Retribution: The Soviet Reconquest of Central Ukraine, 1943

by Prit Buttar

Making use of the extensive memoirs of German and Russian soldiers to bring their story to life, the narrative follows on from On A Knife's Edge, which described the encirclement and destruction of the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad and the offensives and counter-offensives that followed throughout the winter of 1942–43. Beginning towards the end of the Battle of Kursk, Retribution explores the massive Soviet offensive that followed Operation Zitadelle, which saw depleted and desperate German troops forced out of Central Ukraine. In this title, Buttar describes in detail the little-known series of near-constant battles that saw a weakened German army confronted by a tactically sophisticated force of over six million Soviet troops. As a result, the Wehrmacht was driven back to the Dnepr and German forces remaining in the Taman Peninsula south of Rostov withdrew into the Crimea, a retreat which would become one of many in the months that followed.

Genres: History, World War II, Military History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Russia, Military Fiction

497 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2019

About the author

Prit Buttar studied medicine at Oxford and London before joining the British Army as a doctor. After leaving the army, he has worked as a GP, first near Bristol and now in Abingdon. He is extensively involved in medical politics, both at local and national level, and served on the GPs’ Committee of the British Medical Association. He appears from time to time on local and national TV and radio, speaking on a variety of medical issues. He contributes regularly to the medical press. He is an established expert on the Eastern Front in 20th century military history.

Reviews

[PETER MICHAEL · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very detailed book covering the bloody battles that took place in Ukraine, between the German and Soviet forces in 1943. The author has undertaken exhaustive research into the campaign from both perspectives. I particularly enjoyed reading the eyewitness accounts embedded into the timelines of the battles.
It is hard for any reader to grasp the enormity of the amount of deaths, particularly on the Soviet side. Clearly, the Germans were the better trained soldiers, but were let down by lack of basic supplies. To compound their troubles, Hitler constantly interfered in tactics and overall strategy, despite having little knowledge of events actually taking place. By comparison, the Soviets had a virtually limitless supply of manpower coupled with the large weapon production factories being out of range of the German bombers. The fighting was relentless, with the German Army getting little respite.
I was previously unaware that Italian soldiers were embedded in the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front. Although the author didn’t discuss their role or military performance to any great extent, it is apparent that the Italians were totally unsuited for this kind of warfare.
Some of the accounts of German atrocities against the civilian population are quite stomach churning. Having lived in Germany, it is hard to imagine that just a generation or two ago, their soldiers committed such appalling crimes against humanity. War crimes were commonplace on both sides, but from the Soviet perspective it was literally about ‘Retribution’
To summarise, I loved the book, my knowledge about the Eastern Front has increased immensely and I would recommend it to any military history buff or historian. I intend reading the author’s previous book about Stalingrad.

[Creighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that after reading this book, and A Knife’s Edge I am a huge fan of Prit Buttar, the author of this book. This was the second book of his that I have read, and it did not disappoint me whatsoever. The Eastern Front of the Second World War is a theatre of combat that is not really studied in-depth here in the United States public school system. We learned about how Germany was stopped outside of Moscow, then the battle for Stalingrad (which I must say, we did not talk about “Fall Blau” much and how it was originally planned to seize the Caucasus oil fields not Stalingrad), and then the battle of Kursk. Not much talk about the details or facts that could probably make the war more interesting.
For me, I have been reading so many books on the Eastern Front, and I have learned a lot from reading the works of Glantz and Buttar that it makes me feel like I am in an enlightened environment on this subject. That phrase "enlightened environment" does not explain how I feel about the fighting and killing on the Eastern Front, but on how I have managed to find some writers who actually present facts and information about military events instead of trying to write a mainstream history book to market (no offense to those who do).
I must say, the first book of this series, that was in a way, a prelude to this book, took some warming up to get into, and I was at first skeptical about whether I would like Buttar or read the book completely. However, I kept going, and I realized that I liked it so much, I just couldn’t pass this book off, so going into this, I felt a level of excitement about how detailed this book would be. After this book, I am a firm fan of Buttar, and I sincerely hope he writes a series of books like these on Army Group Center, and Army Group North, because I believe his works would be a great addition to the Eastern Front.
As for the content of the book, we are presented with the situation in the Ukraine in 1943, with a focus on Army Group South, and it’s Red Army counterparts in this area. This book picks up from the battle of Kharkov, and only touches lightly on the battle of Kursk ( I will explain a little later), he then explains the slow but eventual German retreat to the Dnepr, the battles of Kirvoy Rog, and numerous other battles that took place to the eventual lead up of taking Kiev close to the end of the year. I must say that, it could be hard to keep up with the locations of the battles and the campaigns as Buttar talked about many, and discussed the regiments, corps, army groups, and armies involved for both sides, while explaining what happened within these battles. Within this, he also made sure to quote primary sources from soldiers, and civilians to give us a view from their viewpoint, and not just movements and facts. What I liked a lot was how he didn’t really veer off from the military history aspect, and I really wish more authors would write like this.

