Customer Reviews:
Panzer I and II.......2007-05-17
This book continues the Spielberger series on German Armor of World War II. It is filled with excellent scale drawings that have come to be expected with this set of books. The only problems I had with the book concerned the way it was translated. I have a feeling the translation was done with a computer. The prases are often translated literally which means that the English can be awkward and sentences ocasionally incomplete. Still, the book does a great job of comprehensively covering the early panzers that were used to develop the the nazi war machine.
The Definitive Book on the Panzers I and II.......2007-03-19
The Panzers I and II were light weight tanks built by the Germans before and during the very first years of the Second World War. The Panzer I was intended to be nothing but a training tank and mounted two machine guns. The Panzer II was to be an infantry support tank wia machine gun and a small cannon. With the Panzer III and IV models on the horizon, there was never any intent of taking the I (certainly) and the II (Probably) into battle. But Hitler jumped the gun and the German Army started the war with the I & II as the front line tanks.
This supurbly illustrated book is the definitive book on the I and II. It starts with the German developments between the wars (illegal at the time) and on to the development of the I and II.
The book covers virtually every aspect of the tank from the engine, drive train and suspension up to the armor and armorment, and production information. These were both good tanks, inexpensive, reliable and completely understood. Even after these tanks were driven from the battlefield by later tanks, the chassis formed the basis for numerous vehicles from tank destroyer, flamethrowing tank, self propelled guns. Some variation of the I and II were still in production quite late in the war.
All of these variations, and many experimental models are shown in the book. This book is one of a series on German armor put out by Schiffer. All of the books are excellent, with more information than I have seen anywhere else.
Book Description
Hard cover, large format (9"x12"), 392 pages, 190 photo pages, numerous diagrams and charts. This unit history features lots of first-hand accounts of this unit - the senior Tiger battalion of the German Army. Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503 was formed in late 1942 and fought until the bitter end on both the Eastern and WesternFronts. It was issued with both the Tiger I and the massive Königstiger (with both the Henschel- and Porsche-turrets). Besides an exciting text, this volume also features 190 photo pages with nearly 300 photos, a good percentage of which have never been published previously.
Customer Reviews:
Phenomenal! .......2007-10-16
If you're a Tiger enthusiast or interested in German armor, this is another "must have" book. Five stars aren't enough, this is another home run unit history - great photos, tons of details, it's a phenomenal volume. Don't wait and have to settle for a cheaper paperback reprint years from now, this book is well worth the price.
Outstanding unit History.......2006-09-06
This is another outstanding Tiger unit history published by JJF and depicts the men and machines of the 503rd Tiger Tank battalion.
It is printed as usual on fine glossy paper with over 390 pages packed with excellent photos of the units tigers and the men who crewed them, plus many contributions by former members of their own personal accounts of battles and life on both the Eastern and Western fronts.
Many of the superb photos have come from the personal albums of the units men and gives the reader an insight into everyday life in the day to day running of one of the more senior Tiger tank battalions.
The 503rd was equipped with the Tiger 1 and was one of the first units to be equipped with the Tiger 2, both of these armoured beasts are shown in great detail.
Also included are maps of the area of operations for the unit,reproducctions of unit orders and logs and organisational diagrams to give the reader a feel for how the unit operated.
I would recommend this book to all avid historians who have an interest in armoured warfare.
The unit members have done their battalion proud with this book.
Book Description
Hard cover, large format (9"x12") 223 pages with 11 pages of color illustrations, one page of color photographs and more than 150 additional illustrations and period photographs (including all of the photographs contained in the original German-language edition of the book as well as images obtained from a variety of other sources).
Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 507 was formed in late 1943. In early 1944, it was sent to the Eastern Front, where it successfully participated in a number of defensive efforts as a mobile "fire brigade." In early 1945, it was sent to Paderborn for reconstitution. There it was being refitted with the Tiger II , when it was hastily attached to SS-Panzer-Brigade "Westfalen" for the defense of the Paderborn area. Equipped with a wide variety of fighting vehicles, including the Jagdpanther and the Jagdtiger , it successfully engaged American forces of the 3rd Armored Division southwest of Paderborn, before it was pulled further back to the east. One of the few combat losses of US general officers during World War II — Major General Rose, the commanding general of the 3rd Armored Division — was in an engagement with the battalion.
