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Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front
Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front, 1943–1945: Red Steamroller
By 1943, after the catastrophic German defeat at Stalingrad, the Wehmachts panzer armies gradually lost the initiative on the Eastern Front. The tide of the war had turned. Their combined arms technique, which had swept Soviet forces before it during 1941 and 1942, had lost its edge. Thereafter the war on the Eastern Front was dominated by tank-led offensives and, as Robert Forczyk shows, the Red Armys mechanized forces gained the upper hand, delivering a sequence of powerful blows that shattered one German defensive line after another. His incisive study offers fresh insight into how the two most powerful mechanized armies of the Second World War developed their tank tactics and weaponry during this period of growing Soviet dominance. He uses German, Russian and English sources to provide the first comprehensive overview and analysis of armoured warfare from the German and Soviet perspectives. This major study of the greatest tank war in history is compelling reading.
473 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
154 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
About the author
Robert Forczyk
58 books73 followersRobert Forczyk has a PhD in International Relations and National Security from the University of Maryland and a strong background in European and Asian military history.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 21, 2017
Robert Forczyk is again in great form in his follow up on Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front 1941-1942: Schwerpunkt for the period 1943-1945, in which the Red Army was winning the war.
By late 1943, the Panzer-Divisionen could no longer stop the Soviet ‘steamroller’, only delay it and increase the price of victories. Each retreat cost the Germans logistic resources that further degraded their ability to maintain combat-effective Panzer-Divisionen in the field and the breaking point was fast approaching. They lost their freedom of manoeuvre in late 1943, due to being increasingly tied to the defence of critical sectors.
It becomes clear that the Red Army was winning the war. In the period 1943-1945, the Red Army as a whole lost a lot of tanks, but new tanks were built in ever greater numbers and damaged tanks quickly repaired, which enabled the Soviets to maintain a 3–1 or better armoured numerical superiority over the Germans. In contrast, the Germans lost a lot of tanks and assault guns, while barely being able to replace them losses, let alone to reinforce them.
By late 1943, the Panzer-Divisionen could no longer stop the Soviet ‘steamroller’, only delay it and increase the price of victories. Each retreat cost the Germans logistic resources that further degraded their ability to maintain combat-effective Panzer-Divisionen in the field and the breaking point was fast approaching. They lost their freedom of manoeuvre in late 1943, due to being increasingly tied to the defence of critical sectors.
It becomes clear that the Red Army was winning the war. In the period 1943-1945, the Red Army as a whole lost a lot of tanks, but new tanks were built in ever greater numbers and damaged tanks quickly repaired, which enabled the Soviets to maintain a 3–1 or better armoured numerical superiority over the Germans. In contrast, the Germans lost a lot of tanks and assault guns, while barely being able to replace them losses, let alone to reinforce them.
February 25, 2023
The second book picks up where the first left off, in 1943 with the Third Battle of Kharkov. The battle is the final successful large scale operation for German armored troops albeit with far smaller numbers and impoverished resources. From there, preparations for Kursk begin and then the Wehrmacht grinds itself to dust against Red Army forces. The initiative is never again with the Germans even temporarily, instead the Red Army marches forward expelling the fascists from Ukraine, then Belorussia, then the Baltics, Romania, Poland, Hungary and then into the Lion's Den itself. Similarly to the first book, Red Steamroller effectively highlights changes in armored tactics for both Red Army forces and the Wehrmacht. The Red Army developed highly successful combined arms tactics that capable to break through even substantial German defensive positions. With that tool set the stage is set for the end game. This all also depends on large numbers of dependable, easy to produce armored vehicles and the logistics train to support them. The Soviets succeeded in this respect completely and Germany failed entirely. The world owes a debt of gratitude to the Red Army and the Soviet Union.
April 8, 2018
”Tank Warfare on Eastern Front 1943-45” is the second volume in Robert Forczyk’s analysis of use of tanks, or more precisely large armoured units, on Eastern Front during Second World War. Author picks up the story where he left it off in first volume and starts with coverage of the end of 6th Army at Stalingrad and simultaneous German retreat from Caucasus toward Rostov. He then deals with all large operations that followed, and I really do mean all of them. Most readers will be familiar with the struggle for Kharkov and Mainstein’s ‘backhand blow’ or the titanic showdown at Kursk, but Forczyk fills in all the gaps in between and more!