Buttar didn't really touch on Kursk because it occurred outside of the books area, but he makes sure to note how the battle itself really shattered a lot of the Wehrmacht's numbers in terms of military personnel, tanks, and other vehicles. I eventually plan on reading David Glantz's book on the battle of Kursk itself, so I will write a review on that if you're interested in learning more on that battle.

I would recommend this book, and I look forward to reading his other works.

[Heinz Reinhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retribution is volume two of Prit Buttar's superb trilogy on the fighting in Ukraine from late 1942 through to the final Soviet shoving of Army Group South out of Ukraine. The second volume picks up a few months after the end of the first volume.
The first volume, "On a Knife's Edge", ended with the resounding German triumph around Kharkov, and the restoration of the southern end of the front. Retribution begins, initially with a brief overview of the German's failed attempt to regain the initiative with Operation Zitadelle (since the enormous Battle of Kursk was centered in land that was Russia, not Ukraine, only a brief highlight of the huge encounter is given).
The German drives towards Kursk, from both the north and south of the massive salient, were ground down in savage, close in, positional fighting. The Northern thrust was defeated early, with the Germans barely making a dent in the Red Army's lines.
In the south, however, the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS forces came within an ace of completely punching through the Soviet defensive lines, and pouring northwards towards Kursk. However, around the small town of Prokhorovka, the Red Army's 5th Guards Tank Army launched a headlong counterattack that, while tactically bested by the Waffen-SS forces on the field, sapped their momentum, and finally forced the Germans to a halt.
Immediately upon forcing the Germans to hit the brakes after the tank fest around Prokhorovka, the Red Army launched two offensive operations against either flank of the German offensive zones, Orel and Belgorod, and put paid to any German notions of either regaining the strategic initiative, or forcing the Soviet's into a bargained stalemate.
While Mr. Buttar does relate how the Western Allies' landings in Sicily did convince Hitler to give up on the Kursk operations, and even strategically relocate a large portion of the German heavy mechanized formations westwards, he also points out that overall German success at Kursk was not a possibility by this time. The Red Army had fought, and won, a hard fought battle, one that had wore down and badly hurt the German heavy mechanized formations, and had forced them onto the defensive.
Although Soviet losses were roughly five times, overall, those of the Germans, the Soviet Union could, still, afford these losses both in terms of human and material casualties, while the German's pool of resources was a finite one. It's after the close of the operations of both sides around the enormous Kursk salient that the meat of the narrative begins.
The Red Army launched a series of coordinated, rotating offensive operations that afford the Germans zero breathing room, and continuously rock them backwards. Although the Germans do win some notable tactical victories, such as along the Mius River where they destroy the Red Army bridgeheads there in massive tank battles that were similar in scope to those in the Kursk salient, the Germans cannot afford to win victories at the cost the Red Army is now making them pay for them.
Although the Germans are triumphant around the Mius River line, it's a hollow triumph. Their losses are heavy, and the Soviet's merely try to breakthrough somewhere else, and eventually, do. Hitler's orders for his forces to hold fast in places such as Kharkov, which are labeled fortresses, bear no fruit at all. And as the autumn wears on, the Germans are increasingly operating with threadbare formations, while the Soviet's are continuously receiving replacements of machines and men.
