Panzer Leader

For years I had known about Generaloberst Heinz Guderians achievements or at least I thought so. After reading his wonderfully written memoirs, I understood why the Eastern Front became so fragile and ultimately lost by German forces. Guderian sheds a lot of light on incidents reported during the war but ultimately fabrications by Soviet propaganda. But the book doesn't just focus on the Eastern Front, though that does play a large majority in the books length. The Western Front is spoken on aswell as the ranks Guderian soared through during the war. And at the end, Guderian speaks on the leading personalities of the Third Reich. This book shows a lot of detail on the mind of Hitler, as Guderian was quite frequently with Hitler and also arguing situations with Hitler [which only a rare few did so]. Other personalities spoken about include: Himmler, Goebbles, Speer and Goering. Panzer Leader is perhaps the most detailed account on the formation of the Panzer Armies that blitzed their way through Poland, France, Africa and Russia before slowly being halted by overpowering numbers, corrupt leadership and ultimately, lack of supplies. This is a book for anyone who has studied that great and costly war, but still lacks some key info on the conditions which led to victory and defeat. Guderian truely belongs among the greats.

Coming in to Panzer Leader, I didn't know much about the Eastern Front. After reading it, I had a great grip on what happened and why. Guderian writes in short, succinct, declarative prose, which makes reading a breeze. Readers not interested in the fine details may be put off by the sheer depth of Guderian's account, but those passages are dense only because of the sheer volume of information Guderian relays, not his writing style. German high command gets the once over, and particularly interesting are Guderian's character sketches of Hitler and Goering. I do not know enough about Guderian to judge his flat denial of any knowledge pertaining to the Final Solution or the Einsatztruppe, but from a sheer military point of view you can't do any better than Panzer Leader. Guderian walks the reader through the conquests of Poland and France, and through Army Group Center's involvement in Operation Barbarossa. He never hesitates to point out where he disagreed with the General Staff, and describes in detail his frustration with the OKH and OKW. Especially interesting are the early parts of the book where Guderian describes his efforts to get tanks accepted by German command as a viable force on the battlefield, and the subsequent formation of Panzer Divisions. This is easily one of the best books I have ever read, and definitely one of the most informative. I learned a TON reading this, and loved every page of it. Those not interested in military history will probably find it dense and hard to get through, though. I'm giving it 5 stars despite that drawback - this book is simply indispensable to military history enthusiasts and WWII buffs.

Heinz Guderian's account of the development of the German armor forces between the wars and the accompanying strategy is one of the major readings in anyone's understanding of armored warfare. Guderian helped to develop the concept of blitzkrieg, a concept similar to Liddel Hart's of the massing armored forces in conjuction with air power and artillery. Guderian was the prime architect of the invasion of France and after being relieved by Hitler was then called back to service as Inspector of Panzer Forces in 1943. Guderian's theories are still in effect today in slightly different manifestations and are mainly used by the US Army's Armored Warfare doctrine. As a witness to modern armor tactics in Desert Storm and the 3rd Infantry Divisions drive north into Iraq in 2003- complete with German style 'reconnaissance in force' forays, I'd go so far as to say the the Army's Armored operational doctrine is a direct descendent of both Guderian and Von Manstein. Guderian's Panzer Leader is without a doubt, a required read for anyone interested in the military history of WWII.

Apart from von Manstein, Guderian is arguably to most able and important of the German commanders. He has also shown himself to be a great author and his book contains great insight into why the Germans lost the war, or at least why they lost it so fast, after their strong initial success. He also does a great study of Hitler and other members of the Nasi leadership towards the end of the book which could have only been given by one like Guderian who was there with the various individuals. The most interesting part of this book is his accounts of the various times that he and Hitler fought over matters of strategic and even tactical issues. He made it very clear that Hitler was very buried into the workings of even the divisional level of the war, which no doubt drove his commanders crazy, and lead to many of them resigning or being dismissed..Again, the book as a great read, as well written as any other, but not quite as focused on the military formations and maneuvers the way von Manstein's book was. I highly recommend it.

Guderian was a German Panzer expert, & wrote a book in 1938 about Panzer tactics theories ("Achtung Panzer!)". This book is his 2nd & is his life story. He was both a field commander (a Panzer Division, a Panzer Corps, & then a Panzer Army) from 1939-1943, in Poland-France-Russia. Fired in Dec 1943 by Hitler, he was later (1944) re-hired to be one of Hitler's constant advisors until the last days of the war. Many referrences on battles. He comments about German tactics & military objectives which contributed to Germany's defeat. Unfortunately, the book lacks sufficient geographic battle maps. Despite this, I still VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THIS BOOK by a man who was BOTH a Field Commander & a General Staff Officer who advised Hitler, reviewing both Western, Eastern, & Italian Front operations.