Wiking Sommer - III.Bataillon, SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment "Germania"

Wikinger SOMMER is the final part of the three-volume photo book series published by RZM-Verlag, which also covers the ILSE company and Kampfgruppe Mühlenkamp. The series documents the operations of the 5th SS Panzer Division ‘Wiking’ in eastern Poland from April to August 1944. The photos shown in these publications were taken by the renowned German photographer Ernst Baumann. This third volume picks up the historical narrative after the dramatic rescue of the Grenadier Battalion z.v.B. 560 by Kampfgruppe Mühlenkamp, which was cut off behind enemy lines. The battle took place as Army Group Centre was trying to recover from its decisive defeat during Operation Bagration, the Red Army's summer offensive. The German front line was eventually restored, and numerous Soviet infantry and cavalry divisions were encircled and destroyed thanks to a successful counterattack by the Viking Division and the 4th Armoured Division. While these actions were covered in the previous book from the perspective of the entire Kampfgruppe, this publication focuses mainly on the fighting of III Battalion (Armoured)/SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 9 ‘Germania’. Under the command of SS-Sturmbannführer Paul Kümmel, this armoured infantry unit was fully equipped with armoured personnel carriers and often operated alongside Wiking's armoured regiment. Wiking Sommer meticulously documents the battalion's operations over an 18-day period from late July to mid-August, recording its tactical manoeuvres, logistical efforts, maintenance routines and day-to-day activities. Using vivid images, the book paints a comprehensive portrait of the unit in combat on the Eastern Front during this critical phase of the war.

Hardcover edition from 2025 (€ 149.00)

Available - at last! - from July 1. Illustrated with 243 sharp, crystal-clear photos and 5 maps.