As the Allies were approaching the German frontier at the beginning
of September 1944, the German Armed Forces responded with a variety
of initiatives designed to regain the strategic initiative. While
the "Wonder Weapons" such as the V-1 flying bomb, the V-2 missile
and the Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter are widely recognized as
being the most prominent of these initiatives upon which Germany
pinned so much hope, the Volks-Grenadier Divisions (VGDs) are
practically unknown. Often confused with the Volkssturm, the Home
Guard militia, VGDs have suffered the undeserved reputation as
second-rate formations, filled with young boys and old men suited
to serve only as cannon fodder. This groundbreaking book, now
reappearing as a new edition, shows that VGDs were actually
conceived as a new, elite corps loyal to the National Socialist
Party composed of men from all branches of Hitler's Wehrmacht and
equipped with the finest ground combat weapons available. Whether
fighting from defensive positions or spearheading offensives such
as the Battle of the Bulge, VGDs initially gave a good account of
themselves in battle. Using previously unpublished unit records,
Allied intelligence and interrogation reports and above all
interviews with survivors, the author has crafted an in-depth look
at a late-war German infantry company, including many photographs
from the veterans themselves. In this book we follow along with the
men of the 272nd VGD's Fusilier Company from their first battles in
the Huertgen Forest to their final defeat in the Harz Mountains.
Along the way we learn the enormous potential of VGDs . . . and
feel their soldiers' heartbreak at their failure. Among Douglas
Nash's previous works is Hell's Gate: The Battle for the Cherkassy
Pocket, January-February 1944, a work unsurpassed for insight into
the other side of the hill in WWII.
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