This isn't to say that the Red Army had the luxury of a bottomless reserve of manpower. Every victory the Red Army wins, and Mr. Buttar points out they win more often than they lose, now, by the fall of 1943, comes at a price that is, still, significantly higher than those the Germans pay in defeat. On average, as a statistical analysis of both sides losses show at the end of the narrative, the Germans, even in defeat, are inflicting a 4-1 kill ratio on the Russians that is simply unsustainable even for an empire as large as was the Soviet Union. German accounts, more than once, mention older men, and younger boys in the ranks of Red Army prisoners, and amongst corpses on the battlefields they hold onto. Even with digging into the manpower reserves of Central Asia and the Caucasus states, the Soviet's are beginning to adapt their doctrine towards a machinery heavy force to compensate for the fact that they simply can no longer expend trained infantry at the rate they had been.
This horrific war of attrition, obviously, cuts both ways. For the Germans, by late 1943, fighting alone, against practically all of the world's major powers, their own losses in trained men in the ranks and especially amongst line officers and veteran NCO's is organizationally catastrophic.
It's a bit of a myth, though not by much, that the Germans simply couldn't wage a modern war against heavily industrialized powers. Armaments and ammunition production greatly increased throughout 1943, and will continue to do so into 1944. The equipment being delivered to the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS formations is the very best in the world in most cases. Technologically, German tanks are far ahead of their time, and when they run properly (more on that in a minute), they are the most lethal machines anywhere in the world.
However, this dramatic increase in production comes at a cost. Corners have to be cut to compensate for the limited pool of raw materials that the Germans have to draw from. Meaning that, far too often, parts have to be made with substandard materials to make the lesser whole spread farther. And, as is typical for anything related to German engineering, everything they touch is over-engineered to the point of a tragicomedy.
This means that, while German equipment is hands down the most technologically advanced in the world in late 1943, it's also incredibly delicate, needs a tremendously higher rate of maintenance to keep functioning, and because it's so vastly over-engineered, it is prone to malfunction and breakdown at a rate that Soviet built and Western Allied built equipment simply never suffers from.
Although the Germans do have a large cadre of the best mechanics in the world operating on their mechanized formations, the Red Army is learning to mimic their standards, and the Red Army is beginning to return damaged and broken down vehicles and equipment back to the front lines at a rate that approaches that of the Germans. And German standards of training are simply not what they were in 1939-1942.
No longer being afforded the luxury to immerse new recruits in intensive, realistic, long term training where units intuitively cohere with their officer cadres, the Germans are forced to cut corners here, too, in order to more rapidly fill the ranks. So while the Panzer Divisions ride into battle with armor that is a dream to the men of 1941, the men within the machines are not up to the same standards as are the ones from only a couple of years prior. The same is true in the air as well as on the ground, also.
The Luftwaffe will, still, operate with local superiority well into 1944. However the Soviet Air Force (VVS), like the Red Army, is a continuously improving instrument, and the VVS takes to the skies with a new generation of superb machines like the LAGG-9 and the Yakovlev fighters (personal aside, those Yak birds are amongst the most aesthetically beautiful birds of war of the Second World War). Much like with the story on the ground, the Luftwaffe cannot replace the skill of lost pilots, even if the later war Messerschmitt's and Focke-Wulf's are technological marvels.
Much like in the spring of 1943, by early winter, the Red Army is lurching to a halt. They have reached the limit of their logistical area of support, their losses have been immense, their tired, and their formations are operating understrength. And, much like in the Spring, the Germans launch a series of counteroffensive s with rebuilt formations that rock the Soviet's back on their heels.
Around Zhitomir, the Germans launch a counterattack that drives the Soviet's back to the gates of Kiev, but this is no longer even the German armed forces of the spring, and this is no longer the Red Army of old.
