Objective: The Caucasus from Kagero
- Details
- Published on Sat, 18 Feb 2012 Peter Buckingham
OBJECTIVE: THE CAUCASUS
The Luftwaffe operations in the southern sector of the Eastern Front: May – August, 1942
Air Battles Series Number 18
Marek J. Murawski
Published by Kagero and distributed through Casemate UK for £15.99
ISBN 978-83-62878-03-1
27.5 X 20.5CMS Full Colour semi-gloss card cover with 72 pages including:
99 mono photographs and 5 pages (including rear cover) of full colour profiles of Bf 109 F-4 and G-2's and a Ju 88 A-4
This is an action packed book with many graphically described air battles, the text of which has been obtained by the author from official reports submitted by the pilots and crew of both German and Russian aircraft. Marek J. Murawski, an author not unknown on this site for his excellent book of the Ar 196, pulls no punches, and the opening sequence is an indication of how this book will develop.
"While on a combat mission over the lower Don River, Leutnant Utter, a young Swabia native, demonstrated extraordinary courage and valour, which earned him the Iron Cross 1st Class:" I won't spoil the party by relating the incident but it is indeed hair raising and worthy of his award.
That is just one of many descriptive accounts of action in this sector of the Eastern Front from the German point of view. Those from the Russian side are equally descriptive, one of which I found extremely harrowing - an incident that occurred during the battle of Kharkov. After attacking German Panzer units near Petrovskaya, a formation of unescorted Petlakov Pe-2 bombers were jumped on by Messerschmitt Bf109s of 1./JG52. A damaged Pe-2 piloted by Major Yuri Gorbko, a Hero of the Soviet Union, crashed and the surviving crew members then describe how they tried to save their Skipper who was trapped in the wreckage. The end result is horrific. The author has skilfully married up the accounts of this air battle from both German and Russian archives.
The book is divided into 5 sections:
- Introduction
- The Battle of Kharkov
- Operation "Blau 1"
- Objective: Rostov
- Towards the Caucasus
There are 99 black and white photographs, many of which are a Luftwaffe modeller's dream for detailing that Bf109 F-4 or Ju 88, not forgetting those venerable workhorses, the Fieseler Fi 156 plus Me 110's, He 111's, Henschel HS 132's and Focke-Wulf Fw 189's – a mouth-watering list of reference photographs. Although most of the photographs are excellent for the period, some look like they were taken with a box Brownie on 127 sized film - the object too far in the distance for exact recognition. We are indeed spoiled by today's photographic equipment and computer technology! But the whole collection, some I would assume from private ownership, adds to the general flavour of this concise history of the fighting that occurred during the short period between May and August, 1942. Why was this area so important to Hitler? Mainly oil! Nothing changes does it?
The initial German assault was very successful, capturing a huge area, but this in fact proved to be their downfall. They were overstretched and their offensive was stopped by the Russian Army at Chechnya in September, 1942.
The cover illustration is superb, as are the colour profiles at the rear of the book. The artist is Arkadiusz Wrobel.
However, one thing I would have liked to have seen would have been the inclusion of a map of this sector. This would have been of great help to the reader following the locations of various battles as they occurred. I 'Googled' "Caucasus" for a map and the Wikipedia definition of the area states: "........ a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian Sea". It is a shame no map is included in this book.
So what do we think?
I liked this book very much, but then as Luftwaffe aircraft figure mainly in my modelling activities, it would wouldn't it. That aside, I think aviation enthusiasts and World War II historians would also benefit from having this excellent reference book in their collections.
Our thanks to Casemate UK for this review sample. To purchase directly, click THIS link.
Casemate UK, 17 Cheap Street, Newbury, Berkshire. RG14 5DD
Peter Buckingham
