On a Knife's Edge : The Ukraine, November 1942–March 1943

The battle of Stalingrad was the turning point of World War II. The German capture of the city, their encirclement by Soviet forces shortly afterwards, and the hard-fought but futile attempts to relieve them, saw bitter attritional fighting and extremes of human misery inflicted on both sides.The surrender of General Friedrich von Paulus's army left Germany's eastern armies severely weakened, but the Red Army had suffered enormous losses as it overreached itself in trying to exploit its great victory. The war was not over. Germany would continue the fight, and the battles that took place in the winter of 1942-43 would show the tactical and operational skill of Erich von Manstein and the Wehrmacht as they attempted to avert what now looked to be an utterly ununavoidable disaster in the making.In this newly released title, a renowned expert on warfare on the Eastern Front reveals the often-overlooked German counteroffensive actions that did so much to stabilise the disintegrating frontline in the wake of the Wehrmacht's defeat post-Stalingrad. How the well organised fighting retreat and mini offensives not only saved the entire Axis Forces frontline from a total collapse, it also helped to rebuild a shattered armys morale and fighting spirit at a time when it was at one of lowest points in the war. Drawing on first-hand accounts from Axis and Russian Sources, 'On a Knife's Edge' is a story of brilliant generalship, lost opportunities and survival in one of the most harshest theatres of the war.The Author Prit Buttar studied medicine at Oxford and London before joining the British Army as a doctor. After leaving the army, he worked as a GP, first near Bristol and then in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. He appears from time to time on local and national TV and radio, speaking on a variety of medical issues. He contributes regularly to the medical press.An established expert on the Eastern Front in 20th-century military history, his previous books include the critically acclaimed 'Battleground Prussia The Assault on Germany's Eastern Front 1944-45' (2010) and 'Between Giants The Battle for the Baltics in World War II' (2013) and a definitive four-part series on the Eastern Front in the period of the Great War, which concluded with 'The Splintered Empires The Eastern Front 1917-21 (2017). He now lives in semi retirement at Kirkcudbright, Scotland. From critically acclaimed Eastern Front expert Prit Buttar, this is the engrossing story of the German resurgence after the battle of Stalingrad. Containing haunting first-hand accounts of the horrors of life on the front line, this gripping narrative reveals in startling detail the story of a bitter struggle for survival against terrible odds. The battle of Stalingrad was the turning point of World War II. The German capture of the city, their encirclement by Soviet forces shortly afterwards, and the hard-fought but futile attempts to relieve them, saw bitter attritional fighting and extremes of human misery inflicted on both sides. The surrender of General Friedrich von Paulus's army left Germany's eastern armies severely weakened, but the Red Army had suffered enormous losses as it overreached itself in trying to exploit its great victory. The war was not over. Germany would continue the fight, and the battles that took place in the winter of 1942/43 would show the tactical and operational skill of Erich von Manstein and the Wehrmacht as they attempted to avert total disaster. In this title, now available in paperback, a renowned expert on warfare on the Eastern Front reveals the often-overlooked German counteroffensive post-Stalingrad, and how it prevented the whole Axis front line from collapsing. Drawing on first-hand accounts, On a Knife's Edge is a story of brilliant generalship, lost opportunities and survival in the harshest theater of war The battle of Stalingrad was the turning point of World War II. The German capture of the city, their encirclement by Soviet forces shortly afterwards, and the hard-fought but futile attempts to relieve them, saw bitter attritional fighting and extremes of human misery inflicted on both sides. The surrender of General Friedrich von Paulus's army left Germany's eastern armies severely weakened, but the Red Army had suffered enormous losses as it overreached itself in trying to exploit its great victory. The war was not over. Germany would continue the fight, and the battles that took place in the winter of 1942/43 would show the tactical and operational skill of Erich von Manstein and the Wehrmacht as they attempted to avert total disaster. In this title, now available in paperback, a renowned expert on warfare on the Eastern Front reveals the often-overlooked German counteroffensive post-Stalingrad, and how it prevented the whole Axis front line from collapsing. Drawing on first-hand accounts, On a Knife's Edge is a story of brilliant generalship, lost opportunities and survival in the harshest theatre of war. From critically acclaimed Eastern Front expert Prit Buttar, this is the engrossing story of the often-overlooked German counteroffensive post-Stalingrad, and how it prevented the whole Axis front line from collapsing.The battle of Stalingrad was the turning point of World War II. The German capture of the city, their encirclement by Soviet forces shortly afterwards, and the hard-fought but futile attempts to relieve them, saw bitter attritional fighting and extremes of human misery inflicted on both sides. The war was not over. The surrender of General Friedrich von Paulus's army left Germany's eastern armies severely weakened, but the Red Army had suffered enormous losses as it overreached itself in trying to exploit its great victory. Germany would continue the fight, and the battles that took place in the winter of 1942/43 would show the tactical and operational skill of Erich von Manstein and the Wehrmacht as they attempted to avert total disaster.Drawing on first-hand accounts, On a Knife's Edge is a story of brilliant generalship, lost opportunities and survival in the harshest theatre of war. Late in 1942, the situation on the Eastern Front underwent a swift and sudden change. Trapped in the ruins of a devastated city, Friedrich von Paulus' Sixth Army faced the prospect of death or imprisonment at the hands of Soviet forces. With such a significant proportion of the Wehrmacht's combat forces isolated in Stalingrad, the German position looked ready to crumble, whilst the powerful Soviet counteroffensive threatened to bring about the collapse of the entire Front. Yet, in a startling recovery led by one of the Wehrmacht's greatest commanders, Erich von Manstein, the German front line was rebuilt, and the weaknesses of the Red Army were revealed under the pressure of an impressively mobile campaign, which played strongly to German strengths. Written by one of the world's leading experts on the Eastern Front, On a Knife's Edge is a story of brilliant generalship, lost opportunities and survival in the harshest theatre of war.