New book about Croatian Inf.Rgt.369

[jmark]

I just wanted to let everyone know about the release of a new book about the Croatian Infanterie-Regiment 369, which met its fate in Stalingrad.



Here's the blurb:

Soon after Germany invaded the Soviet Union, the leadership of the newly founded Independent State of Croatia expressed its desire to participate in this "crusade against Bolshevism". Hitler approved the request and so the Croatian Legion, consisting of volunteers from all three branches of the Croatian Armed Forces, was created. Its ground component, the 369th Reinforced (Croatian) Infantry Regiment, was the first to be formed.

The Croatian legionaries participated in some of the most famous engagements of World War 2, including the first battle of Kharkov, Operation Fridericus, Plan Blau and finally the grim struggle for Stalingrad. The Regiment was the only non-German unit to participate in the attack on Stalin's city... the other allies were relegated to holding flanks. Initially, this was viewed as a great honour, a reward for its sacrifices and successes, proof that the Wehrmacht had full trust in the Regiment. However, this "honour" would demand the ultimate price. Croatian blood soaked Stalingrad's soil and four months later the unit's pitiful remnants were herded into captivity.

Two Croatian sergeants managed to preserve the regimental archive by taking it with them on one of the last flights out of besieged Stalingrad. This unique collection, which includes war diaries, daily orders, combat reports and award recommendations, was the primary resource used to create this book. Additional records from German and Russian archives complete the picture. The Regiment's origins, formation, training and battles are examined in detail. Croatian Legion: The 369th Reinforced (Croatian) Infantry Regiment on the Eastern Front, 1941-1943 offers a unique perspective of the fighting on the Eastern Front through the eyes of a foreign volunteer unit.

• 600 pages on a high-quality satin (semi-gloss) stock
• 210 x 157mm
• Hardcover only
• 290 photos
• 50 maps and sketches
• 16 aerial photos
• 10 detailed appendices, including officer biographies, casualties, medal lists, etc.

This book will be ready to ship in late November 2010 but a pre-publication discount of 10% is now in effect. Have a look if interested:
http://www.leapinghorseman.com.au/prodd ... 7683&cat=5

Thanks
Jason Mark

[jmark]

I hate to blow my own trumpet but no-one else is going to do it for me, so here goes. Croatian Legion has just received a really favourable review from Stone and Stone:
http://stonebooks.com/archives/110313.shtml

I think the final paragraph is worth quoting:

Croatian Legion is such an exemplary book that it's difficult to know what to say without gushing. The photos are so good that many lesser publishers would have just slapped them into a book by themselves with generic captions. Here, each one with informative notes, they serve as remarkable enhancements to the larger study. As to the text, not many WWII researchers would have realized that so many original documents survived from the 369th, or that anyone could fashion the material into such a well-crafted book, especially in English. Few units of any nation have received such a well-written history, simultaneously fact-laden and attention-grabbing. This grain of diligent, polished, professional wheat makes it worth all the time we spend sorting through stacks of sloppy, poorly researched, and badly written chaff.
A very, very nice effort by Obhodas and Mark, and one that would have without a doubt landed on our "best of 2010" list had we seen a copy in time.

Thanks
Jason