Or at least he does for year 1943, because once the reader reaches to the end of that year, there are only forty pages left of this two hundred and forty pages long book! Thus, events of 1944 are handled rather more briskly than those of previous year and final year of the war gets a grand allotment of three pages. I can only speculate, but considering the meticulousness of the author in previous volume and similar attention he has given to the operations that took place in 1943, I can only come to the conclusion that this work was to consist of three volumes and that the final book in an intended trilogy was simply axed somwhere along the way. If that’s the case, then it’s a damn shame, because operation Bagration justifies all on its own merits a much more detailed treatment of 1944 than what’s offered in this volume! Personally, I can’t help but feel being somewhat cheated by this rather abrupt conclusion of an otherwise exceptional book.
Luckily, my disappointment over this awkwardly rushed “ending” is largely mitigated by author’s coverage of armoured operations during 1943. As I already mentioned in my review of first volume in this work, Forczyk’s narrative is sparse and limited to “bare bones” at operational level. Lots of unit designation, town and river names, orders of battles and a narrative dedicated one hundred percent to analysis of events at operational level. Make no mistake, unless the reader is genuinely interested in the subject and has necessary prior knowledge needed to appreciate the detail and absorb the contents, this book will with all probability be a horribly dry read. But if you fulfill these criteria, then this book will be priceless for you!
And it would have been even more priceless, if the author (or the publisher) provided the maps that the contents of this book literally scream for. While it’s a damn shame that the author’s choose to rush through the last eighteen months of the war, the detail of his coverage of 1943 makes me willing to overlook this “sin”. Almost complete lack of maps in both this book and in its companion volume is on the other hand almost unforgiveable. So much so that I felt forced to acquire “Atlas of the Eastern Front” from Osprey Publications before starting this book! As it turned out, it was an excellent reference book and a perfect complement to Robert Forczyk’s work. I highly recommend getting that atlas or something equivalent if you want to get the most out of “Tank Warfare on Eastern Front”.
On to the final verdict then… Despite the fact that the title of this volume is seriously misleading and omission of decent maps caused me serious frustration, I still have to say that this book is a must read for anyone interested in this topic. It’s not a light read by any means, but the amount of information contained in this relatively short book (as well as the preceding volume) is simply staggering. Perhaps even more importantly, Forczyk’s “Tank Warfare on Eastern Front” clearly shows that western conception of what took place on Eastern Front is seriously warped and a lot of work remains to be done if we’re to truly understand those events.
Or at least he does for year 1943, because once the reader reaches to the end of that year, there are only forty pages left of this two hundred and forty pages long book! Thus, events of 1944 are handled rather more briskly than those of previous year and final year of the war gets a grand allotment of three pages. I can only speculate, but considering the meticulousness of the author in previous volume and similar attention he has given to the operations that took place in 1943, I can only come to the conclusion that this work was to consist of three volumes and that the final book in an intended trilogy was simply axed somwhere along the way. If that’s the case, then it’s a damn shame, because operation Bagration justifies all on its own merits a much more detailed treatment of 1944 than what’s offered in this volume! Personally, I can’t help but feel being somewhat cheated by this rather abrupt conclusion of an otherwise exceptional book.
Luckily, my disappointment over this awkwardly rushed “ending” is largely mitigated by author’s coverage of armoured operations during 1943. As I already mentioned in my review of first volume in this work, Forczyk’s narrative is sparse and limited to “bare bones” at operational level. Lots of unit designation, town and river names, orders of battles and a narrative dedicated one hundred percent to analysis of events at operational level. Make no mistake, unless the reader is genuinely interested in the subject and has necessary prior knowledge needed to appreciate the detail and absorb the contents, this book will with all probability be a horribly dry read. But if you fulfill these criteria, then this book will be priceless for you!
And it would have been even more priceless, if the author (or the publisher) provided the maps that the contents of this book literally scream for. While it’s a damn shame that the author’s choose to rush through the last eighteen months of the war, the detail of his coverage of 1943 makes me willing to overlook this “sin”. Almost complete lack of maps in both this book and in its companion volume is on the other hand almost unforgiveable. So much so that I felt forced to acquire “Atlas of the Eastern Front” from Osprey Publications before starting this book! As it turned out, it was an excellent reference book and a perfect complement to Robert Forczyk’s work. I highly recommend getting that atlas or something equivalent if you want to get the most out of “Tank Warfare on Eastern Front”.
