Author(s): Steven J. Zaloga; Felipe Rodriguez (Illustrator)

Military

The final months of World War II on the Eastern Front saw the Germans fighting with exhausted armored divisions, albeit now armed with the heaviest and most advanced tanks of the war, to slow the Soviet advance. Meanwhile, the Red Army was rolling relentlessly westwards, with its own highly developed tank forces now equipped with T-34-85s and huge IS-2 heavy tanks, intent on taking Berlin and as much territory in Eastern Europe as possible. Packed with photos and meticulous new artwork, this book explores and analyzes these two mighty armored forces and how the last tank battles of World War II were fought, from the Oder-Vistula offensive in January 1945, through the battles for Budapest, to how the Axis was beaten back into Berlin and Prague. It also examines the tank forces of Germany's last ally, Hungary, and those of Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania as they fought with the Soviets towards VE-Day. Book jacket.