With winter weather making a cross channel invasion of France an impossibility, Hitler releases the majority of his husbanded heavy mechanized formations in France and central Europe back to the Eastern Front. Lavishly equipped with the new heavily upgraded Panzer IV's, Panthers, Tigers, and STuG's, the Germans slam into the tired Red Army and, for a brief time, give it a proper mauling.
However, as already mentioned, this is no longer the clumsy, twin left footed Red Army of yore, but the veteran, skilled Red Army. While the Germans do manage to entrap an entire Soviet Tank Army around Brusilov, they fail to annihilate it. Although the Red Army sacrifices much of their heavy equipment, they pull out their men, and these will be rested, and put back into newer machines within a manner of less than a month.
The ground the Germans recovered, which was substantial, is lost only a couple of weeks later when the Red Army tosses in their final reserves, and rebuilt formations of their own. This ability of the Red Army to reconstitute itself after horrendous losses, and tactical defeats like the ones administered by the Germans around Zhitomir and Brusilov, saps the morale of the Germans.
Here on out, while the Germans will fight with a considerable amount of skill, and a certain measure of desperation the further westwards they are driven, they also do so with a nihilistic pall that hangs over them. An all pervasive sense of dread, against an enemy they perceive to be an endless, mindless horde.
However, as mentioned above, Mr. Buttar points out that the Red Army itself is shocked by their losses, and STAVKA frequently admonishes commanders for wasting lives in the pursuit of victory. Not even the Soviet Union is an unlimited manpower resource. During the near continuous series of operations that drives the Germans away from the Kursk salient, across the Mius, out of Kharkov, towards, and over, the Dnepr, out of Kiev, and splits the Crimea from the rest of the German front lines, the Red Army will take an appalling casualty toll of nearly eight and a quarter million men.
The Germans, not even remotely able to replace their manpower losses as can the Soviet's, lose roughly one million and nine hundred thousand men of their own.
The Unranian civilian death toll is not tabulated, however, though one thing that the author always strives to keep in focus is the plight of the average Ukrainians in all of the surging waves of the sea of carnage that they are adrift in.
He details the abject cruelty of the German occupation authorities, and the numerous atrocities the Germans commit against the local population. However, the Red Army, too, is harsh upon the Ukrainians.
Ukrainian Nationalists make up a large percentage of the population, and while the Germans will use them, nominally, when the mood strikes them, this earns the utter suspicion of Moscow and forces them to undergo the unkind administration of the NKVD.
Many thousands of Ukrainians end up massacred by the Soviet system on nothing more than mere suspicions of colluding with the Germans, and at times, partisans will operate against both the Germans and the Soviet's, causing both the Wehrmacht and the Red Army to go on horrid cleansing operations which all but depopulates entire areas of Ukraine.
It's no wonder that in the here and now, the majority of Ukrainians wish to remain independent of a Moscow who has earned their distrust and resentment over the intervening century of pain that began with the Russian Civil War, saw the horror of the Holodomor Holocaust, and then the agony of the German invasion.
Overall this is a fantastic work of military history by one of the very best English speaking military historians who works in the area of Russian and Ukrainian military history. This is a phenomenally detailed, and at times poignant look at a dramatic phase of the Eastern Front that is most often ignored in the West. Mr. Buttar's analysis is top notch, and his research is exhaustive.
My only qualm is the same as from the first volume: the amount of first person accounts can, at times, seem to get a bit much. However, the author does an excellent job of keeping the broader picture in mind, and never loses sight of the main focus.
Very highly recommended.

