The Panzers, Hitler's tank divisions, were the backbone of Germany's defence in the World War II, largely responsible for its early run of success. In this fast-paced, action-packed narrative their dramatic story - their evolution, their exploits, their eventual destruction - is brought vividly to life against a backdrop of war. Written in layman's terms, this clear and succinct overview covers all aspects of the Panzers, both human and technical. There is a special emphasis on the men who fought in and led the great generals like Guderian and Rommel; tank masters like Wittmann and Bake; inspired commanders like Balck and Bayerlein. With new information available since the opening of Cold War archives and benefiting from the most recent scholarship new light is shed on old controversies and misconceptions that leads to original conclusions on the achievements, failures and ultimate legacy of the Panzers.
This book covers, in narrative form, the entire formation and execution of the German tank army from 1937 through 1945. Packed with a lot of information, a few more pictures would have been great. The coverage of operations was thorough and contained a battle map for each of the major operations. Appendices include formation variances for each year of the war, a glossary of German terms, and a breakdown of the more famous Panzer Armies.
9/10 Not having read another history of German tank warfare, I can't think of a better one. It's a balance of a timeline of WWII, a history of tank warfare, and technical data about German tanks and tank related equipment. I suppose if you know the subject well, this is only an overview. For me, it was a good refresher on the history with the right amount of detail I wanted. Also included: photos, glossary, index (with links in the index that work on the Kindle version).
Achtung panzer! Ei mitään uutta ja ihmeellistä sotahistoriallisen taivaan alla, mutta ihan pätevä tietokirja kuitenkin Saksan panssarijoukoista toisen maailmansodan eri rintamilla. Heinz Gudreianin asemaa ja merkitystä korostetaan suuresti.
Basic overview of the Panzer war, A good primer if you are new to panzer combat and tactics but if you have been around this subject anytime there is little new here to see.