On to the final verdict then… Despite the fact that the title of this volume is seriously misleading and omission of decent maps caused me serious frustration, I still have to say that this book is a must read for anyone interested in this topic. It’s not a light read by any means, but the amount of information contained in this relatively short book (as well as the preceding volume) is simply staggering. Perhaps even more importantly, Forczyk’s “Tank Warfare on Eastern Front” clearly shows that western conception of what took place on Eastern Front is seriously warped and a lot of work remains to be done if we’re to truly understand those events.
September 19, 2017
The sequel to Forczyk's Schwerpunkt, Red Steamroller is much the same but for the rest of the war. This book is tilted heavily towards 1943, which seems to get three times as much space as 1944. 1945 is compressed into "and then Stalin ordered Zhukov to take Berlin before reasonable preparations could be made, leading to heavy casualties."
As expected, Forczyk blends impeccable historical data with a tanker's view of operations. His premise is that the Soviets managed to develop a successful combined arms team through 1943, while heavy casualties deprived the Nazis of their initial advantage. The heavy cats (Tigers, Panthers, and a host of tank destroyers) were mechanical failures that limited the fighting ability of the Wehrmacht. Meanwhile, Soviet tanker training was horrifically poor, with limited real-world driving or gunnery practice, let alone tactics. Soviet tankers were not trained how to boresight their guns, a vital step in making sure you hit what you aimed at.
However, I'm not sure that Forczyk's argument about the decline of the panzer division really holds up. Yes, the Nazis never really had the material resources to reconstitute the forces that did the Blitzkrieg, and yeah, the mechanical reliability of the Tiger and Panther was abysmal, but even given the Nazi penchant for inflating statistics, he cites dozens of encounters where a handful of Nazi heavy tanks in a defensive position inflicted massive casualties. Tanks may be strong on the armored offense, but they seem even more powerful on the 'shoot-and-scoot' defense. Having failed to capture Moscow in the initial offensive, I'm not sure that there was a chance of a Nazi victory in the East. A more skillful defense would have increased casualties.
I'm glad I read Forczyk's books, but these are really for the specialist.
As expected, Forczyk blends impeccable historical data with a tanker's view of operations. His premise is that the Soviets managed to develop a successful combined arms team through 1943, while heavy casualties deprived the Nazis of their initial advantage. The heavy cats (Tigers, Panthers, and a host of tank destroyers) were mechanical failures that limited the fighting ability of the Wehrmacht. Meanwhile, Soviet tanker training was horrifically poor, with limited real-world driving or gunnery practice, let alone tactics. Soviet tankers were not trained how to boresight their guns, a vital step in making sure you hit what you aimed at.
However, I'm not sure that Forczyk's argument about the decline of the panzer division really holds up. Yes, the Nazis never really had the material resources to reconstitute the forces that did the Blitzkrieg, and yeah, the mechanical reliability of the Tiger and Panther was abysmal, but even given the Nazi penchant for inflating statistics, he cites dozens of encounters where a handful of Nazi heavy tanks in a defensive position inflicted massive casualties. Tanks may be strong on the armored offense, but they seem even more powerful on the 'shoot-and-scoot' defense. Having failed to capture Moscow in the initial offensive, I'm not sure that there was a chance of a Nazi victory in the East. A more skillful defense would have increased casualties.
I'm glad I read Forczyk's books, but these are really for the specialist.
March 7, 2019
Forcyzk brings a clearly nonpareil knowledge of this subject. However, as was the case with the first book in this series, I often felt lost as a reader and just "not into this book." The former was because of a consistent lack of maps. I don't necessarily blame the author, but the book is so micro-detailed that this becomes an issue throughout; one wonders if editors were trying to cut costs. This is disappointing; by contrast, one of his other books, "We March Against England," does not have this issue. The latter was because I was personally very busy and absorbed in other projects in the period I was reading this book (and just coming off reading the ghastly "Survivors of Stalingrad."
Separately, he accomplishes his goal of presenting the subject, but, to the non-specialist, the hyper-detail in the book is almost a drawback. This book seems best for military academies, not the layman. However, there are some interesting bright spots.
That said, it gets significantly better in the very last portion covering Operation Bagration and beyond. Maps, clarity, and explanations for the non-expert about how the Germans literally and figuratively "ran out of gas," and how Soviet tank operations were smoother overall.
Separately, he accomplishes his goal of presenting the subject, but, to the non-specialist, the hyper-detail in the book is almost a drawback. This book seems best for military academies, not the layman. However, there are some interesting bright spots.
