*Many thanks to Prit Buttar, Osprey Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with arc in exchange for my honest review.*
I have never read any books by the author, but I know that he is an expert in his field, and this offering by Mr Buttar proves it. The book concentrates on the German warfare after the Staingrad defeat and offers perfect research into the lives of soldiers based on personal accounts. The book is rather easy to read as it is written to an average reader, not a historian. Recommend.

In the annals of history, perhaps no war saw such savage fighting as there was in the Second World War which raged from 1939 to 1945. While there were many important battles during this long fought war which took an immense toll on both sides, one of the most savage has to be the fighting between the Russians and the Germans following Hitler’s invasion of Russia in 1941.

Both sides were guilty of what today would be politely called, “excesses.” The two powers had much at stake. The Russians were defending their Motherland and trying to get back all that they had lost. For the first time, in November 1942, Stalin and the Russian top brass felt the tide was slowly but surely turning in their favour. The Germans on the other hand had too much at stake to retreat from Russia, even if doing so may have been strategically a better option. Their Sixth Army still lay trapped in Stalingrad and Hitler made it a matter of ego. There would be no withdrawals, he ordered, irrespective of the huge costs this would entail in human lives.

It is in this setting that Prit Buttar writes this in-depth coverage of the battles in the Ukraine in his book, “On A Knife’s Edge: The Ukraine, November 1942-March 1943“.


The book is methodically researched and has first person accounts from both sides. You get to know what the common soldier felt on the Russian side as you do on the German side. Likewise, the thoughts and strategies planned by the top generals on both sides are shared through their own accounts. Both sides had ruthless, self-centered leaders who dominated all that they saw. We know that both Hitler and Stalin were more feared than respected by their own generals. The decisions they took were not always rational. They pandered to their own egos and their measures of success entailed huge losses of lives in their own sides. Hitler, for example, did not wish to give up any occupied land without a fight. For him, even tactical withdrawals so essential for the longer term benefit recommended by his generals spoke of defeatism. Stalin too was used to taking his own decisions. He made the mistake, as described in the book, of thinking the Germans were vanquished when they still had a lot of fight in them. Earlier, Hitler had made the same mistake when he felt Russia would be conquered in 1941 itself.

Buttar is an acknowledged expert on the fighting in the Eastern Front. He writes in great detail about each of the campaigns that took place in Russia. For the Germans, the loss of Stalingrad was a death-blow, from which they never fully recovered. Many have described this as one of the most significant turning points on the entire World War. Field Marshal Friedrich von Paulus refused to budge from following Hitler’s orders blindly. Thousands of lives could have been saved had the break out happened earlier from the beleaguered city. Following this defeat for the Germans, this book focusses on the strategies that Field Marshal Erich von Manstein adopted to fight back in a losing cause.

Many incidents from the book stay in my mind. The use of explosive-carrying dogs in anti-tank operations by the Russians; the mounds of bodies of soldiers who fell on both sides lying by the road sides buried in the snow; the cruelty meted out with no quarters asked or given by both sides; the impact of wrong decisions made, again on both sides; and lastly the bravery displayed by the common soldier on both sides even while suffering facing inhuman circumstances in fighting for his homeland.

If, like me, you are a history and World War buff, you will enjoy this book. Others may find some parts too long drawn and descriptive though as I mentioned before, the reminiscences of those who fought the battles from both sides make the book more interesting and authentic. These were some of the bloodiest battles ever fought on land. It is most unlikely that such battles will ever be fought again. For this alone, the book is worth a read.

A master author is at work here bringing history to life and more importantly bringing you to what war really means. As you read this great account don't let all the names get in the way of enjoying this detailed account of almost a year of man-made hatred. Read, know, learn, and don't repeat in the future!!!

Prit Buttar produces a very well documented look into the nature of the mid to latter part of the Fascist invasion of the Soviet Union. While this is exceedingly well researched the material does tend to favour German and Italian accounts it is worth the read. The perspective is based on those accounts concentrating on Fascist reorganization in the face of a number of significant defeats. There are some good Soviet references as well and in some cases good modern Russian sources. The problem appears to be that the sense of what the average Italian or German soldier felt is adequately covered. The Soviet soldier however although quoted in abundance is not given the same sense of a lived experience. Not that this is Buttar's fault, merely there are always more avenues to develop our understanding of the historical events.

A more serious gap is not presenting to readers that this was essentially a war of extermination and expulsion, where Slavs were a temporary fixture that would eventually be erased from the landscape. As such the difference is not merely of two sides fighting, one side was fighting for much more than victory while the other showed no more humanity than the bubonic plague. Those not killed today would be tomorrows massacre and refugees. Efforts to show some restraint were merely to seek tactical advantage in the short term. While Soviet forces committed errors it was not a force of out right annihilation short term or long term.

Having despised history at school, mainly due to the teacher and not the subject, I made a conscious decision to try and learn about important historical topics myself. No-one was more surprised than me when I found I actually loved learning about such topics. Prit Buttar is an Oxford-educated general practitioner and considered an expert on the Eastern Front in 20th-century military history. On a Knife's Edge focuses on an often overlooked part of the World War II conflict and explores in detail the impact of the war on the Ukraine.

This is a meticulously researched book which certainly comes across as though it would have taken a huge effort and amount of time to compile. On the whole, this is a thoroughly engaging and in-depth exploration of the impact of WWII on Ukraine from November 1942–March 1943. It is highly detailed, complex and complicated but that is exactly what you would expect with such a volatile, dangerous and ever-changing situation on the Eastern Front.

This may be a book to dip in and out of at leisure as it is intense and full of different people whose German and Russian names make them easy to confuse with one another. I did often think that it felt rather disjointed because of all of the information we are supplied with and it made for a slow and sometimes tedious read. However, if you are particularly interested in WWII, the Eastern Front or history of the Ukraine, I'm sure this will be very enjoyable, and I have much admiration for Buttar taking the time to make this as authentic as possible. It's definitely worth the read!

Many thanks to Osprey Publishing for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Buttar has given us a highly detailed about a phase of World War II that is not as well known as other theaters. It is detailed and complex with very confusing Russian and German names. The complex nature of the comflict does not allow for a flowing narrative that at times seems rambling. Not an easy read.