The Wehrmacht’s Last Stand: the German Campaigns of 1944–1945

633 Pages·2017·12.7 MB·English

by  Robert Michael Citino

THE WEHRMACHT’S LAST STAND
MODERN WAR STUDIES
Theodore A. Wilson
General Editor
Raymond Callahan
Jacob W. Kipp
Allan R. Millett
Carol Reardon
Dennis Showalter
David R. Stone
James H. Willbanks
Series Editors
THE WEHRMACHT’S
LAST STAND
The German Campaigns
of 1944–1945
Robert M. Citino
U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S O F K A N S A S
© 2017 by the University Press of Kansas
All rights reserved
Published by the University Press of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas 66045), which was
organized by the Kansas Board of Regents and is operated and funded by Emporia State
University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Pittsburg State
University, the University of Kansas, and Wichita State University.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Citino, Robert Michael, 1958– author.
Title: The Wehrmacht’s last stand : the German campaigns of 1944–1945 /
Robert M. Citino.
Description: Lawrence, Kansas : University Press of Kansas, 2017.
| Series: Modern war studies | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017026680 | ISBN 9780700624942 (hardback : alkaline paper)
| ISBN 9780700624959 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Germany—Armed Forces—History—World War, 1939–1945. |
World War, 1939–1945—Campaigns—Western Front. | World War, 1939–1945—
Campaigns—Eastern Front. | Germany—History, Military—20th century. |
BISAC: HISTORY / Military / World War II. | HISTORY / Military/ General. |
HISTORY / Europe / Germany.
Classification: LCC D757 .C597 2017 | DDC 940.54/21—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017026680.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data is available.
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication is recycled and contains 30 percent postconsumer
waste. It is acid free and meets the minimum requirements of the American National
Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48–1992.
To Roberta
For Keeping It Real

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
1. In the Cauldron: The Battle of the Korsun Pocket 18
2. In the Mountains: The Battle for Italy 59
3. On the Beach: Normandy and Beyond 109
4. In the Middle: The Smashing of the Central Front 157
5. In the West: The Campaign in France 226
6. On the Run: The East 272
7. On the Run: The West 313
8. The Last Battle 365
9. Five Minutes Past Midnight 404
10. The Last Stand 446
Notes 473
Bibliography 561
Index 599

Illustrations
Maps
Map 1.1 In the Kessel: The Encirclement at Korsun ( January 1944) 43
Map 1.2 Slaughter in the Ukraine (March–April 1944) 55
Map 2.1 Failure: The Allied Landing at Anzio ( January 1944) 76
Map 2.2 Diadem: Smashing the Gustav Line (May 1944) 98
Map 3.1 Hopeless Task: Defending France ( June 1944) 119
Map 4.1 Threadbare: German Defenses on the Central Front
( June 1944) 169
Map 4.2 The Avalanche: Operation Bagration ( June 1944) 173
Map 4.3 The Vitebsk Stronghold ( June 1944) 178
Map 5.1 Mortain Counteroffensive: Operation Lüttich ( July
1944) 261
Map 5.2 Death in the West: The Falaise Pocket 267
Map 6.1 Death in the Crimea: The Destruction of 17th Army
(April–May 1944) 306
Map 6.2 Sixth Army’s Second Death: The Conquest of Romania
(August 1944) 308
Map 7.1 Anvil-Dragoon: Allied Landing on the Riviera (August
1944) 316
Map 7.2 Coming to a Halt in the West (September 1944) 346
Map 8.1 Wacht am Rhein: The “Big Solution” (December 1944) 374
Map 9.1 Last Gasp in the West, Part 1: Nordwind 411
Map 9.2 Last Gasp in the West, Part 2: Nordwind 414
Map 9.3 Annihilation: Encirclement in the Ruhr (March–April
1945) 436
Map 10.1 Last Gasp in the East: Operation Sonnenwende (February
1945) 449
Map 10.2 Endgame: The Soviet Drive on Berlin (April–May
1945) 453
ix