After losing the remainder of its tanks to combat activity or their forced transfer to SS forces, the battalion moved to Czechoslovakia, where it was again issued combat vehicles, including the Hetzer tank destroyer, where it spent the final days of the war trying to surrender to Western Allies. In the end, the battalion was handed over to Russian forces, where many of its members spent long years in Russian captivity.
This account of the battalion was written primarily by former members of the unit and features almost all first-hand accounts. In addition, numerous appendices amplifying much of the material have been provided. These include an extensive chronology of the battalion and additional background material on the "parent" formation of schwere Panzer-Abteilung 507 —Panzer-Regiment 4 — including the late-war history of elements of the regiment in both Hungary and Italy.
Customer Reviews:
If You're Into Tigers, You Gotta' Have This One. .......2007-01-20
What's to say, it's another of the remarkable unit histories in large format in a nice binding. Don't wait to get a paperback version of this ten years from now, if they ever reprint it, or whine about having to pay $100 or more for this edition down the line. A must-have book for the Tiger tank history buff.
Book Description
Readers discovered in 1995, with The Devil's Adjutant and in 1997 with STEEL INFERNO that Michael Reynolds' experience as a combat veteran and leader of soldiers, from platoon to mechanized division, informs his works with rare insight and realism. A rigorous, exacting researcher with an eye for telling drama, Reynolds is no armchair theoretician or chronicler of the minutes of High Command. He scrutinizes battles as they actually occurred - maelstroms of firepower, courage and flesh in which superior strength and combat skills were the sole, unvarnished factors in success. MEN OF STEEL follows Germany's largest remaining elite formation, 1 SS Panzer Corps, during the last five months of the World War II in Europe. Threatened with massive invasions from both the East and the West, in the last days of the Third Reich, Hitler opted to counter-attack. In December 1944 the Germans launched a last desperate offensive in the west, 1 SS Panzer Corps its cutting edge through the Ardennes in what became the greatest American battle since Gettysburg. After Anglo-American armies under Braadley, Patton and Montgomery had sealed off the Ardennes breakthrough, the panzer corps was transferred to mount an attack against the onrushing Soviets in the East. At Lake Balaton the 1 SS Panzer Corps waded into vastly superior Red Army forces in what became the last German offensive of the war. On both fronts the panzers were finally overwhelmed and the victors exulted in the annihilation of Nazi Germany. By examining in thorough detail the final death throes of Hitler's elite combat formations, Reynolds vividly illustrates the price of Allied victory, and why it was so difficult to achieve. Michael Reynolds retired from the British Army with the rank of Major General in 1986. His last command was NATO's International Mobile Force, and he subsequently became Director of its Military Plans and Policy Commission. His previous two books, The Devil's Adjutant (1995) and Steel Inferno (1997) were released to international acclaim.
Customer Reviews:
Could not make it half way through!.......2007-07-19
I have never read a book where the story went absolutely no where. I made it through 100 pages and that was it. There is no story to this story. All the book talks about is the tanks, equipment and personnel in the battles in waaaay to much detail. You can hardly tell what battle you are in until he writes and this is the way that the "Battle of So and So" ended. There are plenty of maps in the back of the book that are no help at all. It is very rare that I will not finish a book from start to finish, but this is one of them.
Interesting book, but biased.......2002-12-12
Reynolds' wrote Men of Steel by distilling German histories of the I SS Panzer Corps, US Army AAR's, other published sources, and a few personal interviews and trips. In other words, it's more a compilation of what's out there than a book shedding light on unknown corners of WW2 (a la David Glantz's books). In any event, its an interesting book, because you can follow things through the German perspective.