[John Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Prit Buttar published the book “Retribution: The Soviet Reconquest of Central Ukraine, 1943” in 2019. He has published nine books.

I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as ‘G’.

By 1943 the Nazi hope of defeating Russia was over. This book tells of the struggle between the German Army Group South and the Russian Army. Throughout 1943, the Wehrmacht was slowly but steadily pushed back towards the West.

There was a lot of intense fighting all across Ukraine. Battles had earlier been waged towards the East as the German forces first advanced. Now, the front was headed in the other direction. Many towns and villages felt the impact of war once again. Many in Ukraine had welcomed the Germans when they first came in 1941. By 1943 they were solidly on the side of the Russians.

The German commanders had to face the onslaught of the Russian Army, the bitter winter, and Hitler’s often unreasonable orders. By this point, most Germans knew they were going to fail on the Eastern Front. Both supplies and morale had begun to dwindle. The Russian Army was no longer the easy prey they had faced in 1941.

I enjoyed the 21 hours I spent reading this 497-page WWII history. This is one of those histories that are a bit difficult to read. The book is full of details but a challenge. Because of the similar unit identifications, I sometimes became confused about which side I was reading about. I also had to keep a map handy as I read to understand where the action was taking place. I like the chosen cover art. I rate this book as a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

[Nemo Nemo · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUTHOR

Prit Buttard is a British general practitioner and writer. He has written multiple history genre books covering WWI and WWII. He even authored a couple of novels. He did a five-year stint in the British Army as a surgeon and medical officer. He had an outstanding career and recently moved with his family to Scotland in 2017. You can find out more about Prit Buttard here and here.

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?

This book will appeal to anyone who enjoys the history of epic war-time battles. WWII history enthusiasts will find the information contained within its pages invaluable.

SYNOPSIS

Retribution: The Soviet Reconquest of Central Ukraine, 1943 tells the story of the Ukrainian front during WWII. Through exhaustive research, personal accounts, and eyewitness interviews Prit Buttard brings the epic conflict to life. The reader gets an account of the myriad of detriments effecting both sides. The Germans were better trained soldiers but lacked supply’s, replacement personnel, ammunition, they were unsuited to the environment, and much more. The Soviets were not well trained but had an inexhaustible amount replacement personnel, resupply, and factories that were beyond the reach of the German forces. They were also well suited to the environment. The German Army was also constantly being undermined by Hitler trying to micro-manage the conflict without possessing any concrete knowledge of what exactly was transpiring on the front. The Soviets didn’t experience the limitations that Hitler did as they were right there managing the battles as they went.

Prit describes the battles from the major confrontations to the grittier hand-to-hand personal battles. He gives an account of the Ukrainian people that were caught behind the German lines and the suffering they endured both during the conflict and as the Germans retreated. He does an excellent job of portraying the human conflict from all sides during this dreadful time in history.

Although the information was captivating, the book was a little disjointed due the different timelines between chapters. The reference material was also lacking in usable maps for the reader to follow along.

CONCLUSION

Prit Buttar does a great job of bringing this epic conflict into view. Even though the maps were somewhat useless, the story is one that needed to be told. This conflict tied up German forces, resources and time allowing Allied forces to win on other fronts. The loss of life on both sides is astronomical. The Soviets, through sheer manpower, overwhelmed the Germans and their limited supplies to force their retreat. Overall, an excellent read!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Prit Buttar, NetGalley, and Osprey Publishing for affording me the opportunity to review Retribution: The Soviet Reconquest of Central Ukraine, 1943.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

In capturing the massive scale and still in-the-balance nature of the titanic campaigns of Soviet reconquest in the Ukraine, this is probably Buttar's best so far. This campaign is under-represented in English language literature and this is the proper corrective for that.

[Steve Switzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner from mr buttar he never fails , this time an intense operational history of the battle for the ukraine early 43 and the fall of kiev and the battering of the wehrmacht back to the dnieper

[Judy McCarver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alas in giving this book 5 stars, I am not saying you'll want to go right out and read it. This is seriously heavy reading.

First of all, it is heavy on the military operations side.

