Product Review

THREE KINGS: AXIS ROYAL ARMIES ON THE RUSSIAN FRONT 1941, is about the armed forces of the kingdoms of Italy, Romania, and Hungary, which fought alongside the German Wehrmacht, in the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. Foreword written by Colonel John R. Griffin (retired), US Army Special Forces. Author Patrick Cloutier discusses the motivations of the three Axis kingdoms for going to war against the USSR, the organization of the forces which participated, their roles as integral components of Army Group South, and traces their movements and progress during the course of Operation Barbarossa. He makes reference to the books of a number of authors - including Russian historians - through whose works we get a detailed view of events in the Ukraine in 1941. Included are accounts of Soviet armored trains in combat, identification of Red Army units which opposed the Germans and their Axis allies, and discussion of the political considerations which may have influenced the military decisions taken by both sides.