There are three problems with the book. The larger problem is that Reynolds implies the SS atrocities were no big deal. He mentions many times where the LAH murdered surrendered US soldiers and Belgian civilians, but gives a few US examples. I think, after "Citizen Soldiers" and "Saving Private Ryan", we all understand not every German trying to surrender made it to a POW camp. However, Reynolds' examples include the shooting of a German prisoner trying to escape, the death of a tanker bailing out his tank in the middle of a battle, and the mistaken grenading of Belgian civilians by a green US soldier (and the survivors were all immediately given medical attention). These "c'est la guerre" examples don't come close to the organized murder of prisoners at Malmady (which Reynolds treats strangely as well). The other problem is that US formations smaller than a regiment and Soviet formations smaller than a division are typically not named in the text, and a footnote identifies the unit. This is just annoying. Lastly, there are many cases where the US AARs and German histories don't match up. Sometimes Reynolds presents all sources and says "decide". Sometime Reynolds copies the US AAR but says "this is definitely wrong". If a source is wrong, it's better for him to omit it, and write what his research and analysis say was the actual course of events.
With those caveats, it's an interesting book, and a good counterpoint to the US-centered WW2 histories we're used to reading.
This is WWII history from the SS point of view..........2002-09-04
"Men of Steel" basically presents a sympathetic summary of unit actions of the 1st and 12th SS Divisions during the late war. In fact, the author acknowledges his reliance upon German unit histories and how impressed he is with their excellence. You won't find balanced viewpoints or much in the way of supporting details from other sources in this book.
Perhaps due to his background as a British soldier, the author openly admires the professional expertise of these SS elite military units. Unfortunately, he lets his admiration of SS military prowess taint his presentation of events.
I got the feeling that Mr. Reynolds was overly driven by a need to state his opinions, rather than present information and analyses that lead the reader to his own conclusions. The book is crammed with footnotes that don't illuminate the text. The author has lots of strong opinions about the motiviations of battle particpants and what must have happened, but the footnoted sources don't particularly support them.
There is also little objective analysis or information regarding US actions to put the actions of the SS divisions in perspective. Here you will find "fleeing" GI's racing to the rear during the early days of the Battle of the Bulge. No mention is made that most of these were support units ordered to the rear from the front lines, which was a sensible precaution at the time. The author equates initial confusion on the US side to uncontrolled fear or cowardice, where other books document the record of US individual and unit bravery against great odds along a 60-mile front from Monshau to Echternach.
The author brings up the subject of SS atrocities, but then largely dismisses them as an unfortunate by-product of all armies. The SS murders of unarmed civilians and US prisioners at Malmedy, Ligneuville, Stavelot, and Honsfeld are mentioned only in passing with the casual observation that Allied units killed prisoners too.
The difference between the random acts of US soldiers (who were violating official US military policy) and SS soldiers who were following official Nazi policy (and receiving awards for doing so) is never explored. This is odd since the author does explain how these SS units were originally formed to carry out official Nazi doctrine, which included killing people who did not fit into government and military plans. These SS units had already demonstrated their dedication to implementing such Nazi policies on the eastern front.
Mr. Reynolds even laments the murder of SS soldiers caught by partisans as a shameful act upon professional soldiers. One wonders how he would react if his family and friends had been under Nazi occupation enforced by SS brutality for 4 years. Wartime atrocities are horrible on all sides, but the SS certainly reaped what it sowed on both the eastern and western fronts. This typed of one-sided viewpoint makes the reader question the author's ability to fairly analyze the events covered by his book.
Finally, this book is pretty boring to read. It has the same slow pace as scholarly fact-based books, yet is filled with enough suppositions and personal opinions to make Stephen Ambrose blush. Controversial opinions are fair game in a book, but dull reading should at least yield more solid information.
"Men of Steel" is okay if you simply want quick background on these SS divisions during the late war. But be sure to read the books of professional historians such as Charles MacDonald and Hugh Cole to get some balance on what really occurred during the timeframe covered. Not only are they cheaper and more informative, they are a much better reading experience.
Buy it.......2002-06-30
I am very glad I gave this a chance, because I have not read any of Michael Reynold's previous works, and from the outside, this appeared to be pretty dry reading. Not so.
This is an excellent overview of the ISS PK and their operations during the latest stages of the war. Michael Reynold's is extremely objective in this, letting the reader form his own opinions and even encouraging creative thought if the the details of a given battle arent fully recorded. It is extremely well researched, and an absolutely indispensable tool for learning about the the 1 and 12SS Panzer Divisions.
