This is the story of the highest battlefield of World War Two, which brings to life the extremes endured during this harsh mountain warfare. When the German war machine began faltering from a shortage of oil after the failed Blitzkrieg against the Soviet Union, the Wehrmacht launched Operation Edelweiss in the summer of 1942, a bold attempt to capture the Soviet oilfields of Grozny and Baku and open the way to securing the vast reserves of Middle Eastern oil. Hitler viewed this campaign as the key to victory in World War Two. Mountain warfare requires unique skills: climbing and survival techniques, unconventional logistical and medical arrangements and knowledge of ballistics at high altitudes. The Main Caucasus Ridge became the battleground that saw the elite German mountain divisions clash with the untrained soldiers of the Red Army, as they fought each other, the weather and the terrain.

‘Comprehensive, engaging and full of new material. Statiev's majestic new study is not just a scholarly work, it is an exciting read, which will endure as the definitive work on this neglected theatre of the German-Soviet war for a long time to come.'

David Stahel - author of The Battle for Moscow

‘This remarkable book provides a highly-detailed and balanced account of the fighting between the Germans and the Russians in the Caucasus mountains in late 1942. It takes advantage of unique access to archival sources. Beyond this, many valuable insights are provided about mountain warfare in general, and the about military culture of the Stalin era.'

Evan Mawdsley - author of Thunder in the East: The Soviet-German War

'This fine book will be of interest for historians of the Soviet and the German war effort, but also for students of Soviet leisure and Soviet tourism.'

Mark Edele Source: European History Quarterly