Customer Reviews

Achtung-Panzer!: The Development of Armoured Forces, Their Tactics and Operational Potential

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"Achtung Panzer" is THE definitive book about German panzer theory development, tactics, and strategy by a man who should know, Heinz Guderian. Only the new WWII novel "The Triumph and the Glory" held my interest with such elan as this study of armored warfare by a master of the game. If you think this is a dry, technical book you couldn't be more mistaken, it is very well written and eminently readable. I recommend it highly!

There is much value in this work from a historical and professional point of view. To say, however, that this is a book simply about the development of armored forces is a shallow view. The historical vignettes are excellemt; Guderian also describes how technology outran the thought process for integration and employment of armored forces---the technology and equipment changed but the tactics didn't. I found his logic and thought process applicable to today's gap between technology and our race to understand and use it efficiently.

This book shows just how intelligent and far-seeing Guderian was. Initially the book provides an overview on weapons and tactics in the first world war, before moving on to Guderian's own ideas for the needs and tactics needed for a successful tank force. What suprised me most was how relevant his thoughts are in a modern context. This is a very interesting read for anyone interested in the late (1916-'18) WWI or tank tactics. Although I enjoyed it, I was rather put off at first as I was not expecting the in-depth analysis of WWI, however this was only momentary and I soon got really into the book.

The development of armoured warfare in the 20th century simply cannot be fully understood without reading this book. Guderian's writing style is terse yet lucid, and his analysis is superb and easy to follow. The lessons that he deduces from armoured combat in the First World War are as applicable today as they were then. For a true military historian, an opportunity to follow the thought process of such an influential soldier is priceless. It is especially eye-opening in light of the prevalent, Anglocentric view of W.W.I tank development. Guderian's analysis gives far more credit to the French military than any contemporary historian would imagine.

Colonel-General (final rank) Guderian's insight into the lessons of WWI tank tactics is a must read for anyone who wants to understand German combined arms tactics employed from 1939-42. He praises British and French use of tanks and critically presents the lessons to be derived from the "war to end all wars" to current (1937)tactics. These lessons are just as applicable today. Heinz Guderian practiced what he preached as well. He was known as "schnelle Heinz" (fast Heinz). I would recommend this as a classic textbook.

This now obscure book conveyed and infused the seminal concepts that became known as "Blitzkrieg". No complete study of armored warfare would overlook this title. Very much recommended.

I enjoy WWI and WWII history, especially the machinery that came from those wars. WWI, especially, was the first time the modern ways of the Industrial Revolution clashed with the previous century's way of conducting war. Since this title will be of interest mainly to those who share a similar interest I will spare everyone a detailed history lesson. I can sum it up by stating that the refinement of the machine gun, improvements in artillery, the introduction of gas attacks, the development of a military use for aircraft, and the huge human resources available to feed into the meat grinder produced a slaughter unimaginable at the time and still horrendous today. The conflict evolved into a stalemate that seemed to do little but demand more sacrifice on the part of all combatants and civilians caught up in it all. The need to breach fortified defenses and hold them led to the development of the tank. While slow, unreliable, cumbersome and unwieldy at first, once tactics learned by trial and error as well as bloody experience began to yield results, the tank was on its way to becoming a battlefield necessity.Even though the British and the French were the pioneers in the development, there were still many who doubted its value and wanted to abandon it just as aircraft had their detractors. A few had the vision to understand the potential of the tank and began to think of how it could be deployed to maximum effect. A few of these also had the courage to state that the old ways of war, especially with mounted cavalry, were obsolete. Heinz Guderian was one of these men and this book, originally published in 1937, is a translation of a thesis/report/history he wrote of the tank after some 15 years of study and just a few years before he was to put his thoughts into action. The contents are his words and ideas. As such I cannot criticize or argue with them because there would be no point in that. The book is well annotated because some of the material Guderian used in writing it was faulty. These errors and clarifications are corrected at the end of each chapter. To read it and then know what happened after when his ideas were put into play is an amazing historical perspective on tank warfare. If I have one complaint about the book it is that many of the maps are small and poorly reproduced. The smaller print is blurry and hard to read. Some maps have too much detail for their size and it is very hard to sort things out and relate them back to the text. They may be his original sketches and that's why they are that way, but to truly appreciate and follow the battles and deployments he refers to I found a couple books of WWI maps very helpful. The West Point Atlas of War: World War I edited by General Vincent J Esposito was outstanding and Martin Gilbert's Atlas of World War I less so, but still useful. There is a section of glossy plates with b&w pictures showing a variety of armored cars, tanks, and other combat images. This book would be of little use to the military modeler since there are no in depth discussions or descriptions of vehicles in it. Consider as well, that when it was written many of the more famous vehicles of WWII were not in production yet. But, for someone interested in tactics, the evolution of the same relating to armor, or just the history of the wars, I can't say enough about this book.

Guderian does a review of the birth of the use of tanks in World War I and then proceeds to his thoughts of how major armored units should be organized and used. The book is relatively short and not as "dry" as I had initially expected it to be.

More of the book was devoted to the use of tanks by the British and French in the First World War than I had expected; fully 3/4 of the book deals with WWI. As the book was written in 1937 this should not have come as a surprise.

It was interesting to note how Guderian's toughts on armored formations and the use of combined mobile forces including air support are still in use 70 years after the book was written. The man had considerable foresight.

The reader needs to keep one important point in mind: The intention of the book was to promote the German Panzer forces, both in size and making them an independent arm. As such there are some instances of "Political" comments and thoughts to achieve this end. Even with these minor shortcomings the book is an interesting look at how the Panzer units were brought into being (at the time it was written Germany's entire Panzer force consisted of three divisions).

I would recommend it to any reader interested in military history or either of the World Wars.

This book by the late Heinz Guderian is a manual for tank and mabile armored warfare. It is relevant today in the sense that tanks are still in use in 90% of the countries. The Indians, the British, the Americans, they all have tanks today in the age of copmuputer-aided nuclear warfare.

Personally, from the book, I learn of all the firsthand hardships of war as witnessed and fely by General Guderian. He went on to become one of Germany's greatest soldiers whio knew the real art of war. This book is a must for all War Story buffs...

This is a short book, written by one of the foremost Panzer generals, before WW2 began. He describes the military potential of the tank as an offensive weapon. It is mainly of interest as a view of the formative period in which the concept of the Blitzkrieg was being developed.