Retribution: The Soviet Reconquest of Central Ukraine, 1943

Retribution: The Soviet Reconquest of Central Ukraine, 1943 by Buttar, Prit. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781472835321.

From critically acclaimed Eastern Front expert Prit Buttar comes this detailed and engrossing account of the war on the Eastern Front as the German forces were driven back following the Battle of Kursk. Beginning towards the end of the Battle of Kursk, Retribution explores the massive Soviet offensive that followed Operation Zitadelle, which saw depleted and desperate German troops forced out of Central Ukraine. In this fascinating title, Buttar describes in detail the little-known series of near-constant battles in which a weakened German army was confronted by a tactically sophisticated force of over six million Soviet troops. As a result, the Wehrmacht was driven back to the Dnepr and German forces remaining in the Taman Peninsula withdrew into the Crimea. As the Germans withdrew, the horrors they had inflicted on occupied lands were gradually uncovered, from the "scorched earth" program to the mass deportations and executions of countless men, women and children. With an avenging Soviet army in pursuit, retribution was inevitable. In this masterful narrative, renowned Eastern Front historian Prit Buttar weaves German and Soviet first-hand accounts into a detailed analysis of the strategies and tactics employed in this tumultuous period, bringing vividly to life the dark, desperate days of 1943.