Customer Reviews

Platz der Leibstandarte: A Photo Study of the SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" and the Battle for Kharkov January-March 1943

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As the title of the book says, it is a photo study of the Waffen-SS divisions that fought in the battle for Kharkov. One word to describe the book would be awesome. The collection of photos is truly amazing and one can tell that each photo was delicately and faithfully reproduced from the original prints or contact sheets. Many of the photos have never been published previously. The types of photos range from combat, staged shots, rest, award ceremonies, and the behind the scenes type activities. After looking at the pictures, one will be able to get some sort of idea of what it was like to fight in the harsh Russian winter. All of the photos were taken by 'Kriegsberichters' or war journalists who were right with all the soldiers in the thick of the fighting. Not only are the photos excellent for study, but also as reference for reenactors and the like. Other features in the book include the following. An introduction that explains where the photos came from and some technical data about the photography employed. A nice synopsis of the battle of Kharkov to give you an idea of the overall picture. Superb captions for each photo written by George Nipe. Lastly there are eight short biographies of some of the more famous LAH commanders, like Panzermeyer and Jochen Peiper, with impressive color portraits painted by Marco Ortelli. Overall an excellent book worth buying.

Rare is the book that provides pictures that are actually related to the text provided. Even rarer still are pictures that capture in sequence the entire event. Such is the case with this volume. From start to finish the reader is presented with a sequence of photographs that literally document aspects of the complete campaign for Kharkov in the winter of 1943.

The pictures are also notable for depictions of many well-known and other lesser known figures of the Leibstandarte, Das Reich, and Totenkopf divisions. Of particular interest are those photos showing a young Jochen Peiper in action. This photographic volume also has a remarkable series of photos showing the fate of a Soviet horse drawn column as it is overtaken by Peiper's Kampfgruppe. Not a happy ending to be certain, but a very real glimpse into the realities of combat on the Eastern Front. In fact, one must wonder how similar the context of the events that would occur at Malmedy over a year later, when an American column would be overtaken by another of Peiper's Kampfgruppes. Certainly, the pictures in this book show a no quarter given attitude for the advancing German kampfgruppe.

For the generalist, this volume will be an interesting look at German formations in action. However, for the serious historian, the pictures clearly show the players, weather, terrain, and operational activities of the Waffen SS all at a given place and point in time.

This book is a must for any serious library on German arms or the Waffen SS in particular.

This has to be the best military photo history that I've seen. The pictures gave a real feeling of being there, and captured for me the essence of what was going in Germany's last major success in the East.

The book is an absolute must for all students of the Eastern Front struggle.

Fabulous photos for students of the Eastern Front, Waffen-SS and modelers. What I found most interesting were the amounts of obsolete equipment (ie: Mk III tanks) used by this elite division. This certainly puts into question the accepted theory that the Waffen-SS received the latest equipment in quanity at the expense of the Heer (army). If this is the case, then it supports the notion that the men of the Waffen-SS were indeed superior soldiers.

To put it briefly, this is an amazing book. Picture quality is beautiful. There is an incredible arrary of rare photographs not found anywhere else. After reading so much about this epic battle, this book did a fine job of bringing it to life in a whole new way. A good companion to Kurt Meyer's Grenadiers. For students of the Eastern Front, it doesnt get much better. Well worth the price.

If you are an enthusiast of WWII & the Eastern Front you will like this book. It contains many photos not seen before and by following the flow of the battle of Kharkov it does create a compelling visual companion to other books on the same subject.

superb pix of AFV`s & frontschwine, good maps which show the battles rolling back & forth, the captions are paragraph length with useful info. If you know nothing about this battle , you`ll get a lot from the book. If you`re East-Front-Avid, you may have seen some[10%] of the pix elsewhere, but you`ll still get a lot of detail from the captions.

This is one of the best books on the subject, with many wonderfull pictures. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in this division, or the SS in general.

The previous review says it all. About 300 pages with over 500 (mostly never published before) b/w photographs of the SS-Panzer Grenadier Division in this new book. This is just a great collectors' items. Grab one qiuck if you can.

This photo documentary is incredible. The three top Waffen-SS Panzer Divisions vs. The Red Army. This would be the last major victory for Nazi Germany. From here on out it would be all Red Army in the East. This undoubtedly has to be one of the most savage combat operations in WW II. No quarter was shown by either side, and for all intents and purposes these two armies might as well have been fighting at the North Pole, for how bad the cold was. Our 82nd Airborne Division, along with other U.S. Army units, would get to see the savagery of the SS panzer divisions later in Normandy and in the Ardennes. A friend of our family experienced the terror of fighting Jochen Peiper's unit. He simply said that when the Waffen-SS showed up for combat, you knew they weren't there to play marbles. In my opinion, this is the definitive book on the battle of Kharkov. Getting your hands on one now, though, is no easy task.