Men of Steel gradually shows how the two panzer divisions became intertwined and eventually fought less as a Corps, and more as a single division they worked so closely.
I really cant wait to pick up Reynold's other works. And wish I had read the first book in the history of the 1SS Panzer Corps in Normandy before this... Definetly pick it up and enjoy.
Great sequel!.......2000-09-06
This book is a great sequel to "Steel Inferno". For readers of the first book, some of the early parts of the book can be skipped. A great account of the fighting record of these two infamous Waffen-SS units. Told descriptively from first person accounts and the author's great writing. A must for those who enjoyed the first work.
Book Description
This first volume details all aspects of the Hitler's fanatical "boy soldiers" division's history with a balanced mix of both tactical and strategic accounts, including the creation and training of these teenage warriors and their baptism of fire in the Normandy campaign in World War II. Written by the division's former chief of staff.
Customer Reviews:
12th SS Vol I & II.......2007-01-31
This is an excellent historical reference book. It provides another viewpoint to the Allied histories of the war. There seems to be an obvious bias which is also present in many if not most of the Allied histories. Viewed in the context of contrary histories of the same battles, many points can be clarified.
The 12th SS was a fabulous division of fighting men. I see many training and doctrinal attributes that were used in the Marine Corps when I joined. When viewed in a strictly historical perspective of fighting quality and ability there are few formations that can compare with with the 12th SS. I highly recommend these volumes to historians as well as gamers modeling the battles this division was engaged in.
Hitlers child soldiers.......2005-10-14
Having completed a PHD on the Waffen-SS and their atrocities I found that this item lacked some details in that regard. As a pure military history it is execellent. However I would have liked more detail of the political and ideological background to the unit. A good read.
Interesting but flawed.......2005-07-25
Good description of battle but goes into details in a somewhat disjointed manner. Hard to tell at times whether point of view of battle is from the German or Allied side. Worth the price and the read if a student of Western Front of European war,
Book Description
Once I Had a Comrade is the story of the author's German father-in-law, Karl Roth, who grew up during the tumultuous 1930s in the Franconian town of Schweinfurt, located in northern Bavaria, and of his regiment, 36th Panzer Regiment. When the Second World War began, he found himself conscripted into the army and assigned as maintenance private to the headquarters company of Schweinfurt's new branch of service, the 36th Panzer Regiment, assigned to 4th Panzer Division until November 1940, 14th Panzer Division thereafter. They participated in the campaigns in Poland 1939, France 1940 and Yugoslavia 1941, before serving on the Eastern Front (southern sector) until destruction at Stalingrad 1943. The division was then rebuilt and again served in the southern sector of Russia before being transferred to Kurland in late 1944, where it saw out the rest of the war serving with 18th Army. During these campaigns, Karl Roth repaired nearly every type of tank in the German arsenal, holding the rank of master sergeant by the end of the war. After six years of conflict he survived being blown off his tank, dysentery, malaria, weeks separated behind enemy lines, a possible court-martial, and was awarded the Gold Tank Destruction Badge. As Richard Byrd began to research the story, several questions arose about the unit and his father-in-law, including: What kind of man was he? Where did he fight and what tactics were used? Why wasn't a regimental history written after the war? What was their strength and what strategic events affected them? Many of the answers to these questions were supplied by books, but more important than all the numbers and statistics gathered for the research were the first hand accounts related to him by his mother-in-law and survivors of the regiment, who have provided a host of original photographs and anecdotes explaining the human aspect of the 36th Panzer Regiment's history.
This book then is a tribute to Roth and his comrades, and to all soldiers who aspire to commendable and honorable action during time of war. Key sales points: Provides the first history of 36th Panzer Regiment yet published in any language / Combines operational details with fascinating personal accounts telling the story of Karl Roth and his comrades / Features over 150 b/w photos, many previously unpublished / A major contribution to the history of the Panzertruppen.
Customer Reviews:
OK history of Panzer Regiment 36.......2006-12-02
This is an average book on Panzer Regiment 36. Though the author also claims this book is about Karl Roth, a maintenance NCO in the regiment's tank recovery section, the pages contain little information on this NCO other than brief accounts of his family life and snippets of information from former comrades who remember little about the man, except that he was a competent leader and a solid soldier. If the book had contained more information about German tank recovery techniques and equipment, it would have rated 4 stars. The use of more primary source material, especially corps, army, and army group war diaries might have boosted it to five stars. I do commend the author for using the war diary of the 14th Panzer Division as a primary source.
