Panzer Aces II: Battles Stories of German Tank Commanders of WWII

by David Johnston (Translator), Franz Kurowski

- Sequel to the well-regarded Panzer Aces - Chapters on Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski, Kurt Knispel, Karl Nicolussi-Leck, and other great commanders With the same drama and excitement of the first book, Franz Kurowski relates the combat careers of six more decorated German Panzer officers. Extensively researched, these gripping accounts follow the men and their tanks across three continents into some of World War II's bloodiest engagements. They campaigned with Rommel in the deserts of North Africa, participated in the monumental tank battle at Kursk, and, maneuvering only by muzzle flashes, fought frightening small-unit contests in the dark of night. Master tacticians and gutsy leaders, these men are legends.

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

432 pages, Paperback

First published November 26, 2002

Reviews

[Alexander Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to say this but this book felt more like a chore to finish then something I actually moderately enjoyed reading. The same challenges with Panzer Aces I were still apparent in the second, hard to follow, lack of factual evidence, no maps, and little to no battle descriptions or background information. While all the tank aces held the pretext of having an interesting story even if they would be butchered with nonsense the author failed in getting the reader involved. Out of the 6 tank aces plotted into the book I swear I could probably remember one (Kurk Knispel) the only actually narrative I could get behind. It was as if the author had a stroke of writing skill for Kurks analogy.

Another huge issue I had with the book besides the translation issues and poor editing was the fact their was an abundant emphasis of favoritism for the German war effort. I know the book is about “Germany” tanks aces but I feel the author could mention profound efforts of the allies. Again it would not have completely sewn in the pages but a mention here and their would help with the fact checking which again there was none.


The first Panzer Aces was far better in terms of narrative but overall I feel like reading these two books was a waste of my limited reading time. To put it lightly I will not be reading the third edition, Panzer Aces III.

Thanks for reading my take, open to comments.
-Alex

[Clark · Rating 1 out of 5]

Each chapter details the wartime experience of one 'panzer ace'. The writing is bland and tedious and the presentation is quite uneven. The men are selected primarily because they were lucky enough to survive long enough to rack up a good count of kills. Luck, really, is the only thing they had in common. The sourcing is dubious, and the book reads much like an accumulation of personal reminiscences and anecdotes rather than any kind of historical investigation. Strained and bad grammar abound, and typographical errors are unfortunately common. But the book's primary failing is simply that it's boring. Reading it is a slog and none of the 'panzer aces' presented emerge as particularly memorable.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, written by someone who clearly knows his stuff about tanks. Complete lack of footnotes makes its precedential value questionable unfortunately, but the stories are interesting and humanized. Author analyzes ten German tank commanders and provides a snapshot overview of their actions during WWII.

[Daniel Ayers · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have read and enjoyed Panzer Aces, this book is a must to meet more of the soldiers of the German Army. A very interesting look.And once again a detailed biography of several influential people. Helps to round out the data available so that you can study all sides of the war from a more personal level.

[Cody Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting and fun to read book. It almost seems like it is fictional because it is so easy to read. I defiantly recommend these series of books to anyone interested in WWII and needs a relaxing and interesting read

[John Behnken · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories are interesting from a tactical standpoint, but the author is bland. Maybe a bad translation? I'll finish it one of these days.

[BigMike-Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book and provided lots of empirical information and explained the thinking of the time. Explained the origins for the different Tank commanders tactics.

[Jared · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting military careers but not the greatest writing style and some maps to go along with the narrative would've been beneficial.