Waffen-SS Soldier vs Soviet Rifleman: Rostov-on-Don and Kharkov 194243 (Combat Book 71)

Fully illustrated, this study assesses the Soviet and Waffen-SS troops who contested the cities of Kharkov and Rostov-on-Don on the Eastern Front during 1942–43. As the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union unfolded, two places that suffered exceptionally severely were Kharkov (now Kharkiv) in Ukraine and Rostov-on-Don in Russia. In total, Kharkov would change hands violently four times between October 1941 and August 1943, and Rostov-on-Don also four times between November 1941 and February 1943. In this book, Chris McNab examines the fighting men of the Red Army and the Waffen-SS who clashed in three battles – one for Rostov (July 1942) and two for Kharkov (February–March and August). He clearly explains the key differences between these two opponents – training, tactics, weaponry, ideology and motivation – and examines how these differences played out in the three engagements, which ranged from open-terrain combined-arms battles to close-quarters street fighting in major urban zones. The text is complemented by specially commissioned artwork and mapping and carefully chosen archive photographs. As the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union unfolded, two places that experienced particularly intense suffering were Kharkov (now Kharkiv) in Ukraine and Rostov-on-Don in Russia. Both cities would change hands violently four times during 1941-43 as the conflict raged back and forth on the Eastern Front. In this book, Chris McNab assesses the fighting men of the Red Army and the Waffen-SS who clashed in three battles - one for Rostov (July 1942) and two for Kharkov (February-March and August 1943). Featuring specially commissioned artwork and mapping plus carefully chosen archive photographs, this study examines the key differences between the two opponents in terms of training, tactics, weaponry, ideology and motivation. It investigates how these differences played out in the three featured battles, which ranged from open-terrain combined-arms combat to brutal close-quarters street fighting in major urban zones Cover 1 Contents 3 Introduction 4 The Opposing Sides 10 Ideology and Recruitment 10 Training and Tactics 20 Weapons 25 Rostov-on-Don: 20–25 July 1942 31 The Third Battle of Kharkov: 1 February–18 March 1943 43 The Fourth Battle of Kharkov: 6–11 August 1943 58 Analysis 69 Waffen-Ss – ‘Fire Brigade’ Forces 70 Soviet Forces – Evolving Tactics 71 Aftermath 74 Unit Organizations 78 Bibliography 79 Index 80 Imprint 81