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Ghost Division: The 11th "Gespenster" Panzer Division and the German Armored Force in World War II
Nicknamed the "Ghost Division" because of its speed and habit of turning up where its enemies least expected, the German 11th Panzer Division wreaked havoc in the East and West in World War II, playing a pivotal role in some of the biggest engagements, including Barbarossa, Stalingrad, Kursk, and the Bulge. Detailed reconstruction of the 11th Panzer Division's wartime exploits. Explores the role played by the German Wehrmacht's panzer force during World War II, its tactical prowess, and tenacity of its soldiers. Draws on archival sources as well as interviews and correspondence with veterans.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 12, 2022
This is a truly impressive book, large in size, with lots of sketch maps and illustrations. The author is a former US Army officer who was stationed in Germany with the 4th Armored Division during the Cold War. He later earned his doctorate in military history, and taught history at the Ohio State University at Newark. The book covers the story of the 11th Panzer Division in rich detail, and also uses this as a vehicle for telling the tale of the German armoured force during the war.
The 11th Panzer Division was one of those formed in 1940 when the number of panzer divisions was doubled. It saw service in the invasion of Yugoslavia, and then on the Russian front, participating in the Battle of Moscow, the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk. It was then transferred to the Western Front, where it served for the rest of the war. It opposed the Allied landings in southern France (the reason I bought the book), and participated in the fighting in Lorraine and Alsace. The division's commanders included Ludwig Crüwell and Hermann Balck.
The book is written in MilHist German; ranks and unit types (and much, much more) is not translated. France is Frankreich, and a swastika is always referred to as a Hakenkreuz. German atrocities are not mentioned, but Russian ones are detailed, giving the reader a Landser's view of the war. Most of the unit came from Silesia until it was rebuilt in France in 1944 and incorporated many new recruits from western Germany. Russians are referred to as Ivans, with the grudging admiration seldom accorded to English-speaking soldiers, and there is a fair bit about the hiwis of both sexes (the observations about the differences between fighting in the Ostheer and Westheer are also quite illuminating). There is background about the activities of higher formations, but some better maps would be a great help.
As well as an impressive list of sources in English and German, Ganz draws on the records of the division (although only 1940 to 1943 survive), and interviews with the veterans, both those conducted by the US Army after the war, and by himself at reunions; the one in 1995 was attended by 950 veterans. The traditions of the 15th Panzer Regiment, which date back to 1673, were carried by the Bundeswehr's Panzer Battalion 54 (later renumbered 64) until it was disbanded in 2008, and are now with the 393rd.
This book probably contains far more detail than most readers would want to know, with blow-by-blow accounts of one tank action after another, but if the subject is one you are interested in, this book is highly recommended.
The 11th Panzer Division was one of those formed in 1940 when the number of panzer divisions was doubled. It saw service in the invasion of Yugoslavia, and then on the Russian front, participating in the Battle of Moscow, the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk. It was then transferred to the Western Front, where it served for the rest of the war. It opposed the Allied landings in southern France (the reason I bought the book), and participated in the fighting in Lorraine and Alsace. The division's commanders included Ludwig Crüwell and Hermann Balck.
The book is written in MilHist German; ranks and unit types (and much, much more) is not translated. France is Frankreich, and a swastika is always referred to as a Hakenkreuz. German atrocities are not mentioned, but Russian ones are detailed, giving the reader a Landser's view of the war. Most of the unit came from Silesia until it was rebuilt in France in 1944 and incorporated many new recruits from western Germany. Russians are referred to as Ivans, with the grudging admiration seldom accorded to English-speaking soldiers, and there is a fair bit about the hiwis of both sexes (the observations about the differences between fighting in the Ostheer and Westheer are also quite illuminating). There is background about the activities of higher formations, but some better maps would be a great help.
As well as an impressive list of sources in English and German, Ganz draws on the records of the division (although only 1940 to 1943 survive), and interviews with the veterans, both those conducted by the US Army after the war, and by himself at reunions; the one in 1995 was attended by 950 veterans. The traditions of the 15th Panzer Regiment, which date back to 1673, were carried by the Bundeswehr's Panzer Battalion 54 (later renumbered 64) until it was disbanded in 2008, and are now with the 393rd.
This book probably contains far more detail than most readers would want to know, with blow-by-blow accounts of one tank action after another, but if the subject is one you are interested in, this book is highly recommended.
August 10, 2021
Back in the early 1990s, I had a coworker at the National Archives who, like me, was heavily into military history, besides having an addiction to "Advanced Squad Leader." One thing that gave him some amusement was how the U.S. Army of the time (he was in a Guard SF unit), had a strong obsession with the WWII German military; the term he used was the "all hail the Wehrmacht" school of military history.
Flash forward to 2021, and one has this book dealing with the exploits of the 11th Panzer Division, and it leaves me feeling a little bit critical. It turns out that the author is a product of the Cold War, and also has a serious enthusiasm for the German "Heer" of the 1940s. What's the problem with that you might ask? Well, the man is/was a full professor, and knows damn well that the German army proper of the Hitlerian period had its own streak of criminality. Yet Ganz has gone forward and written a narrative that ignores how over the last 25 years or so the historiography has changed. I'm not going to beat the man up too much, but I expect better.
So, should you even bother reading this work then? Yes. The 11th was an interesting unit and it might well have been an exception to general trends. The leadership of the division's panzer regiment seemed to set the tone, and it was heavily larded with old-guard Prussian officers; men who apparently kept their standards and discipline. I just would have preferred that Ganz spent a little time talking about these realities; maybe he didn't think that his likely readership could handle a deconstruction of Cold War mythology. Also, do yourself a favor and read the works of David Stahel, who is probably the best current historian of German operational history on the Eastern Front during World War II.
If I had the option the rating would be 3.5; partly due to my editorial issues, partly due to some production issues, I can't quite bring myself to hand out an extra star.
Flash forward to 2021, and one has this book dealing with the exploits of the 11th Panzer Division, and it leaves me feeling a little bit critical. It turns out that the author is a product of the Cold War, and also has a serious enthusiasm for the German "Heer" of the 1940s. What's the problem with that you might ask? Well, the man is/was a full professor, and knows damn well that the German army proper of the Hitlerian period had its own streak of criminality. Yet Ganz has gone forward and written a narrative that ignores how over the last 25 years or so the historiography has changed. I'm not going to beat the man up too much, but I expect better.
So, should you even bother reading this work then? Yes. The 11th was an interesting unit and it might well have been an exception to general trends. The leadership of the division's panzer regiment seemed to set the tone, and it was heavily larded with old-guard Prussian officers; men who apparently kept their standards and discipline. I just would have preferred that Ganz spent a little time talking about these realities; maybe he didn't think that his likely readership could handle a deconstruction of Cold War mythology. Also, do yourself a favor and read the works of David Stahel, who is probably the best current historian of German operational history on the Eastern Front during World War II.
If I had the option the rating would be 3.5; partly due to my editorial issues, partly due to some production issues, I can't quite bring myself to hand out an extra star.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews