Wiking Sommer

Wiking Sommer (Viking Summer) is the final volume in RZM Publishing’s acclaimed three-part photographic series, which also includes Unternehmen ILSE and Kampfgruppe Mühlenkamp. This collection documents the operations of the 5. SS-Panzer-Division Wiking on the Eastern Front in eastern Poland between April and August 1944, during one of the most critical phases of the Second World War. The powerful images featured throughout the series were taken by renowned German war photographer Ernst Baumann.

This third instalment picks up the combat narrative following the dramatic breakout led by Kampfgruppe Mühlenkamp to rescue Grenadier-Bataillon z.v.B. 560, which had been encircled behind Soviet lines. The rescue took place as Heeresgruppe Mitte (Army Group Centre) reeled from the devastating blow dealt by the Red Army’s Operation Bagration, the massive summer offensive of 1944. In response, a determined counter-attack was made by the Wiking Division, and the 4. Panzer-Division restored the German front, encircling and destroying multiple Soviet infantry and cavalry divisions.

While previous volumes covered the broader actions of the Kampfgruppe, Wiking Sommer focuses specifically on the combat experiences of III. Bataillon (gepanzert)/SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 9 “Germania”. Led by SS-Sturmbannführer Paul Kümmel, this elite mechanised infantry battalion was equipped with armoured personnel carriers (SPW) and frequently operated alongside Wiking’s panzer regiment.

The book provides a detailed day-by-day account of the battalion’s operations over 18 days from late July to mid-August 1944. It highlights battlefield tactics, logistical challenges, vehicle maintenance, and the routine of frontline life. With its rich visual documentation and insightful commentary, Wiking Sommer offers a compelling, historically accurate portrayal of the Waffen-SS in combat during the latter stages of the war on the Eastern Front.