Buttar literally could be teaching the subject matter of WWII's Eastern Front in any university of his choosing. (Perhaps he is.) Buttar's in depth knowledge of the battle along the Eastern Front from June 1941 through its conclusion in 1944, is astounding. His first book, "On Knife's Edge," carries the reader from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941 (German's planned invasion of then, neutral Russia) through the summer of 1943. This second book ( Retribution) carries the reader essentially from July, 1943 to the end of the year. His last book, "The Reckoning" deals with the final blow to Germany in 1944 and their final retreat from the Eastern Front in its entirety. I'll have to wait a while to read that one. My mind needs a break.

The second reason I find this book seriously heavy reading is this: it accurately and tenaciously highlights the staggering brutality of death along this Eastern Front.

Following is a paragraph that depicts the losses in ONE SINGLE year of this battle alone, 1943. Think about this: One. single. year. This front lasted for 3 years.

"Total losses for the German armed forces on the Eastern Front in 1943 came to about 1,889,000 killed, wounded or missing–with wounded in this context being men who were unable to return to the front. Soviet losses were far higher, at about 8,145,000–a ratio of about 4.3 Soviet soldiers for every German soldier. 2 This period covers the loss of the German Sixth Army in Stalingrad and the fighting in the Kursk salient, but throughout the year the Red Army continued to take far heavier losses than the Germans. After the annexation of neighboring territories, the population of Germany was about 89.6 million people; these casualties therefore represent about 2.1 per cent of the total population. The population of the Soviet Union in 1941 was about 196.7 million people, and the casualties of 1943 represent about 4.1 per cent of the pre-war population. However, large numbers of Soviet citizens had died in 1941 and 1942, as a result of the fighting, starvation, and mass killings in the occupied territories; furthermore, the populations of areas like the Baltic States, Belarus and much of the Ukraine remained in German control, so the losses of the Red Army were a far greater proportion of the available population.”

Seriously, I ask myself this unfathomable question: "How is it possible in a theatre of war for nearly 10 million soldiers (plus civilians in untold numbers) to die in one. single. year. of war??? It certainly gives me pause to think "Maybe I don't really have it so bad in 2020 after all."

Is it any wonder that the statistic of Russian lives lost in WWII are estimated at a staggering 75 million, soldiers and civilians? The Germans also lost millions of men just in THIS theatre of the war. Now add to that, what they lost in Normandy, Italy, Africa, and everywhere else in Europe's western Theatre. Hitler was a maniac. Furthermore, the relentless devotion of his generals to him and his causes, even when it was crystal clear that Germany was losing the war, was unbelievable and eternally disturbing.

Observations: Thankfully, Hitler tried to run the war from Berlin, and insisted on perpetually ordering his Generals in the battle at the Eastern front on all things military and battle strategy. His generals knew better, and if he had truly let General Erich von Manstein, Commander of Army Group South, to operate along the Eastern Front as he would have liked to, I believe that without a doubt the whole of that war could have ended differently and perhaps in favor of the Germans. Fortunately for all of us, that was not the case.

Furthermore, another thing of interest, I learned from reading this account was the truth about how the Soviet Army learned from their mistakes in battle and adapted future operations accordingly, achieving more and more positive results. This in contrast to the German Army. However, it cannot be understated the sheer numbers of men and women Russia offered up to battle. They outnumbered Germans mostly 4 to 1. Sometimes their battle strategy in a particular battle according to one German soldier was the use of "mass human wave attacks," simply thousands of young men hammering the enemy from the front as their Soviet commanders "attempted to make up for poor training by sheer weight of numbers." Can you imagine being an 18 or 20 year old soldier designated in a "wave attack," where your death were ostensibly imminent? Nevertheless, the loss of your life and thousands of others in that "wave attack," carrying the hope of chiseling away the enemy's front line?

