Velikiye Luki 1942-43: The Doomed Fortress

A highly illustrated study of one of the most dramatic yet overlooked episodes on the Eastern Front in World War II, the siege of Velikye Luki by Soviet forces in 1942--43.

Velikiye Luki had been an important Russian fortress city since the 13th century and had become an important rail-hub by the 19th century. In August 1941, the Germans occupied the city of 30,000 during Operation Barbarossa and made it a bulwark on the boundary between Heeresgruppe Nord and Heeresgruppe Mitte. In the winte...