Book Review of
From Bessarabia To Belgrade
An Illustrated Study of the Soviet Conquest of Southeast Europe
March – October 1944
Author: Kamen Nevenkim
Peko Publications
ISBN: 978-615-5583-28-5
By Ray Mehlberger
CopyrightCopyrigh 2020
MSRP: $41.95
ISBN: 978-615-5583-28-5
By Ray Mehlberger
CopyrightCopyrigh 2020
MSRP: $41.95
Hitler’s biggest mistake during WWII was attacking the Soviet Union with Operation Barbarossa. Although some early success was had by Germany, the Russians fought back furiously until they pushed the German army to the doors of Berlin and their defeat.
THE BOOK:
Peko Publishing is base in
This book details the battles at Belgrade in 1944, with 149 black and white wartime photos.
The book is hard--cover and shrink-wrapped in clear cello sheet.
It contains 154 pages, of which the last 2 are blank.
Fighting on the Russian side was:
The 2nd, 3rd Ukrainian Front groups, the 4th and 5th Guards Mechanized Corps, the 6th Tank Army, Yugoslav partisans, 17th Air Army, 36th Guards Tank Brigade, 53rd Independent Motorized Regiment and the Soviet Air Force.
Fighting on the German side was:
The 6th Army Panzer Corps “Grossdeutschland” Division, LVII Panzer Corps, the Luftwaffe, Romanian Air Force, Grenadier Regiment 97 of the 46th Infantry Division, Army Group South Ukraine, 13th Panzer Division, 6th Panzer Division, 17th Air Army, Bulgarian Armored Brigade, 1st Mountain Division, 4th SS Poliezi Panzer Grenadier Division, SS Mountain Division “Prinz Eugen”, Army Group E, 7th SS Mountain Division “Group Stettnen”, 1st Battery/Assault Brigade 191, Panzer Battalion 12, SS Flak Battalion 7 “Prinz Eugen”, 1st Bulgarian Armored Brigade, 22nd Infantry Division,11th Luftwaffe Field Division, 2nd Assault German Detachment of Bulgarian Army, Bulgarian 1st & 2nd Amy.
Many abandoned or wrecked German vehicles are pictured, Including the RSO tractor on the front cover and 4 more photos on the back cover. All are repeated in the book.
Included are:
A abandoned Panther Ausf. A and a destroyed one, 2 photos of a destroyed Hummel S-P gun howitzer, a destroyed Sd,Kfz. 11 prime-mover, a destroyed Sd.Kfz. 8 prime-mover, 13 photos of destroyed German wheeled vehicles, 6 photos of destroyed German Sturmgeschutz III’s, 4 photos of destroyed German (Italian-made) M15/42 Sturmgeschutz, destroyed German 88mm Flak guns, 2 photos of destroyed Panzer II Ausf. C’s, destroyed German 10.5cm LeH 18/40 howitzer, an abandoned German Flak 40 7.5cm anti-tank gun, a captured German Sd.kfz. 8 prime mover, abandoned DFS 230 German glider, two photos of Pz. IV Ausf. J’s one abandoned and the other one destroyed, and a destroyed German 2cm Flak 38,
Other photos are of:
Ukrainian soldiers pushing a truck out of mud, Soviet general Pliev at Odessa on horseback in the first days of April 1944, 2 Soviet 76mm cannon crews, Soviet infantry attacking a train, 7 portraits of German generals, 10 photos of German infantrymen, a Panzer Befelswagen Ausf. A, 2 photos of a Soviet T-34/76, a German soldier aiming a panzerfaust, a destroyed Soviet IS-2, top-scoring German fighter pilot Erich Hartmann and 2 other Luftwaffe pilots, 2 photos of a Rumanian Bf-109G, 7 photos of Soviet generals, 5 photos of Soviet infantrymen, a Soviet flame-throw OT-34 tank, 3 photos of a lend-lease Sherman tank.
7 photos of a Soviet T-34/85, 2 photos a Soviet M-72 motorcycle unit, a photo of a MK. IX Valentine tank, 6 photos of Ukranian infantrymen, 4 photos of a Bulgarian Pz. IV Ausf. H, a photo of a B-24 Liberator being inspected by Bulgarian troops, 2 photos of Bulgarian pilots with Stuka aircafts, a photo of a Soviet BA-64 armored car, a photo of a German Sd.Kfz. 233 heavy 8-wheeled armored car, a photo of a German Stug. IV assault gun tank, 2 photos of Soviet snipers, 5 photos of Yugoslavian partisans.
A photo of a group of Soviet trucks, a photo of a Soviet lend-lease Jeep, 2 photos of a German, Italian made Autoblinda 41 armored car, a photo of captured German infantrymen, 4 photos of a destroyed Soviet T-34/85’s, a photo of a Soviet 45mm model 1932 anti-tank gun, a photo of a German Opal Blitz truck, a photo of a destroyed Soviet IL-2 Stormovik fighter, 6 photos of a Germam Stug. III Ausf. G, a photo of a Bulgarian Maultier half-track, a photo of a German Sd.Kfz. 6 prime-mover.
