Steel Inferno - Book Review

Steel Inferno, by Michael Reynolds, is an excellent blow by blow account of the 1st SS Panzer Corps in action in Normandy. The book explains the composition of the Corps, and the background and experience of the 1st and 12th SS Panzer divisions, their organisation and tactics, before their deployment to Normandy.

At 0230 on D-Day, von Rundstedt's Chief of Staff issued orders to the Hitlerjugend Division 'to commence reconnaissance in the direction of the 711th Infantry Division (on the coast) and to watch it's own sector for a possible air landing'. Most of D-Day was spent moving forward in a series of stops and starts as the German High Command tried to understand what was happening, the famous arguments between the commanders on the spot and Berlin. From then on, the 12th SS Panzer Division was in almost constant action until the end of August.

The book is structured around the Allied attacks, starting with the initial attacks, then moving on to Villers-Bocage, Operation Epsom, Windsor, Charnwood and Goodwood and the Battle for Hill 112. The battles are broken down into short sections covering a day or up to a week, and detail movements down to battalion level in many cases. The book contains many descriptions from the participants of specific actions, many of whom the author was able to interview.

The US breakout during Operation Cobra, the Mortain counter attack and the Falaise pocket involved both divisions and led to the collapse of the German army in France. The author does cast doubt on the casualty rates that the divisions suffered, showing that more men did survive than thought, although the divisions were shattered as fighting units. He also analyses the losses of tanks and other equipment, showing that  German repair facilities, and the general weakness of Allied tanks, meant many panzers were quickly repaired and brought back into action.

With helpful maps and an interesting selection of black and white pictures, this is an excellent book for those interested in the details behind the Second World War.