German History Archive Von Kursk bis Stalingrad 1942. Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 40, 24. Panzer-Division

On 28 June, the major German summer offensive of 1942 begins in the southern section of the Eastern Front, with the Volga, the Caucasus and the capture of the Soviet oil fields as the objectives of Operation "Fall Blau". Involved right from the start: the Panzer Pioneer Battalion 40 of the 24th Armoured Division. Recently re-motorised in France, the battalion is transferred to the operational area of Army Group South in May. The offensive began for the division east of Kursk under the command of the 4th Panzer Army. Supporting Panzer Regiment 24, the battalion is always at the forefront of operations. The Don was crossed for the first time at the beginning of July and the city of Voronezh was almost completely captured. Immediately afterwards, the fateful change in the planning of the summer offensive took place. The conquest of Stalingrad was the new objective. The new mission: back across the Don and advance into the Great Don Bend. The 6th Army and 4th Panzer Army operate together here. The victorious encirclement battle near Kalach on the Don followed at the beginning of August. South of this, the battalion crossed the Don again as part of the 24th Armoured Division and advanced through the Kalmyk Steppe towards Stalingrad. From here, the attack on the southern part of Stalingrad began in early September. However, the division's losses were already enormous. This illustrated book with 12 maps and more than 340 photos - many of them previously unpublished - shows the entire march of Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 40 and Panzerregiment 24, starting in the Kursk area from July 1942 to the suburbs of Stalingrad in September 1942.

Including pictures of the Knight's Cross holder Lieutenant Egon Reifner and the destroyed tank platoon before Stalingrad in August 1942.