Steel Bulwark: The Last Years of the German Panzerwaffe on the Eastern Front 1943-45 is a unique visual book providing the reader with a wide selection of rare and mostly unpublished photographs accompanied by in-depth captions. The images reveal the unfolding story of the last desperate years of the German Panzer forces - the Panzerwaffe - which had played a vital role in the military victories of the Nazis between 1939 and 1942. In the remaining years of the war it provided the backbone of Germany`s defense. Although its strength was badly depleted following serious losses at Kursk in the summer weeks of July 1943, the Panzerwaffe remained committed on the battlefield in spite of the titanic struggles which took place. Throughout the last years of the war it demonstrated the German tank soldiers' superior tactical abilities and showed how they carefully utilized all available reserves and resources into building numerous variants that went into production and saw action on the battlefield. The photos portray how these formidable machines were adapted and up-gunned to face the ever-increasing enemy threat. Even when it was forced to withdraw towards the frontiers of the Reich under the constant hammer blows of enemy ground and air bombardments, it reveals how the Panzerwaffe played a decisive role in trying to stem the rout along the disintegrating front lines. The book is a captivating glimpse of a remarkable band of soldiers showing the evolution of their tactics and unmatched fighting vehicles. It reveals its successes and many of its defeats. Even during the last months of the war as the German Panzers withdrew ever further into their Homeland, it shows how units of the Panzerwaffe fought on to the grim death, hoping to hold back the superior weight of their enemy in order to win time and save their forces from ultimate destruction. The majority of the images are drawn from private collections and archives in Germany and Eastern Europe, and are previously unpublished. ILLUSTRATIONS 175 b/w photographs *
