Vitebsk: The Fight and Destruction of Third Panzer Army

Vitebsk: The Fight and Destruction of Third Panzer Army is a historical account/memoir of the German defense of occupied VItebsk, modern day Belarus, at that time part of the Soviet Union, during World War II. Written by Otto Heidkamper, chief of staff of the Wehrmacht’s 3rd Panzer Army, the book offers an authentic account from the German perspective. For the Germans, Vitebsk was a major strategic point, as the city controlled a route to Minsk. Set primarily in 1943 and 1944, Heidkamper’s book describes how the Third Panzer Army undertook various measures to ensure that Soviet troops didn’t recapture the city, such as conducting punitive actions against the partisans as well as civilians who were supporting them.

Heidkamper’s book is relatively short, around 175 pages; however, he packs a wealth of information into those pages to make the story quite interesting from the German army’s point of view. I would recommend this book to any military-history buff interested in World War II’s Eastern-front battles.