Ferdinand and Elefant Tank Destroyer

by Thomas Anderson

This is the story of the largest and statistically most successful tank destroyer of World War II. The Ferdinand was a true behemoth, and although only 91 examples were built, they took a savage toll of Soviet armor in the Battle of Kursk and subsequent operations on the Eastern Front. This study explores the technical development and combat deployment of this remarkable vehicle, from its origins in the Porsche Tiger Tank through its deployment under the designation ‘Ferdinand’ in the Citadel offensive, to its modification and redesignation as the ‘Elefant’ and final use in the desperate Battle of Berlin. Drawing on original archival material from within Germany, private collections, and heretofore unpublished photographs this title is an essential illustrated history to one of the most famous armored vehicles ever built.

Survivors of Stalingrad: Eyewitness Accounts from the 6th Army, 1942-1943

by Reinhold Busch

In November 1942 – in a devastating counter-attack from outside the city – Soviet forces smashed the German siege and encircled Stalingrad, trapping some 290,000 soldiers of the 6th Army inside. For almost three months, during the harshest part of the Russian winter, the German troops endured atrocious conditions. Freezing cold and reliant on dwindling food supplies from Luftwaffe air drops, thousands died from starvation, frostbite or infection if not from the fighting itself.
This important work reconstructs the grim fate of the 6th Army in full for the first time by examining the little-known story of the field hospitals and central dressing stations. The author has trawled through hundreds of previously unpublished reports, interviews, diaries and newspaper accounts to reveal the experiences of soldiers of all ranks, from simple soldiers to generals.

The book includes firsthand accounts of soldiers who were wounded or fell ill and were flown out of the encirclement; as well as those who fought to the bitter end and were taken prisoner by the Soviets. They reflect on the severity of the fighting, and reveal the slowly ebbing hopes for survival. Together they provide an illuminating and tragic portrait of the appalling events at Stalingrad.