Helion & Company Operation Danube (9781913336295) Europe @ War No.7 Helion & Company via Casemate UK

[Julien]

Operation Danube (9781913336295)

Europe @ War No.7

Helion & Company via Casemate UK

 

 

On the 20th of October 1968 hundreds of thousands of Warsaw Pact troops supported by armoured vehicles and aircraft invaded Czechoslovakia in what was the largest military operation in Europe since the end of WWII. In Early 1968 following the election of Alexander Dubček there was an attempt to grant individual rights to the people of Czechoslovakia along with an attempt to partially decentralise parts of the Economy and government. This became known as the Prague Spring. Needless to say these reforms did not go down very well with the Soviets. Over 200,000 troops from the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary would invade the country supported by the very latest tanks and aircraft. In order to identify these aircraft had two red stripes on the fuselage and the tanks a large white stripe up the middle from the front and sides. East German troops were not used due to implications following the German invasion in WWII, with Romania, Yugoslavia, and Albania refusing to take part. Despite calls from Alexander Dubček for the people not to resist there was sporadic resistance throughout. 

 

 

The book is 72 pages long and considers the background to the invasion, and the invasion itself. It looks at both the ground invasion and its airborne counterpart. Detailed orders of battle for the forces taking part are given along with many black & white photos. There are eight colour pages in the centre with vehicle & aircraft profiles. Overall this offers a detailed in-depth account of this operation which marked a turning point in the cold war, and changed things in central Europe for a long time. Things only changing with the velvet revolution in 1989 to which Dubček lent his support, he was against the dissolution of Czechoslovakia which eventually came about.

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

This is a good book on an important event in European History.  Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of