Overview

UNTERNEHMEN ILSE (Operation Ilse) is a visual account of one of the most photographed but least known battles on the Eastern Front. Conducted by the 56th Panzer Corps on 27 April 1944 in the area west and southwest of the Polish city of Kovel, which had been encircled by two Soviet armies for nearly a month before a combined Army and Waffen-SS relief force fought its way through and liberated the garrison. However, after its relief, Kovel was connected to the outside world by only a narrow strip of land continually threatened by the surrounding forces of the Red Army. The purpose of Operation Ilse was to complete the relief of Kovel, destroy all Red Army forces west of the Turiya River and free up the north-south rail line connecting Army Group Center with Army Group North Ukraine. In addition to SS-Gruppenführer Gille's battered Wiking Division, a number of other German Army units took part as well, including three infantry divisions (the 131st, 342nd, and 253rd), the 1st Ski-Jäger Brigade, Battle Group Lippert, and an elite assault battalion, Sturm-Bataillon AOK 2. Adding to the considerable combat power assembled for this operation were several Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber squadrons from the Luftwaffe. Expected to last several days, the operation was carried out with such force and determination, aided in no small part by the 5. SS-Panzer Division ""Wiking"", that Operation Ilse was able to achieve its objectives by midnight that same day ahead of schedule including the destruction of five Soviet rifle divisions encircling Kovel. Through a fortuitous convergence of events, this offensive was recorded from start to finish by three photographers - two SS-Kriegsberichters (SS-KB, war correspondents) Ernst Kurbjuhn and Alois Jarolim acting in an official capacity and one acclaimed lensman Ernst Baumann, a staff member of III Battailion, SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 9 ""Germania"". The powerful and poignant images shot by Baumann in his unofficial capacity reveal the eye of a truly talented artist, whereas those taken by his two SS-KB comrades demonstrate a skill level that is more indicative of their Propaganda Company photographic specialist training. Collectively, their pictures, present an intimate and dynamic visual chronicle of this military operation not seen before. Using the most advanced graphic arts software, RZM Publishing has enlarged and upgraded the original images to provide the reader with a ""you are there"" experience, which is further enhanced by a comprehensive fast-paced narrative and operational maps compiled from previously untapped sources. AUTHOR: Remy Spezzano is the founder and owner of RZM Publishing, a company that has become a byword for high quality photo books on the German Armed Forces of the Second World War. 256 photographs

Full Product Details

9780974838991

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Douglas E. Nash Sr. is a West Point Class of 1980 graduate and a retired U.S. Army colonel with 32 years of service with various assignments including Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Cuba, and Uzbekistan. He served in a variety of units, specialising in Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations. He recently retired after serving as the Senior Historian of Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. Remy Spezzano is the founder and owner of RZM Publishing, a company that has become a byword for high quality photo books on the German Armed Forces of the Second World War. As a specialist in the area of photo research, he has worked with some of the world’s preeminent national archives and gained access to numerous private collections to procure the finest photographic material produced by the German Propaganda units. The selected images are then enhanced using the most advanced photo-retouching techniques to obtain optimal visual appeal. These same rigorous standards are also applied to the graphic design and production of each book, which the publisher approaches like an artist intent on realizing his vision. The end result is a body of work that is world-renowned and includes RZM’s best selling God, Honor, Fatherland; Platz Der Leibstandarte and Kampfraum Arnheim.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available