Nash, Douglas E./Spezzano, Remy Wiking Sommer

III. Bataillon, SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 9 "Germania", Eastern Poland, 24 July - 10 August 1944

This book is the final volume in a three-part photo book series published by RZM-Verlag, which also includes Unternehmen Ilse and Kampfgruppe Mühlenkamp. The series documents the operations of the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking in eastern Poland from April to August 1944. The photos in these publications were taken by German photographer Ernst Baumann. This third title continues the historical narrative after the dramatic rescue of Grenadier Battalion z.v.B. 560 by the Mühlenkamp combat group, which had been cut off behind enemy lines. The operation took place when Army Group Centre was recovering from its decisive defeat during Operation Bagration, the Red Army's summer offensive. The German front line was eventually restored, and numerous Soviet infantry and cavalry divisions were encircled thanks to a successful counterattack by the Wiking Division and the 4th Panzer Division. While these actions were covered in the previous book from the perspective of the combat group as a whole, this publication focuses primarily on the battles experienced by the III. This elite unit, commanded by SS-Sturmbannführer Paul Kümmel, was fully equipped with armoured personnel carriers and often operated alongside the Viking Panzer Regiment. Wiking Summer meticulously documents the battalion's operations over a period of 18 days from late July to mid-August, recording tactical manoeuvres, logistical efforts, maintenance routines and everyday activities. With vivid images, the book provides a comprehensive portrait of the Waffen-SS in combat on the Eastern Front during this critical phase of the war.