Panzer Warfare on the Eastern Front

by Hans Schäufler

Vivid narrative of tank combat on the brutal Eastern Front during World War II.

Genres: World War II, History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Military History, Ebooks, War

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2012

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the usual style of WWII book that I read. I tend to more of the broad sweeping histories like Rick Atkinson Liberation Trilogy or the really heavy grognard style that David Glantz has specialized in writing. This book is written by a WWII veteran from just the German perspective, as the author was a soldier in the famed 4th panzer division, but it is told just from journal writings of the soldiers from Colonel down to privates. This was captivating to see the viewpoints of the different soldiers as they went from the conquerors of Europe to the defeated evil empire that they were. I was also highly engaged by the type of things that went on in the day to day telling of the panzer troops and was quit amazed at how they never really seemed to lose hope until the very bitter end. This was a fascinating look into the minds of the German soldiers much like reading stories about serial killers can grab your attention except this is written by the killers themselves. I recommend this to anyone that would like to see how the panzer troops thought and what they had to deal with during the single largest conflict in human history. The author has done a good job explaining things and I think his translation work is top notch and he manages to just be a conduit for the messages, including his own, with out editorializing. I end of liking the book for the insight it gave me and the intelligent way it was presented.

[Glenn Walborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Panzer Warfare on the Eastern Front by Hans Schäufler had a lot going on it it. The book is completely from the German Panzerkorps point of view. The book starts with the days right before the invasion of the Soviet Union. The personal accounts go into great detail the boredom of the wait and the excitement at the beginning of the invasion in the early morning of June 22. The book then talks about the setbacks of the invasion in fall and winter of 1941, were the Russian winter sets in. The book then goes to the fall and winter of 1942-43, talking about the terrible struggle for the Soviet city of Stalingrad in the southern Soviet Union. After the German defeat at Stalingrad, the book talks about the German offensive at Kursk and then the fighting retreats after the German defeat at Kursk, history’s biggest tank battle. The book ends with the Soviet advance to Berlin and the end of the war in Europe.

As I read through the book, the feeling of the soldiers began with great confidence and pride with their abilities, but as the war went on and they kept losing battles, they also lost their confidence. One of the panzer men frequently mentioned in the book is Obergefreiter (Corporal) Walter Berger. He is mentioned throughout the book, where you can see his attitude about his country’s abilities to fight the Soviet Union.I think that only people who are willing to look at the other side of the second world war will enjoy this book.I think the book would be more appealing to intelligent, older adults, who already know a great deal about the Eastern Front in World War Two. People in the historical fields of study would benefit by reading this book, because of the first hand accounts of the war.

[William Hildebrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heroes of the SS.

The remnants of an SS Panzer unit defy odds in their attempt to escape from the victorious ,but murderous Soviet mongols. These
Small band end
Sieg Heil and Sieg Deutschland.

[Lesley Oddi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read.

This was a wonderful collection of first hand accounts by soldiers who were on the scene. I enjoyed reading this book very much.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a lot more personal than most books about German troops on the East Front in WWII. Oddly the English title doesn't even come close to the German one which is "Weg war weit" which translates more to The journey was far. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book and the stories. There were times when the translations were a bit archaic, and there were a few typos, such as to instead of too. But these were minor.
Most interesting was the chaos that was talked about, even when they were winning. Also, the authors point out that even in full retreat a handful of veteran's could quickly turn on their Russian adversaries and give them a very bloody nose. I've read other books that echoed this theme, that the Russians could not have sustained the losses they were taking, and it was only the two-front war of Germany that enabled them to defeat the Germans. Of course Hitler's idiotic leadership led to this too.
There is little to no politics in the accounts given. They mostly talk about their experiences and how they took care of each other.
Still a good read. Now to read some accounts from the Russian soldiers point of view.

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book. One of the rare ones (at least from my experience) chronicling the losing side of war. The author compiles various, individual soldier stories into a loose narrative tracking the thunderous entry of Germany into Russia, and the slow withdrawal, culminating with being pushed into the sea. It's a fascinating, tragic story. A loss of life that, as an American, is barely comprehensible.