One of the main goals of Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in mid-1941 was the capture of the capital city, Moscow. To say that the invasion was a cakewalk would be only partially true. The Soviets were caught off guard despite having intel that the invasion was coming. Soviet equipment was at best obsolescent with little in the way of modern gear.

The Germans were basically battle tested and so made major gains in the first months. Eventually, due to reduced manning and loss of gear, the Germans slowed down. This was helped by the start of the rainy season that turned roads into mud holes. As the Soviets were on the defensive and getting desperate, they fought even more and more. Then came the Soviet winter, for which the Germans were not equipped or prepared. This was exasperated by ever lengthening supply lines that were not able to keep up with demands. As we know, the Germans came close, but never actually reached their goal in this area. Even a second offense in the following year was not successful and the rest of the war was mostly a slow retreat in this area.

As with other books in this series, it is mostly a photo book. There is a historical introduction into each section that consists of 3-5 page so you get an idea of what was going on during that period of time. Then there are the images. This one concentrates on armor and tanks so there isn't any 'fluff' included. A fair amount of information is provided in the captions of each image. It is fortunate for us that German photo units were taking a lot of photographs during this time so that we have these available. The Soviets were no slouch in this regard so this one includes some Soviet vehicles. This makes for an excellent book on the subject and one I know will be appreciated by armor fans and modelers alike. Very much recommended. 

August 2026

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