Fated to defeat

LUKASZ GLADYSIAK

The Eastern Front, especially after Kursk, was a real meat grinder, destroying divisions that the Germans threw into the path of the Red Army. This is the tale of the 33rd Waffen-Grenandier Division der SS Charlemagne, which consisted of mainly French volunteers. Using both sources from the Division itself, Army

Group Vistula archives and veterans from the Polish and Soviet forces, it covers the fighting in Pomerania and the retreat back to Germany. Of the 4,500 Frenchman at the start, only a handful survived to the end. It’s a bit academic, but does convey the chaos of the end.

■

• Helion & Company

• ISBN 978-1-9128-6617-5

• 162 pages • Softcover • £14.99