Last Victory in Russia: SS-Panzerkorps & Manstein’s Kharkov Counteroffensive

This book is the first detailed and comprehensive account of the Kharkov counteroffensive, examining the operations of the SS divisions and the supporting actions of Armeeabteilung Fretter-Pico and 1. Panzerarmee, illustrated with more than 210 photographs and maps. By late January 1943, following the disaster at Stalingrad and successive Soviet offensives that destroyed the German 6. Armee and the Axis allied armies of Italy, Romania, and Hungary, Germany stood on the brink of defeat as Soviet forces threatened the Dnepr River and encirclement of southern German armies; believing victory was near, the Soviet high command launched Operations 'Star' and 'Gallop' to retake Kharkov and destroy Armeeabteilung Hollidt, 4. Panzerarmee, and 2. Armee. Appointed commander of Heeresgruppe Don in late 1942, Feldmarschall Erich von Manstein orchestrated a decisive counteroffensive beginning in February that shattered or severely damaged four Soviet armies and reclaimed much lost territory, with the decisive role played by three Waffen-SS divisions. 'Leibstandarte', 'Das Reich', and 'Totenkopf' were united for the first time as a corps under SS-Obergruppenführer Paul Hausser; alongside the elite Army division 'Grossdeutschland' and three weak infantry divisions, they defended Kharkov against four Soviet armies under Armeeabteilung Lanz, holding the city for two weeks before withdrawing on 14 February 1943 under disputed circumstances involving Hausser’s defiance of a direct order from Hitler. Nearly a month later, German forces recaptured Kharkov and crippled the same Soviet armies, as 'Leibstandarte' held off the Soviet 3rd Tank Army to protect the SS-Panzerkorps supply base while 'Das Reich' and 'Totenkopf' executed a complex series of operations, including a 100-kilometer thrust south to save the Dnepr bridges, secure supply lines for Heeresgruppe Don/Süd, drive Soviet forces from the rail network south of Kharkov, and retake the city. Although Hausser has been criticized for allegedly ignoring orders and committing his divisions to costly urban fighting for personal and SS prestige, this study finds that records from the SS-Panzerkorps and 4. Panzerarmee offer a different explanation for his decisions.