Achtung - Panzer! (Cassell Military Classics)

Guderian entwickelt aus seinen Studien über die Panzereinsätze der Allierten im ersten Weltkrieg, seine Erfahrungen bei der Funktruppe sowie seiner Studien zum mechanisierten Transport der Infanterie in der Weimaer Republik die moderne Panzertaktik. Die umfassende Richtigkeit seiner Thesen hat der "Blitzkrieg" dann 2 Jahren später in Polen, Frankreich, auf dem Balkan, in Grichenland und Russland bestätigt. Das Buch ist flüssig, prägnant und fesselnd geschrieben, didaktisch sehr sauber aufbereitet und mit einem großen Quellenteil versehen, der die Daten aller bis ca. 1930 gebauten Panzertypen beinhaltet. Ferner vermittlet das Buch ein Stimmungsbild der Reichswehr im Weltkrieg sowie zwischen den beiden Weltkriegen, wenn man etwas zwischen den Zeilen lesen kann. Ein herausragendes Zeitdokument, wenn es weder von links noch von rechts Indoktriniert gelesen wird. Mir wurde beim lesen dieses Buchs erst die volle Perversion und Menschenverachtung des ersten Weltkriegs bewusst.

Once I started to read this book I could not put it down. Historians throw the word "blitzkrieg" around, but after you read this inerpetation; a lot of the tactics and use of armour in conjunction with artillery, infantry, and close air support, makes perfect sense. A must for anyone interested in tactics and the WWII German military.

If you're into the history of WWI and WWII, this is a must read book. It's written by the German general Heinz Guderian in 1937, two years before the outbreak of WWII. In this book Guderian outlines his visions on how armored warfare should be conducted. He's doing this by drawing parallels to how World War One was fought - and lost - by the Germans. Guderian goes into to detail about several of the most important battles on the western front during WWI. In reality it was Guderian who invented the blitzkrieg - and not Rommel - like most people seem to believe. It's really spooky to see how Guderian outlines his visions of warfare in 1937 - when we now know how he himself used just those tactics to run over Poland and France only two years later. Guderian was a professional soldier, and not a politician. Not once in the book does he speak nazi-propaganda. On the contrary he was one of the few who dared to oppose Hitler, something who got him relieved from command in 1943. He was re-instated one year later when Hitler desperately needed him in an attempt to solve the crisis on the Eastern front.Guderian was tried before the Nürnberg-court after the war, but was acquitted of all charges.

All jokes about how the Germans have yet to win a world war aside, this book is an absolutely brilliant work from the stereo-typicaly brilliant Prussian/German military mind. It's a far easier read than say A.T. Mahan's "Rise of Sea Power" because Guderian sat down and developed a coherent & cohesive thesis and clear ideas, as opposed to the collection-of-lectures style of Mahan. The first half of the book is an easy read of WWI history and the second half is a thesis on the future of armored warfare, and his assertations came completly true with WWII. This book is a neccesary read for any serious student of WWII history, military thought, or the future of warfare. Highly recommended.

This book shows just how intelligent and far-seeing Guderian was. Initially the book provides an overview on weapons and tactics in the first world war, before moving on to Guderian's own ideas for the needs and tactics needed for a successful tank force. What suprised me most was how relevant his thoughts are in a modern context. This is a very interesting read for anyone interested in the late (1916-'18) WWI or tank tactics. Although I enjoyed it, I was rather put off at first as I was not expecting the in-depth analysis of WWI, however this was only momentary and I soon got really into the book.