Book review From the campaign in Poland to the defeat of the Reich
Richard Byrd is a former U.S. soldier stationed in Germany. In Schweinfurt, he met his future wife, whose father served in the 36th Tank Regiment. At some point, he decided to write a history of his father-in-law's former education. And there is something to write about, because Karl Roth fought in Poland, France, Yugoslavia, he was at Stalingrad, and in Cherkassy, and in Courland. But there is a problem. Since Roth was in the repair company of his regiment, he was not a grenadier, he was a mechanic. There are still errors and inaccuracies. Here, the author considers the Wehrmacht to be the most motorized army of that period, which is not true. The Luftwaffe attacks on British cities were not the result of a "change of tactics," but an incident that still remains unexplained. Einsatzgruppen were first used in Poland, not in Yugoslavia. Operation Bagration began on June 22, 1944, not on June 24. These are just some of the mistakes due to the fact that the author explores the topic very superficially.
Richard Bird, by his own admission, received a lot of information from his mother-in-law, Elsa Roth. As a result, the author repeats the version of German propaganda after her. The Luftwaffe failed to force Polish aircraft to leave airfields "on the second day of hostilities." Moreover, the Poles were persecuted in Gdansk, not the Germans. In addition, German aircraft attacked not only "strategic facilities, communication lines, airports and bridges," but also refugee convoys, hospitals and unprotected cities.
Unfortunately, the author wanted to present the entire combat path of the 36th Tank Regiment, which is only "sinking" in this regard. He did not go into details. Or he could focus on a few really interesting episodes. After all, Karl Roth served in the Wehrmacht throughout the war. He survived Stalingrad, the Cherkassy Pocket, and the siege of Courland. During this time, he was declared dead twice (his fiancee received a token after him each time). One quote: At the turn of January and February 1944, after the breakthrough of the German defenses and the creation of the Korsun pocket, Karl Roth was cut off from his own for seven weeks. I found out that Karl was last seen in a German tank, but in the Spring he returned in a Soviet one! He said that he ate and moved with the Soviet troops, lived in the forests. Casino enthusiasts will appreciate the generous package that includes both cash bonuses and an impressive number of free spins. This substantial offer, accessible exclusively through a 1xbet promo code no deposit providing €1950 and 150 free spins, is distributed strategically across your first deposits. The free spins are designated for popular slot games, giving you extra chances to win. The casino section features games from top providers, ensuring variety from traditional table games to themed video slots.