This review has been submitted to Iron Cross Magazine.
Title: Retribution: The Soviet Reconquest of Western Ukraine, 1943-44
Author: Prit Buttar
ISBN: 978-1-4728-3532-1
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Year: 2019
Softcover
Pages: 472
Retribution follows as the fourth book in the author’s World War 2 Eastern Front series. Picking up the narrative following the climactic Battle of Kursk, the author details the gradual withdrawal of the German forces back towards the western edge of the Ukraine. Despite continued superior German tactical skill and equipment, it was evident that Soviet tactical and operational competence were steadily improving. Regardless of desperate German resistance and their success at blunting many of the Soviet drives, German forces were gradually but inexorably being worn down by the unremitting Soviet pressure. Hampered by Hitler’s micromanagement and ‘not one step back’ orders, German commanders struggled to maintain operational cohesion. Nevertheless, through the use of ‘fire-brigade’ mobile forces and the selective ignoring of Hitler’s orders, the Germans were able to avoid the destruction of their depleted, but still intact, armies as the they fell back towards the Ukrainian border. Such was the depth of Soviet strength that even the significant natural barriers of the Dniepr and the Donets rivers proved insufficient to halt them. Ultimately, it was the reality of extended lines of logistics and the massive loss of men and material that led to the halt of the westward drive of the Soviets and allowed the Germans a respite within which to regroup.
The authors weaving of individual experiences and stories, from both sides of the conflict, into the greater narrative lends both depth and a human element to his work. The reader is able to appreciate that behind the units and causality lists, there are individuals who were experiencing a degree of drama that truly beggars the imagination. It is this skill that sets this author’s work apart from many of the more academic works of operational analysis that have been written about World War 2. Additionally, one is better able to appreciate the true vastness and complexity of the operations taking place; what has to happen to ensure the continued forward drive of the frontline units, how are commanders able to manage millions of soldiers and their equipment across thousands of kilometers of battleground and a myriad of other trials to be overcome. The ability of the author to capture the essence of these types of questions and be able to give the reader a small sense of the pressure and challenge experienced daily by the soldiers and officers involved is truly noteworthy.
Included in this work
are a series of excellent maps and notes as well as a comprehensive bibliography.
For lovers of military history, military professionals from both an operational
and support background, and students of the art of war, this work is an
outstanding addition to anyone’s library and professional development reading
list. Buttar is to be commended on another outstanding contribution to the
history of a theatre of war that has not had the attention that it deserves.
