus interviews with survivors, Nash documents hour-by-hour a level of valor and determination on both sides that is hard to fathom. Modern readers of this terrible battle story will ask, "How was it possible for men to persevere under these conditions." Nash's attention to detail tells a compelling story.

In 1981, I attempted to recreate the entire Battle of Cherkassy for a massive Squad Leader scenario. It was a huge undertaking back in those days as there were not 20 different Squad Leader boards. And there was virtually no information on Cherkassy beyond what could be found in Time-Life's The Soviet Juggernaut, which gave tantalizing accounts of this fascinating battle. In later years, Leon Degrelle's, Campaign in Russia provided still more insight into the fights at Novo Buda and Shanderovka.

But still there was no comprehensive single source for text and/or pictures until the arrival of Nash's book. And Nash nails it from in-depth text to pictures that are connected to the events described. If for nothing else, grab this book for the pictures. There are some excellent shots of Walloons and I was particularly intrigued by a series of shots of SS-Sturmbannfuehrer Hans Dorr, who is one of the more interesting soldiers of the 5th SS Wiking Division. In short, the pictures and text are first rate and in my opinion are the definitive accounting of this battle.

Sure wish it had been around in 1981...what a Squad Leader game we would have had.

If you want to know what war on the Eastern Front was like, there is not a better book available. The Battle of the Cherkassy Pocket takes place in early 1944 as the tide of war is turning against the German Army.

The author vividly details the progress of the battle. We get insight into the personalities of the military leaders on both sides. Liberal use of first hand experiences literally put the reader on the battlefield itself. The book also includes many striking photos taken during the battle.

The key story line is that of a surrounded German Army force. Having learned the hard lessons of Stalingrad, the Luftwaffe puts forth an incredible effort to try to keep the entrapped force resupplied until a breakout can be attempted. During the course of the battle, the author details the typical mistakes and miscommunications that so often take place during war. The Germans are suprised by the entrapment of their forces in the Cherkassy area having underestimated Soviet forces opposite them. Likewise, the Soviets find that even at this late point in the war, the German Army can still strike back effectively.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who wants to get a feel for the intensity of the war on the Eastern Front.

Douglas Nash's first book about the Battle of the Cherkassy Pocket is bound to be an Eastern Front classic. It is extremely well researched, with tons of detail. More importantly, it is an easy read. He has interviewed both German and Soviet veterans and provides a thoroughly unbiased presentation of the day by day events that made up this historic battle for survival. The maps provided are detailed, yet easy to read and understand. The photo's found within are excellent and provide some insight into the hell that was the "kessel" (cauldron), as the German soldiers referred to the area in which they were surrounded. I would recommend this book to anyone that is a serious historian of World War II and the battleground that was the Eastern Front.

"Hell's Gate" is a meticulously researched volume of a little known brutal winter battle on the Eastern Front during World War II. The writing is clear and unambiguous; the text is supplemented with many photographs, including previously unpublished photos made available to the author by participants of this battle.
There are some irritating production shortcomings, such as the occasional line dropping off at the bottom of a page and the seemingly inevitable misspellings throughout.
In all, I readily recommend this book.