Meat Grinder Hardback

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An engrossing history of the desperate battles for the Rzhev Salient, a forgottenstory brought to life by the harrowing memoirs of German and Russian soldiers.DescriptionAn engrossing history of the desperate battles for the Rzhev Salient, a forgottenstory brought to life by the harrowing memoirs of German and Russian soldiers.The fighting between the German and Russian armies in the Rzhev Salient duringWorld War II was so grisly, so murderous, and saw such vast losses that the troopscalled the campaign 'The Meat Grinder'. Though millions of men would fight and diethere, the Rzhev Salient does not have the name recognition of Leningrad or Moscow. Itwas simply a vast tract of forests and swamps in the heart of Mother Russia that hasbeen largely ignored by Western historians…until now.Prit Buttar, a world expert on the Eastern Front during World War II, reveals the depth anddepravity of the bitter fighting for the Rzhev Salient in this astonishing new history. Hedetails how the long-ignored region held the promise of a renewed drive on the Sovietcapital for the German Army – a chance to turn the tide of war. Using both German andRussian first-hand accounts, Buttar examines the four major offensives launched by theRed Army against the salient, all of which were defeated with heavy losses, exceedingtwo million killed, wounded or missing, until eventually, the Germans were forced toevacuate the salient in March 1943.Drawing on the latest research, Meat Grinder provides a new study of these horrificbattles but also examines how the Red Army did ultimately learn from its colossalfailures and how its analysis of these failures at the time helped pave the way for theeventual Soviet victory against Army Group Centre in the summer of 1944, leaving theroad to Berlin clear.Sales and Marketing HighlightsThe Eastern Front is an area of significant but under-served interest tohistorians and military history enthusiasts alike. This is the first new history inthe English language on the Rzhey Salient for several years.Written by acclaimed Eastern Front historian Prit Buttar, Meat Grinder weavestogether a compelling narrative with ground-breaking research and freshperspectives of the Eastern Front.Prit Buttar’s books rank amongst Osprey’s strongest selling titles, includinghis acclaimed 4-part series on the Eastern Front of World War I, as well asThe Reckoning: The Defeat of Army Group South, 1944 (2020), On a Knife’sEdge: November 1942 – March 1943 (2018) and Between Giants: The Battlefor the Baltics in World War II (2013).