A photo of a column of Czech-made BMM (formally CKD), LT viz 3 tanks, a photo of a Pavesi P4 100 model 30 artillery tractor, a photo of a Bulgarian 105mm howitzer being towed by a Sd.Kfz. 7 prime-mover and a photo of a Bulgarian VW Kubelwagen crossing a river.
This is one neat picture album about these battles. It will be of interest to modelers and military historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers, the North American distributor of Peko Books for this review sample. All Peko book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web site at:
THE BOOK:
Peko Publishing is base in
This book details the battles at Belgrade in 1944, with 149 black and white wartime photos.
The book is hard--cover and shrink-wrapped in clear cello sheet.
It contains 154 pages, of which the last 2 are blank.
Fighting on the Russian side was:
The 2nd, 3rd Ukrainian Front groups, the 4th and 5th Guards Mechanized Corps, the 6th Tank Army, Yugoslav partisans, 17th Air Army, 36th Guards Tank Brigade, 53rd Independent Motorized Regiment and the Soviet Air Force.
Fighting on the German side was:
The 6th Army Panzer Corps “Grossdeutschland” Division, LVII Panzer Corps, the Luftwaffe, Romanian Air Force, Grenadier Regiment 97 of the 46th Infantry Division, Army Group South Ukraine, 13th Panzer Division, 6th Panzer Division, 17th Air Army, Bulgarian Armored Brigade, 1st Mountain Division, 4th SS Poliezi Panzer Grenadier Division, SS Mountain Division “Prinz Eugen”, Army Group E, 7th SS Mountain Division “Group Stettnen”, 1st Battery/Assault Brigade 191, Panzer Battalion 12, SS Flak Battalion 7 “Prinz Eugen”, 1st Bulgarian Armored Brigade, 22nd Infantry Division,11th Luftwaffe Field Division, 2nd Assault German Detachment of Bulgarian Army, Bulgarian 1st & 2nd Amy.
Many abandoned or wrecked German vehicles are pictured, Including the RSO tractor on the front cover and 4 more photos on the back cover. All are repeated in the book.
Included are:
A abandoned Panther Ausf. A and a destroyed one, 2 photos of a destroyed Hummel S-P gun howitzer, a destroyed Sd,Kfz. 11 prime-mover, a destroyed Sd.Kfz. 8 prime-mover, 13 photos of destroyed German wheeled vehicles, 6 photos of destroyed German Sturmgeschutz III’s, 4 photos of destroyed German (Italian-made) M15/42 Sturmgeschutz, destroyed German 88mm Flak guns, 2 photos of destroyed Panzer II Ausf. C’s, destroyed German 10.5cm LeH 18/40 howitzer, an abandoned German Flak 40 7.5cm anti-tank gun, a captured German Sd.kfz. 8 prime mover, abandoned DFS 230 German glider, two photos of Pz. IV Ausf. J’s one abandoned and the other one destroyed, and a destroyed German 2cm Flak 38,
Other photos are of:
Ukrainian soldiers pushing a truck out of mud, Soviet general Pliev at Odessa on horseback in the first days of April 1944, 2 Soviet 76mm cannon crews, Soviet infantry attacking a train, 7 portraits of German generals, 10 photos of German infantrymen, a Panzer Befelswagen Ausf. A, 2 photos of a Soviet T-34/76, a German soldier aiming a panzerfaust, a destroyed Soviet IS-2, top-scoring German fighter pilot Erich Hartmann and 2 other Luftwaffe pilots, 2 photos of a Rumanian Bf-109G, 7 photos of Soviet generals, 5 photos of Soviet infantrymen, a Soviet flame-throw OT-34 tank, 3 photos of a lend-lease Sherman tank.
7 photos of a Soviet T-34/85, 2 photos a Soviet M-72 motorcycle unit, a photo of a MK. IX Valentine tank, 6 photos of Ukranian infantrymen, 4 photos of a Bulgarian Pz. IV Ausf. H, a photo of a B-24 Liberator being inspected by Bulgarian troops, 2 photos of Bulgarian pilots with Stuka aircafts, a photo of a Soviet BA-64 armored car, a photo of a German Sd.Kfz. 233 heavy 8-wheeled armored car, a photo of a German Stug. IV assault gun tank, 2 photos of Soviet snipers, 5 photos of Yugoslavian partisans.
A photo of a group of Soviet trucks, a photo of a Soviet lend-lease Jeep, 2 photos of a German, Italian made Autoblinda 41 armored car, a photo of captured German infantrymen, 4 photos of a destroyed Soviet T-34/85’s, a photo of a Soviet 45mm model 1932 anti-tank gun, a photo of a German Opal Blitz truck, a photo of a destroyed Soviet IL-2 Stormovik fighter, 6 photos of a Germam Stug. III Ausf. G, a photo of a Bulgarian Maultier half-track, a photo of a German Sd.Kfz. 6 prime-mover.
A photo of a column of Czech-made BMM (formally CKD), LT viz 3 tanks, a photo of a Pavesi P4 100 model 30 artillery tractor, a photo of a Bulgarian 105mm howitzer being towed by a Sd.Kfz. 7 prime-mover and a photo of a Bulgarian VW Kubelwagen crossing a river.
This is one neat picture album about these battles. It will be of interest to modelers and military historians alike.
I want to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers, the North American distributor of Peko Books for this review sample. All Peko book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s web site at:
Highly recommended.