Description
An engrossing history of the desperate battles for the Rzhev Salient, a forgotten story brought to life by the harrowing memoirs of German and Russian soldiers.
The fighting between the German and Russian armies in the Rzhev Salient during World War II was so grisly, so murderous, and saw such vast losses that the troops called the campaign 'The Meat Grinder'. Though millions of men would fight and die there, the Rzhev Salient does not have the name recognition of Leningrad or Moscow. It has been largely ignored by Western historians – until now.
In this book, Prit Buttar, a leading expert on the Eastern Front during World War II, reveals the depth and depravity of the bitter fighting for Rzhev. He details how the region held the promise of a renewed drive on the Soviet capital for the German Army – a chance to turn the tide of war. Using both German and Russian first-hand accounts, Buttar examines the major offensives launched by the Red Army against the salient, all of which were defeated with losses exceeding two million killed, wounded or missing, until eventually, the Germans were forced to evacuate the salient in March 1943.
Drawing on the latest research, Meat Grinder provides a new study of these horrific battles but also examines how the Red Army did ultimately learn from its colossal failures and how its analysis of these failures at the time helped pave the way for the eventual Soviet victory against Army Group Centre in the summer of 1944, leaving the road to Berlin clear.
About the Author
Prit Buttar studied medicine at Oxford and London before joining the British Army as a doctor. After leaving the army, he worked as a GP, first near Bristol and then in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. 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 has appeared on national TV and radio, speaking on a variety of medical issues. He contributes regularly to the medical press.
An established expert on the Eastern Front in 20th-century military history, his previous books include the critically acclaimed Battleground Prussia: The Assault on Germany's Eastern Front 1944–45 (Osprey 2010) and Between Giants: The Battle for the Baltics in World War II (Osprey 2013) and a definitive four-part series on the Eastern Front in World War I which concluded with The Splintered Empires: The Eastern Front 1917–21 (2017). He now lives in Kirkcudbright in Scotland.
Praise For…
“This vivid and gripping account is of fundamental significance for our understanding of the Eastern Front... in a story that thrills and fascinates in equal measure, taking us back into the furnace of battle at its most intense.” —Jeremy Black, author of 'Rethinking World War Two'
“In Meat Grinder, renowned Eastern Front expert Prit Buttar chronicles in superb detail a largely forgotten episode of the Second World War, in which Soviet and German forces battled for control of the Rzhev Salient in 1942–43. In this compelling account of a terrible attritional struggle, readers will find many stark parallels in the intense fighting in the Donbas some eighty years later, not least the crushing effect of artillery fire on fortifications and fortitude.” —General Mungo Melvin, author of 'Sevastopol's Wars'
“This is an excellent book and a worthy addition to studies of the Eastern Front.” —Aspects of History
“Informative … "Meat Grinder: The Battles for the Rzhev Salient, 1942-43" is a comprehensive detailed history that is a simply fascinating read from first page to last.” —Midwest Book Review