A vivid memoir of Karl Roth and his war encounters........2006-10-15
R.W. Byrd's ONCE I HAD A COMRADE: KARL ROTH AND THE COMBAT HISTORY OF THE 36TH PANZER REGIMENT 1939-45 tells of the author's German father-in-law Karl Roth, who grew up in the 1930s, and of his regiment. His eyewitness participation in campaigns in Poland in 1939, France in 1940 and Yugoslavia in 1941 before serving at the Eastern Front charts a division under siege and a fighter who saw much of the war's many battles. A vivid memoir of Karl Roth and his war encounters.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Historical and personal.......2006-09-27
This is an excellent historical account of the author's father-in-law (Karl Roth) in a German Panzer division during World War 2. The author amassed an extraordinary amount of data on the military activities, and on some of the personnel associated with Karl Roth, who comes across as a decent person caught up in circumstances over which he had no control. He had to serve in the military and suffer the consequences of the German defeat. The author is commended for adhering to historical detail with virtually no mention of the politics of the time, other than a few brief references noting Hitler and Goering bungling the military operations, which contributed to the German defeat, particularly in Russia. A highlight of the book, is the description of the battle of Stalingrad that started the disintergration of the German army. The book, desspite all of its detail, is easy reading; its extensive bibliography and footnotes make it a superb resource for anyone interested in World War 2, especially the eastern front. It would have been even better had the many photographs and maps been larger.
Elliott Lesser
Nice, solid work!.......2006-08-25
I just received the book yesterday so I wanted to update my previous review. I am working on a similar biography for an officer from a sister regiment so I am very familiar with the topics presented in this book. I will write a final review once I am finished reading it.
Overall, this is a good bio of a panzer soldier and an overview of the unit in which he served. The author has put in a lot of effort to provide background to the subject and to provide a coherent timeline for the events in this soldier's life. The photo material and graphics are good. The book is well put together physically.
I only gave it 4 out of 5 stars because although the author has done a fine job, I think there are some weak spots in the editing and the sourcing. The book would have been well served to have been proofread to clean up some odd uses of English and catch some German errors - like translating fortress as "Berg" instead of "Burg." The quoted sources tend to be generic secondary sources like Time-Life books rather than the archival materials which the author even mentions that he had access to.
Don't let the weak points deter you from buying this book.
Excellent historical overview with human interest !.......2006-08-21
Author tells the story of his heroic father-in-law whom he never met in person. This is a quick read with strong historical research. Great photographic journaling. The personal interest is compelling. Gripping, what's going to happen next combat action. By the end of the book you feel that Karl Roth is a close friend. Authors personal insights are of note. Must read!!
Book Description
General Erhard Raus was one of the German Army's finest panzer generals and a leading exponent of blitzkrieg in the east. German panzers were witnesses to the incredible onslaught that was the first few months of Barbarossa, then the gradual strengthening of Russian resistance, counterattack and, ultimately, the long and drawn-out German retreat. Raus and his panzers were tested in every conceivable tactical situation and, inevitably, Raus became highly versed in all aspects of mobilized warfare. This account by Erhard Raus, edited by leading Eastern Front expert Peter G. Tsouras, concentrates on German efforts to relieve Stalingrad. Raus, as commander of 6th Panzer Division, was in the thick of this bitter action, urging his panzers forward in a massive effort to break the Soviet strangle-hold. These journals were originally written to brief the US Army at the height of the Cold War.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating overview of "operations and tactics" on the Eastern Front.......2006-05-16
This is an extremely useful text that discusses in detail the tactical and operational aspects of the German battles on the eastern front. The weaknesses are (a) poor maps (get your own map of European Russia circa 194X) and (b) choppy organization caused by assembling the manuscript from many memos and a draft of Raus' autobiography. Even with faults this is a true "must read".
