If you've read "East Front Drama - 1944" or "To the Bitter End" then you'll have a good understanding of what you'll face with Mr Hinze's latest book. Mr Steinhardt, the translator, decided to retain the German spelling of many names which was a little difficult. It has the same tactical and strategic style of coverage with additional background information and analysis as his two other books. There are no first hand experiences shared with the reader but the author does try to express the hardships that the German commanders were experiencing in coping with a losing campaign. The author clearly tries to show the Soviet superiority of men and equipment and how well the Germans performed against such odds. There are many situation reports where the author explains the importance of the current circumstance and some of the reasons why events unfolded the way they did.

The coverage starts in the last quarter of 1943, after the Germans were stopped at Kursk and Kharkov was liberated and the Germans had been pushed back to the Dniepr River. The Germans may have had a few tactical counterattacks during this whole period but were unable to generate enough forces to launch major offensives like they did up to Operation Citadel. A third of the book covers the many engagements of the Soviets attempting to penetrate the Dniepr between Kiev and the Black Sea and the subsequent battles for the key communication and depot junction of Krivoi Rog and Kirovograd to the northwest. Some of the key battles for cities on or near the river are Kiev, Cherkassy, Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovsk, Kremenchung, Nikopol, Chersson. The evacuation of the Kuban bridgehead and the futile battle of 17th Army for the Crimea and its eventual evacuation in April 1944 is also discussed.
Before reaching Rumania, the Korsun Pocket and the German breakout is covered. The Soviets finally reach the Dniestr River and the coverage continues with the battles to cross the river and enter Rumania where the coverage picks up with Konev trying to clear the 8th and 6th Armies in the Targul Frumos-Jassy area while Tolbukhin aims for Kishinev.
Other sites of battle coverage include Korosten, Zhitomir, Berdichev, Tarnopol, Rovno, Dubno, Brody, Mogilev-Podolsk, Proskurov, Shepetovka and Vinnitsa.

The battle coverage on the German side is good giving many details of which units were involved, the action taken, results and any other background information the author thought relevant but on the Soviet side its most generic. I counted less than a few dozen instances when a specific Soviet force was identified. It was always the "The Soviets ...". That's the main reason for only four stars. You're receiving only half the "picture" and the book shouldn't be rewarded as a comparable David Glantz book that gives extensive info on both sides.

The author has provided 105 maps; almost all of them are full page while a few are double page. The maps are well populated with towns and cities, rail lines, key rivers. There is also German dispositions but no Soviet forces. For the Soviet side, you get arrows of advance. The maps are comparable to his earlier books. They're good but the reader will have to invest time and effort in digesting and understanding them. Having your favorite atlas next to you will help the process of discovery. A new feature added to this book that his previous books don't have are frequent footnotes that point to maps that cover what the dialog is covering. It was a nice touch as well as helpful; you could flip to the proper map, knowing you had the right map. Once you become familiar with these maps, they will help when you're reading other books.

There is a photo gallery that includes good portraits of Manstein, Model, Kleist, Schorner, Wohler, Hube, Raus, Hollidt, Jaenecke. There are also pictures of soldiers on the ground and other battlefield scenes. There is a Bibliography of German sources, a glossary and a detailed series of Order of Battles to add to your reading experience.

While the coverage of the Dniestr River / Rumania campaign is good, David Glantz's "Red Storm over the Balkans" with his tactical, strategic coverage of the forcing the Dniestr River at Orgeev, Dubossary, Grigoriopol, Tashlyk and Tiraspol by the 3rd UF and the attempted capture of the Targul Frumos - Jassy sector by 2nd UF is superior to Mr Hinze's book. On the other hand Mr Hinze covers the action west of the Bug River, north of Dubossary that Mr Glantz doesn't.
I'm still happy with the book for the good coverage of the forcing of the Dniepr River, capture of Krivoi Rog, Kirovograd and finally the liberation of the Crimea, fills in an important aspect that has been missing from my education of the war.
If you don't have David Glantz's "Red Storm over the Balkans" or Douglas Nash's "Hell's Gate" and can accept the generic Soviet coverage then this book will be very helpful in explaining how the Soviets expelled the Germans from southern Russia. Or if you wanted to learn more of the Dniepr River defense this would be an excellent source. Even with my criticism, I consider this a must read book for the wealth of information presented on the German side. This book is ideal for students looking for operational coverage and analysis of an important time and sector that leads to the final year of the war and is highly recommended for that audience.