Panzer Leader
Finished up Panzer Leader yesterday, waiting for the plane home.
I think this is one of the core books anyone interested in World War II should read. It also has some interesting things to say about leadership and management in general, but it is almost entirely focused on the war and it's conduct, so definitely of more interest to those militarily inclined.
Heinz Guderian had a huge influence on how Germany fought the war. He influenced the weapons used, the tactics employed and the operational processes the Army throughout the campaign. This much is clear, even without the excellent coverage he provides in his memoirs.
On the other hand, the book bogs down in lists of divisions and a kind of repetitive "Panzer Division X was ordered here" and "Motorized Division Y took positions there" detailing. Useful to the historian looking for some kind of primary source on divisional deployments, but a bit mind-numbing for a casual reader.
I had read this about 2 decades ago, as part of my military history courses at UVic. On the re-read, I found it fascinating and quite worthwhile.
We continue the reading with a new author, but still in World War II - I look now at Canada's fighting in Italy in '43, with Mark Zuehlke's ORTANA.
I think this is one of the core books anyone interested in World War II should read. It also has some interesting things to say about leadership and management in general, but it is almost entirely focused on the war and it's conduct, so definitely of more interest to those militarily inclined.
Heinz Guderian had a huge influence on how Germany fought the war. He influenced the weapons used, the tactics employed and the operational processes the Army throughout the campaign. This much is clear, even without the excellent coverage he provides in his memoirs.
On the other hand, the book bogs down in lists of divisions and a kind of repetitive "Panzer Division X was ordered here" and "Motorized Division Y took positions there" detailing. Useful to the historian looking for some kind of primary source on divisional deployments, but a bit mind-numbing for a casual reader.
I had read this about 2 decades ago, as part of my military history courses at UVic. On the re-read, I found it fascinating and quite worthwhile.
We continue the reading with a new author, but still in World War II - I look now at Canada's fighting in Italy in '43, with Mark Zuehlke's ORTANA.