A necessary book in any military library........2006-01-18
I found it a very interesting read to say the least. The never-ending myth of German technical superiority is indirectly proven absolutely false. Raus recounts the advances to Leningrad as a succession of bridgehead operations, and the joys of facing KV1s with wave infantry attacks. It is the German command and control that produces the victories in the book, as well as simple concentric axis of advance. If the German armies were truely left to the professionals in WW2, history in Europe might well have turned out quite different.
I must admit a weakness in the book is the fact that Raus never once confesses to being beaten by the Russians. His retreats, such as at Stalingrad, seem to be someone else's problem rather than his high casualities calling the end to an operation. You get the feeling that he would keep attacking with his shattered troops due to some ubermench powers his troops seemed to possess.
Overall, a very educational text for genuine insights into WW2 German operations in very trying circumstances.
Raus-an unknown tactical genius.......2003-02-09
This book was an excellant example of german battle tactics on the eastern front. It probably is too dry for the casual reader of military history, but for someone wanting to delve into more detailed discussion of ostfront german tactics, this book can be very enlightening. It basically is derived from interviews with General Raus by U.S. officers post WW 2. His discussion of highly fluid actions and his ability to win them is of great interest to the avid military reader and should be to officers in our U.S. armored forces. General Raus' name is obscure to western historians, but was well known to OKW as someone to get you out of a tough situation. "Raus will pull us through!"
Book Description
The classic work on the enemy side of Normandy--not the surprise invasion of the beaches, but the following weeks when German panzer divisions began arriving to throw the Allies back into the sea. Focuses on 1st SS Panzer Division and its "offspring," 12th SS Panzer, aka the Hitler Youth. A main selection of the Military Book Clubs in the US, the UK and Australia.
Customer Reviews:
Balanced Review of the Fighting in Normandy.......2006-04-21
This book provides the most balanced and detailed review of the fighting in Normandy that I have ever read. Other books about the same subject from both German and British viewpoints often contain bias and foggy memory. The British are particulary famous for re-writing historical defeats as victories. That is why we have the "Miracle at Dunkirk" instead of the disaster in France and why Montgomery's failed initial attack in Normandy became a "holding action" with failure blamed on the Americans. Montgomery even tried to claim the disastrous "Market Garden" operation was a glorious success! This seems to be the official opinion at Sandhurst.
On the other hand, many German commanders fought in multiple theaters without significant pause and went through the trauma of American war crimes trials or endured horrible conditions in Russian prisons. They could not write anything down in prison. Years later, they tried to remember what happened in 1944 without implicating themselves in any wrongdoing. The solution? Blame Hitler for defeats and skip over details that may seem inglorius.
This book is excellently organized and includes detailed descriptions of the fighting in Normandy 1944. It is refreshingly balanced. The allies won because they had an overwhelming advantage in air power and artillery. This is a lesson that America learned well, but the Birtish still don't seem to understand. (Someone needs to write a book about this.) In hand to hand fighting, when air power and artillery could not be used, the Allies often were stopped despite a huge disparity in the number of Allied attackers versus German defenders. Many Brittish commanders made poor decisions based on rigid tactics, poor planning, and overconfidence. Germans were unable to deal with air interdiction and could not concentrate by moving into defensive positions. Rommel understood the air power threat, but von Rundstedt, Dollman, and others clearly did not. Use this book to put all the other books about Normandy into perspective.
Good in depth discussion..........2001-12-22
This book provides good in-depth coverage and discussion on it's subject matter; the I SS Pz Corps. I just read it as a companion to Kurt Meyer's 'Grenadiers' and found it fascinating. For those serious students of WWII this is worth the read. If you are looking for a general overview of the Normandy campaign then this is probably not the right book for you.
A Good Read.......2000-11-04
Michael Reynolds unapologetically recounts the role played by two famous (some might prefer infamous!)Waffen SS divisions in the post D-Day battles in Normandy.
A number of reviewers have already drawn attention to the possible inaccuracy of some of the incidents described by the author as well as the credibility of the sources. I will not add to these expect to say that, having seen active service myself, it must be nigh impossible to record and later review any battle with deadly accuracy. For any number of reasons even 'official' sources are not necessarily an accurate record of an event.