That said, it gets significantly better in the very last portion covering Operation Bagration and beyond. Maps, clarity, and explanations for the non-expert about how the Germans literally and figuratively "ran out of gas," and how Soviet tank operations were smoother overall.
August 14, 2024
Mr. Forczyks's fine follow up to his Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front, 1940-1942 book. His excellent analysis of German & Soviet armor operations from 1943 to autumn 1944, dispels the standard narratives of Soviet numerical superiority, mediocre Soviet leadership, and numbers of AVFs involved in the battle of Kursk. Once again, he zeroes in on lost opportunities, introduction of new weapons, logistics, command & control, individual training, and dictators meddling to give a clear concise picture of armor warfare.
I would have rated this book higher if more attention was given to the tank battles outside of Budapest. Aside from that, this book is a must for those interested in WWII on the Russian front.
I would have rated this book higher if more attention was given to the tank battles outside of Budapest. Aside from that, this book is a must for those interested in WWII on the Russian front.
December 22, 2020
Hindsight is 20/20
A great read on the Eastern Front conflict. The author credibly details tank battles, the mistakes, the victories during period around Stalingrad to the fall of Berlin.
It is clear to me, after reading this book and the preceding work on the early phase of Barbarossa, the the USSR could not have survived without the lend-lease equipment provided by UK and USA. This is a major take away I received by reading the author’s two works in this series.
Great book.
A great read on the Eastern Front conflict. The author credibly details tank battles, the mistakes, the victories during period around Stalingrad to the fall of Berlin.
It is clear to me, after reading this book and the preceding work on the early phase of Barbarossa, the the USSR could not have survived without the lend-lease equipment provided by UK and USA. This is a major take away I received by reading the author’s two works in this series.
Great book.
December 28, 2019
This was a really good book and seemed to be fair in its assessments unlike many other books I have read on this subject which sometime seem like apologias for the German defeats.
My main criticisms are a lack of good maps and the seemingly rushed ending in which 1944 and 1945 were dealt with in just some 40 pages. A lot happened over this period and I would have liked to have seen a more detailed examination of these events.
Nevertheless I was impressed with this book
My main criticisms are a lack of good maps and the seemingly rushed ending in which 1944 and 1945 were dealt with in just some 40 pages. A lot happened over this period and I would have liked to have seen a more detailed examination of these events.
Nevertheless I was impressed with this book
October 25, 2024
Good perspective
The balloon of Eastern Front Tank Warfare gets popped. All the history I grew up with, and boardgames, and models. So I really enjoyed the narrative. For sum adds a healthy dose of analysis that means every time the Germans should do a reorganization, they attack. Want to know how the mighty fall, here is good account. The Soviets become a much more practical force. They are ruthless, but less Soviet hordes, more long term planners.
The balloon of Eastern Front Tank Warfare gets popped. All the history I grew up with, and boardgames, and models. So I really enjoyed the narrative. For sum adds a healthy dose of analysis that means every time the Germans should do a reorganization, they attack. Want to know how the mighty fall, here is good account. The Soviets become a much more practical force. They are ruthless, but less Soviet hordes, more long term planners.
November 11, 2024
Good read
Very interesting read and shows the decline of the panzer divisions and German army on the eastern front with supply problems of every kind and Hitler and his senior commanders not seeming to be able to cope with realities of war and the improvement of the Russian army in the final years of the war even with its still poorly trained and supplied armies with a ruthless collection of leaders from Stalin and his Generals.
Very interesting read and shows the decline of the panzer divisions and German army on the eastern front with supply problems of every kind and Hitler and his senior commanders not seeming to be able to cope with realities of war and the improvement of the Russian army in the final years of the war even with its still poorly trained and supplied armies with a ruthless collection of leaders from Stalin and his Generals.
August 25, 2018
Extremely well researched and written and definitely worth a read. My only negative is that for some reason, the book mainly deals with 1943 and a bit of 1944. 1945 and the advance into Germany is only briefly mentioned.
However, definitely the best unbiased and researched Eastern front book concerning 1943 I have yet read.
However, definitely the best unbiased and researched Eastern front book concerning 1943 I have yet read.
November 2, 2017
Tank Warfare
The story of the Russian front through the employment and usage of tanks for both sides. Gives a matter of fact read covering the last 3 years of the war. The book outlines valid reasons for the Russian victory
The story of the Russian front through the employment and usage of tanks for both sides. Gives a matter of fact read covering the last 3 years of the war. The book outlines valid reasons for the Russian victory
December 31, 2018
How to make war boring
Some tanks moved here. Other tanks moved there. A brigade crossed the river, a company gathered to receive their rations. One General was promoted, another general was demoted. What a bland boring account of an exciting war. A colossal monetary rip off.