Of course as it was, both of these Armies were the cruelest of occupiers and avengers. The Germans with their "scorched earth policy," leaving everything behind them in utter destruction and ruins caused them more harm than good in this war. As the Russians moved in and liberated the villages and cities previously occupied by the Germans, they only grew more incensed by the ruthless death and cruelty the occupiers had inflicted upon the civilians and Russian POW's whom they'd left behind, dead, wounded and dying. Furthermore, the "Scorched Earth Policy" called for the Germans to burn structures to the ground and take all of the livestock with them so nothing of value could be left behind for the civilians or the approaching Red Army. Moreover, unlike in the west, where the Germans hoisted hundreds of thousands of Jews onto trains and marshaled them off to the death camps, this was nearly logistically impossible for them to do so in the occupied areas of Russia and the Ukraine. Therefore, they generally just murdered them in mass groups on site.

Alas, less this review leaves you thinking the Russians were lowly and kind themselves, in comparison to their fascist enemies, this communist powerhouse led by Josef Stalin and his NKVD (Soviet Secret Police) were equally brutal in their attacks on anyone they perceived as opposing the communism regime.

The main function of the NKVD was to protect the state security of the Soviet Union. This role was accomplished through massive political repression, including authorized murders of many thousands of politicians and citizens, as well as kidnappings, assassinations and mass deportations. During the battle of the Eastern Front and later in the war as they advanced on Berlin, the NKVD and also field commanders and front line soldiers consistently brutally murdered German POW's and any of their own people they suspected had collaborated with their German occupiers. And perhaps one of the most infamous and notorious black marks in the history of the NKVD and communist Russia was the massacre of nearly 22,000 Polish military officers carried out in April and May 1940. The Polish should have been considered Allies by Russia. Not so. As the Germans considered Jews subservient and less than human, in a similar way, Russia looked upon the Poles with the same such distortion and disdain.

This book is tough. Don't read it if you have only a frail veneer surrounding your head or your heart. On the other hand, if you want to truly truly know the details of the battle along the Eastern Front, this book is for you.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Audiobook) (3.5 stars) A straight military history of the Eastern Front, it covers the critical, if sometimes overlooked time from 1943-1944. It starts with the aftermath of the fall of Stalingrad, but showed just how resilient and powerful the German forces were in early 1943, even as they lost the strategic initiative. The improvements in the Soviet fighting skill and equipment was starting to show, but it was taking a long time to manifest on the battlefield. Additionally, the Germans were caught between the last vestiges of offensive action and preparing for going on the defensive.

This work also spends time discussing various military-related issues, from the deployment of new equipment on the Eastern Front (especially in tanks on both sides, to mixed results). Buttar also spends time covering the issues of war crimes and atrocities committed on the Eastern Front. Primarily by the German forces, but also some of the ruthless actions of the Soviet Union against the Germans and their own people.

Overall, not as engaging as other works, but some of that is impacted by the lack of significant major battles (not much focus on Kursk), but more a case of the Soviet Union starting the gradually move the Nazis back to the West. A good work to continue the series that Buttar has put together. Primarily for the military historian in the family. Might recommend the hard copy vs. the audiobook. The narrator was ok, but maybe not the best for this type of work.

[Coates · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must say after reading two of Mr Buttar’s books before this I knew what to expect. And that is a detailed narrative including plentiful analysis and also first hand accounts from both soldiers and generals. This book details the battles of Army Group South following Kursk, and really shines a light on a lesser known campaign, but one of significant importance. Would recommend to anyone looking for a detailed narrative. Reads very dense at some points but that’s how it is, also has good maps compared to a lot of military history.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent drill down into six months of fighting in a section of the Russian front. The book concentrates Soviet offenses and the German defense of Central Ukraine following the battle of Kursk. It is well researched. What made this book stand out from others on the same subject is many first- hand Soviet accounts of the fighting. The author is also to be commended on his fine succinct final chapter summarizing the events of that six months and their place in history.

[Bill V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read by Prit Buttar. He writes exceptionally well. He strikes a great balance of providing the narrative of the major events and what happened with anecdotes from lesser known people, such as civilians and low ranked servicemen. All of his books, including this one, are well furnished with multiple maps.
As with the other books I've read from him, this title has a consistent problem with incorrectly converting distances. At times, the conversion of miles to kilometers is correct but it seems more often than not they are off and at times by more than a couple of kilometers.

[Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read several of his books now... they are good, comprehensive campaign histories, but nevertheless always seem to be missing something that prevents them from being engaging in the way that, say, Glantz is. Can't put my finger on it though.

[Xats Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another masterpiece by Buttar

Buttsr is the best at tying together the various accounts on bith sides from ubit histories up to the latest historical research. This book is no different and a welcome addition to the field.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really solid history of WWII in the Ukraine, exploring both what the Soviets and Nazis did the country and how the Ukrainians resisted or were complicit.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Retribution: The Soviet Reconquest of Central Ukraine, 1943 is extensively detailed and well written. It was not an easy read but was very good. Five stars.

[Asmizal Ahmad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Increased my understanding the struggles between German and Soviet armies on Army Group South in 1943.

[Gustaf Runius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buttar’s Retribution is an insightful and meticulously researched account of the Eastern Front in 1943, a critical year in World War II when the momentum shifted decisively in favour of the Soviet Union. For me, this book was valuable in filling a gap in my understanding of this period, especially with its detailed descriptions of the military operations and strategic deliberations that unfolded during the year. I awarded the book four stars for its thorough analysis and well-described battle sequences, which offer a vivid sense of the intensity and complexity of the fighting.

One of the book’s notable strengths lies in its exploration of the strategic debate between the “backhand” and “forward blow” approaches. Erich von Manstein advocated the “backhand” strategy, focusing on flexible defensive manoeuvres followed by counterattacks, while Adolf Hitler preferred the more aggressive “forward blow,” seeking to hold territory and launch offensives wherever possible. Buttar skilfully navigates these competing strategies and provides an insightful look into the internal tensions within the German High Command during this period. The author also takes care to describe the battles themselves in a clear and engaging manner, helping the reader grasp both the operational flow and the strategic implications of each engagement.

Moreover, Buttar’s analysis delves into the often-overlooked question of how the Soviet Union might have responded had the Germans adopted a more defensive stance. This adds an interesting dimension to the narrative, as Buttar discusses how Soviet adaptability and numerical superiority likely would have neutralised any temporary gains from a German defensive strategy. The book’s strength is in its ability to balance these speculative considerations with a grounded recounting of the events as they unfolded, providing a comprehensive view of the challenges and opportunities faced by both sides.

However, despite the intellectual engagement of this strategic debate, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the Germans’ material inferiority by this stage of the war rendered these discussions somewhat academic. As Buttar highlights, the German High Command’s attempts to balance defensive and offensive approaches ultimately led to a muddled compromise that was inadequate to halt the Soviet advance. The sheer imbalance of resources and manpower between the two sides made it increasingly unlikely that any strategy, no matter how well-conceived, could have dramatically altered the course of the war by 1943.

Overall, Buttar’s Retribution is a compelling and informative study of the Eastern Front, offering clear descriptions of the battles and thoughtful analysis of the strategic decisions made by both the Germans and the Soviets. While the debates over strategy are fascinating, they ultimately serve to underscore the broader reality of Germany’s declining position in the war. For readers interested in military history and the intricate details of World War II strategy, Retribution is a rewarding and enlightening read that is well worth its four-star rating. It also closed that gap that I had in terms of understanding of the southern part of the eastern front during the fall and early winter of 1943.

[David Westridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of firsthand information from diaries and memories of the combatants as well as detailed descriptions from historical documents and post combat reports. Overall a very "dry" and lengthy read that would be of interest primarily to historians and history fans. Not for the light reader or casual historian.

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pritt Buttar has a mastery of writing warfare that is interesting and clear. Another great follow on to his WWI series, I'm so glad I found this author that brings to light fronts and characters that are often overlooked in Western military literature.

[Shamma El-shafi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea…some of the memoirs were gruesome.

[Augustine Kobayashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The very last paragraph of this book points to his next book on the eastern front in 1944, especially Operation Bagration. I cannot wait.