The Steppe Wolves: A Punishment Battalion 333 Adventure (1981) By K. N. Kostov
Stalingrad, 1942.
Hitler's troops are pummeling the city of Stalingrad into submission. It is only a matter of time before the besieged city falls, handing the Nazis their greatest, most symbolic victory.
The Russians have other ideas; Stalin has ordered a glorious counter-attack for the 19th November. His Vodka soused generals have spotted a weak-link in the Nazi ranks — the division of Romanian troops guarding von Paulus’ flank.
In a preliminary strike, general Chuikov wants a unit to sneak behind this weak flank and secure a bridgehead for the main assault. In all of Russia there is only one battalion ruthless and fierce enough (not to mention expendable) to make the insane attempt to break the German blockade. Only one group of men — men living outside the normal boundaries of fear and reason — who would dare to take on death. Their own countrymen hate and revile them, the Nazis hunt them — and everyone fears them.
They are Punishment Battalion 333: the Gulag Rats.
Led by the men who arrested them, following a leader who persecutes them, the Gulag Rats are determined to prove themselves heroes by ridding the steppes of the fascist horde.
Originally Published and now published again under the pen name K.N. Kostov
‘Whiting… is a skilled and prolific writer. His comments on the generals are apt… An important book that records one of the most difficult yet least publicized phases of the war’ - Spectator
‘Whiting is a very experienced popular military historian who gets the last ounce of drama from the bloody battles in the West between September 1944 and February 1945’ - The Times
Charles Whiting (1926-2007) was one of Britain’s most prolific military writers, with over 300 books to his credit. He saw active service in the Second World War, serving in an armored reconnaissance regiment attached to both the US and British armies. His books therefore possess the insight and authority of someone who, as a combat soldier, actually experienced the horrors of the Second World War.
- Soft Cover
- 195 Pages
- In Fair condition- Has wear on Spine