Some tanks moved here. Other tanks moved there. A brigade crossed the river, a company gathered to receive their rations. One General was promoted, another general was demoted. What a bland boring account of an exciting war. A colossal monetary rip off.
March 21, 2019
Excellent miltary review of German and USSR operstions from operational to startegic level.
A really great analysis of operational warfare. Would recommend for anyone seeking review of eastern front operations. Top notch analysis
A really great analysis of operational warfare. Would recommend for anyone seeking review of eastern front operations. Top notch analysis
December 27, 2020
East tank war
Very detailed. Good analysis significant amount of typos and some. NonSequiturs. Recommend for all students of the eastern front. Plan to read other books by this author
Very detailed. Good analysis significant amount of typos and some. NonSequiturs. Recommend for all students of the eastern front. Plan to read other books by this author
January 11, 2021
Good analysis
The second of a two volume read on armor warfare on the Eastern Front of WWII. The authors does a good job of telling how and why the German tank force declined and the Soviet tank force got better. The book needs better and more maps though to assist the reader.
The second of a two volume read on armor warfare on the Eastern Front of WWII. The authors does a good job of telling how and why the German tank force declined and the Soviet tank force got better. The book needs better and more maps though to assist the reader.
December 16, 2020
Excellent book for the aficionado of WW2_on the Eastern Front.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2021
Good book
Good but it seems to finalize the book in a hurry at the last chapter. I am sorry for that.
Good but it seems to finalize the book in a hurry at the last chapter. I am sorry for that.
December 28, 2025
Excellent book with extreme detail, but suffers from somewhat dull writing. Highly reccomend having a map on hand when reading.
November 1, 2016
This solid, balanced and professional analysis begins with the author's own experience as a tank commander on exercises, experiencing the futility of rushed and ill-considered attacks.
I found the book refreshing in that it examines in some detail the training regime of Red Army tank forces as well as German. While there were no surprises in the analysis of relative industrial and design strategies the presentation is to the point and refreshing.
The book provides a high-level summary (basically divisional and corps level operations) of armour operations after Stalingrad, correlating the examples with the key points of analysis.
Overall not a typical book on Eastern Front warfare, and one well worth reading. I read the Kindle version on my phone, and found it worked well in that format. The few maps zoom well.
I found the book refreshing in that it examines in some detail the training regime of Red Army tank forces as well as German. While there were no surprises in the analysis of relative industrial and design strategies the presentation is to the point and refreshing.
The book provides a high-level summary (basically divisional and corps level operations) of armour operations after Stalingrad, correlating the examples with the key points of analysis.
Overall not a typical book on Eastern Front warfare, and one well worth reading. I read the Kindle version on my phone, and found it worked well in that format. The few maps zoom well.
May 2, 2017
Much in the same vein as Forczyk's Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front 1941-1942: Schwerpunkt, this is a very analytical approach with valuable insights at strategic, operational and tactical levels.
Forczyk goes into a great amount of detail, which makes this book not the easiest to read and probably not for someone not used to 'dry' history. He offers quite some interesting arguments and conclusions and doesn't mince words when it comes to going against commonly-held beliefs.
The book focuses on 1943 mostly, and going from there devotes less and less space as the timeline moves forward. The end of '44 and '45 are just a footnote, which is a bit of a shame but makes much sense as by then all grand strategy had broken down and tactics stopped evolving.
What lets the book down a bit is a dearth of maps - a serious shortcoming since the whole book relies on movements and positions, so it's impossible to keep track of what's going on just with the handful of small situational maps provided. Also, there are quite a few typos.
A difficult, but great read.
Forczyk goes into a great amount of detail, which makes this book not the easiest to read and probably not for someone not used to 'dry' history. He offers quite some interesting arguments and conclusions and doesn't mince words when it comes to going against commonly-held beliefs.
The book focuses on 1943 mostly, and going from there devotes less and less space as the timeline moves forward. The end of '44 and '45 are just a footnote, which is a bit of a shame but makes much sense as by then all grand strategy had broken down and tactics stopped evolving.
What lets the book down a bit is a dearth of maps - a serious shortcoming since the whole book relies on movements and positions, so it's impossible to keep track of what's going on just with the handful of small situational maps provided. Also, there are quite a few typos.
A difficult, but great read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews