Panzer Leader

Panzer Leader
by Heinz Guderian

Panzer Leader
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Book Summary Information

Author: Heinz Guderian
Translator: Constantine Fitzgibbon
Introduction: Kenneth Macksey
Foreword: B. H. Liddell Hart
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-12-24
ISBN: 0306811014
Number of pages: 552
Publisher: Da Capo Press

Book Reviews of Panzer Leader

Book Review: Valuable Details on WWII Battles: Blitzkrieg 1939 and Warsaw Uprising
Summary: 5 Stars

I focus on matters not elaborated by the many other reviewers, and this review is based on the original (1952) edition.

Guderian claims that the Pomorska Cavalry Brigade charged German tanks with lances, "in ignorance of the nature of our tanks" (p. 72). This contrasts with western accounts, which blame Polish impetuousness and foolhardiness for this supposed act. In actuality, the Polish cavalry had discontinued the use of lances well before WWII (see the Peczkis review of Poland 1939: The Birth Of Blitzkrieg (Campaign)).

Otherwise, General Guderian shows more respect for the much-maligned 1939 Polish Army than did the British and Americans. "The first serious fighting took place...the leading tanks found themselves face to face with Polish defensive positions. The Polish anti-tank gunners scored many direct hits." (p. 70). He writes of the "fierce battles for Warsaw" (p. 84), and characterizes the Poles as "a tough and courageous enemy." (p. 73).

Guderian recognizes the fact that the Communist alliance with the Nazis had not been simply an innocent, tactical move: "On September 29th, 1939, Russia signed a pact of friendship with Germany and at the same time made a trade agreement that was of considerable value to the Germans in the economic prosecution of the war." (p. 140).

The much-romanticized Hitler bomb plot never had a chance (pp. 344-345). There was no means of destroying the many pro-Hitler leaders. And, when Stauffenberg flew into Berlin with his mistaken announcement that Hitler was dead, he found no significant following.

In describing the Warsaw Uprising, Guderian mentions the losses which the Germans had just inflicted on the Red Army (p. 359), and this is distorted by Soviet apologists into proof that the Red Army was thereby immobilized. To begin with, Guderian was referring to the period around August 1--certainly not the entire 5.5 months that the Red Army sat idly on the eastern bank of the Vistula. Moreover, Guderian's information is instructive. Throughout the first half of 1944, the Red Army had been routing the Germans with its "considerable superiority in strength" (p. 327), causing the total destruction of 25 German divisions (p. 336). Then, on the outskirts of Warsaw, the Soviet apologists would have us believe, the Soviet Army magically lost its strength for 5.5 months (August 1--January 12), only to magically regain it (and more) in the form of a 20:1 advantage in guns and 7:1 advantage in tanks (p. 382).

Guderian claims credit for talking Hitler into recognizing the Warsaw combatants as regular soldiers (p. 356)--otherwise they wouldn't surrender knowing that the Germans would kill them all anyway. He mentions the frightful atrocities of the Dirlewanger and Kaminski units. Against the impression that Bach Zelewski had stopped them as a matter of principle, we find that nothing so noble was at work: "Von dem Bach took the precaution of having Kaminski shot and thus disposed of as a potentially dangerous witness." (p. 356)

Summary of Panzer Leader

General Heinz Guderian?s revolutionary strategic vision and his skill in armored combat brough Germany its initial victories during World War II. Combining Guderian?s land offensive with Luftwaffe attacks, the Nazi Blitzkrieg decimated the defenses of Poland, Norway, France—and, very neatly, Russia—at the war?s outset. But in 1941, when Guderian advised that ground forces should take a step back, Hitler dismissed him. In these pages, the outspoken general shares his candid point of view on what would have led Germany to victory, and what ensured that it didn?t. In addition to providing a rare inside look at key members of the Nazi party, Guderian reveals in detail how he developed the Panzer tank forces and orchestrated their various campaigns, from the break through at Sedan to his drive to the Channel coast that virtually decided the Battle of France. Panzer Leaderbecame a bestseller within one year of its original publication in 1952 and has since been recognized as a classic account of the greatest conflict of our time.

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