What Reynolds does do very successfully is to leave the reader with very plausible reasons as to why the German military machine functioned so effectively for so long - often against an enemy which was numerically superior in every sphere from manpower through armaments to aircraft.
Clearly the ideology of the SS was instrumental in providing the appetite for a fight but it would seem that the genuine cameraderie between officers, NCO's and troops is what really enabled them to function so well without resorting to suicidal tactics.
Had the defending forces enjoyed anything close to parity in aircraft during this period it is highly conceivable that the invasion might have ended in a bloody and tragic failure for the Allies. Most accounts seem to convey to the interested reader that tactically they were anything but inspired.
Historical Account - C'mon!!!.......2000-09-08
The book is repleat with factual errors and misrepresentations.
Reynolds facts are often wrong, his attributed sources are fiction and his opinions are offensive - and without much foundation. This 'would be' film script ready imaginative story qualifies as an inaccurate reconstruction of the actual event and are refuted in detail by precise and detailed description written nearer the time by Capts Lindsay and Johnston in the History of the 7th Armoured Division of Sept '45. Incidentally, though Reynold's footnotes assert this book is 'unpublished', I have a copy on my bookshelf it has been there since late '45. I can also say that Brig. Hinde's personal driver (his scout car driver on june 13th 44 has not been contacted by Reynolds and does not support his 'story'.
Good read - but is it trustworthy?.......2000-06-06
After the first read-through, Reynolds book comes across as a well-researched and well-written account of the Battle for Normandy from the perspective of the I. SS-Panzer Korps.
However, the author is clearly impressed with the fighting ability of the Waffen SS divisions in Normandy and less so when it comes to the performance of the British forces. It is perhaps this fascination with his subject that has clouded his judgement on several accounts.
As an example, Reynolds conclusions on the battle for Villers-Bocage on 13.06.44 becomes distorted due to several glaring errors.
1. Reynolds claim that Brig. Hindes decision to halt his brigade group at Livry in the evening of 12/13 was "incomprehensible" and that Hinde instead of halting should have advanced "the mere 6km to Villers-Bocage". The distance is actually double that...
2. Reynolds scorns the British for using the arrival of 2. Panzerdivision on June 13th as their "excuse" for pulling out later that day: "the whole business of 2nd Panzer is a myth anyway..", "..only part of the reconnaissance and various advance parties arrived on the 13th.." and "a company of 1/7th Queesns ran into the enemy...these turned out to be a 2nd Panzer Division staff car and two motorcycle escorts - hardly the deployment of a Panzer Division advancing to contact.."
The odd thing is that Reynolds is flat out ignoring the post-war papers prepared by 2nd Panzer commander von Lüttwitz and the history of 2nd Panzer by Strauss. Both clearly states that both the divisions Panzergrenadier regiments had arrived on June 13th and commenced the attack against Villers-Bocage, Amaye-sur-Seulles and Cahagnes.
It is errors and distortions such as these that makes this reader doubt the general accuracy Reynolds account.
Average customer rating:
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10. SS-PANZER-DIVISION FRUNDSBERG (Album Historique)
Jean Leleu
Manufacturer: Heimdal
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 2840481251 |
Book Description
Formed in France, the 10. SS-Panzer-Division had its baptism of fire in the Ukraine in Spring 1944 but was rapidly recalled to the Western front to counter the Allies in Normandy.
Packed with photos, charts and maps, this large format book will appeal to all interested in the armoured divisions of the German army.
Customer Reviews:
not for AFV fans.......2006-07-25
I like the books from Heimdal, even I can not read french. Buying this book in hope to find some nice AFV arms etc. photos I was a little bit despleast about it. Most photos showing staged soldiers photos.
Mayby a good book if you are able to read the french text.
Average customer rating:
- Tank Company Diary
- A plodding and pedantic presentation of the subject of War.
- Belated memoires.
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Chronicle of the 7: Panzer-Kompanie I. Ss-Panzer Division : "Leibstandarte"
Ralf Tiemann
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0764304631 |
Book Description
This chronicle of the 7.Panzerkompanie follows the unit history of a "Leibstandarte" tank company from its creation in 1942 to the end of World War II. Compiled by former company commander and German Cross in Gold holder Ralf Tiemann, the detailed text relies on both official documentation and the personal recollections of numerous unit veterans. An individual level narrative covers the intense first combats for Kharkov in early 1943 and the summer Kursk engagements later the same year. In 1944 the unit engaged the Western Allies after D-Day. Illustrated with private photos made available from Waffen-SS veteran contributions, the detailed appendices provide a complete roster of all commanders, platoon leaders, senior NCOs, award winners and those killed in action. Exacting cartographic material allows the reader to follow all engagements in this first unit history of a "Leibstandarte" tank company available in English., over 60 b/w photographs, over 30 maps, charts, 6" x 9"
Customer Reviews:
Tank Company Diary.......2006-07-26
I found this to be a very good piece on life in a small unit from its beginning through the end of the war. The reason is that it goes beyond the shoot em up action and adventure stories, and gives the reader a glimpse into the daily routines of a small unit, in this case a tank company. As any good tank soldier knows, exponentially more time is spent in maintenance than in action. Additonally, the book also gives some insight into some of the challenges the German Army faced in massing combat power at critical junctures. It also explodes some myths about tank strength in critical actions, like the Ardennes. German operational readiness rates hovered around 50% +/- depending on the type of tank. That means on any given day, you could only plan on having about half of your combat power available. US rates, in comparison, were closer to 80%. Hard to fight and win outnumbered and with half your force under repair at any given time. It is also interesting the times when maintenance collection points and reconstitution areas suddenly find themselves in the thick of the fight, both with and without panzers.
This company also participated in some of the more famous actions the Leibstandarte participated in, these include Kharkov, Kursk, Kamenets-Podolsk, Normandy, Mortain, the Ardennes and finally Hungary/Autria.
Now the down side. The book could use some serious editing by someone who understands military terminology. One example I found terribly annoying is "concern" which is mistranslated from Kaserne, or a barracks in Germany. There are numerous other examples. This seems to be a problem with many books published by Schiffer.
I liked the book and would recommend it. It is probably one of the best pieces on Kampfgruppe Peiper available, in fact, one of the members of 7th Company was the prime suspect in the shooting of Ameerican prisoners. It doesn't get five stars because of the poor editing.
A plodding and pedantic presentation of the subject of War........1999-09-26
This book was a great disapointment. After reading Don Burgett's harrowing personal account of American paratroops at Bastogne in "Seven Roads to Hell", I had hoped to get a German soldier's view of the fighting, and particularly the German view of the fighting qualities of the American troops they faced, for comparison. However, this book, unlike that of Burgett and other American soldiers, does not contain vivid or even interesting personal accounts of what these panzer troops went through--only occasional references to the overwelming numbers of Russians and the ferocious artillery bombardments they were subjected to on the Russian front. Very few personal details about the Bulge and the fighting at Bastogne, but there is one account of how the panzers stumbled upon the bodies of about 50-80 Germans who'd been ambushed by Americans concealed in surrounding woods, as if this sort of thing wasn't done by the Germans. The book mostly excerpts from dry and uninspired German Army logs and/or his or his comrades diaries. Maps, in german, while authentic, are in very small print and are very difficult to figure out. However, the listing at the end of the German dead does remind you that they too suffered losses. While he laments the loss of his comrades, Tiemann expresses not a single word of reflection on, or remorse for, the death, destruction and devastation he and his comrades visited on millions of people around the world, particularly in Europe and Russia.
Belated memoires........1999-05-23
A group of veterans of the 7th Panzer company of the Leibstandarte recently commemorated the 50-year anniversary of their company's formation by writting this book. That so many veterans would still come together to work on the project at this late date speaks well of their comraderie. This book is primarily written from the small-unit perspective, with an extensive collection of 1-page quotations of individual veterans' recollections of events they experienced. Training, combat, and recreational time are all covered. Postwar captivity is also discussed, including a statement from one veteran who was convicted in the Malmedy incident. The most unusual aspect of this book is that it contains the only reference I have ever seen to German women serving in combat. It also mentions the surprising fate of the Horsch company that made so many vehicles for the German military. An appendix lists the soldiers of the 7th company who died in battle, and where they are buried. Many Germans still visit the graves of their loved ones and leave flowers 50+ years after their death in the war.
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