DAY OF THE PANZER: A Story of American Heroism and Sacrifice in Southern France [Hardcover]

Jeff Danby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2008

This is a rarely detailed "you are there" account of World War II combat, describing a brief but bloody tank/infantry action in August 1944. Based on six years of research-drawing from interviews, primary documents, and visits to the battlefield-"The Day of the Panzer" transports the reader into the ranks of L Company, 15th Regiment, Third Infantry Division, and its supporting M4s of the 756th Tank Battalion as they grapple head-on with the Wehrmacht.

L Company was nearly wiped out during the bloody Anzio breakout of May 1944. Under the fiery leadership of Captain James "Red" Coles, the unit was rebuilt and molded into a tough, colorful bunch in preparation for "Operation Dragoon." On August 15, 1944, they hit the beaches in southern France, joined by the tank crews of 2nd Lt. Andrew Orient's 3rd Platoon, all veterans of Cassino.

After overcoming pockets of resistance along the coast, the tanks and infantry swept inland, nipping at the heels of the retreating German Nineteenth Army. A sudden German artillery salvo dispatched six L Company men and left Lt. Orient dead. 1st Lt. Edgar Danby, an armor instructor (the author's grandfather), was flown in from Italy to replace him.

Despite logistics problems, the Third Division forged north through the Rhone River valley until they found the Germans holding fast, L Company and its supporting tanks leading the regimental charge. In the haste and chaos of the day, they managed to slip the German rearguard and unwittingly attacked the German LXXXV Armeekorps headquarters in the small town of Allan. Both sides were shocked by the ferocity of the battle.

Led by a rampaging Panther tank, the Germans counterattacked, knocking out the Sherman of Lt. Danby while threatening to cut L Company's positions in half. Surrounded and facing annihilation-but steeled by the courageous leadership of Captain Coles and others-L Company held fast despite dead and wounded on all sides and 13 men captured. The seemingly unstoppable Panther, stalking the battlefield like some black knight from a Teutonic fantasy, continued to hold off American reinforcements in the morning, until the Armeekorps headquarters executed a withdrawal.

In this book, the minute-by-minute confusion, thrill and desperation of WWII combat is placed under a microscope, as if the reader himself were a participant. In this small but singular battle, the courage of US troops in their liberation of France is given full due.

REVIEWS

"Danby resurrects the forgotten campaign of World War II in this excellent popular history... a sprightly and evocative tribute to the troops of Operation Dragoon." Publishers Weekly, 05/2008

"...one of the most interesting and absorbing battles histories that this reviewer has ever read...remarkably realistic and personal..."History Book Club, 06/2008

"...clearly written, pacey and exciting whilst giving a clear account of the sequence of events, a first hand perspective and a "flow" that keeps one keen to thumb over the next page."Military Modeling (UK), 07/2008

"a powerful, punchy story...outs the reader in the middle of a raging battlefield populated with humans who far transcend the one dimensional paper soldiers often found in military history..."Bill Stone, 07/2008

"...well-written and entertaining book capturing the chaotic nature of combat for the average infantryman."AFV Modeler, 09/2008

"... a gripping story of initiative and confusion (on both sides) competently told and one that shows the details of extensive research... delivers the nitty gritty..."Magweb, 12/2008

"Through his well-wrought prose, Danby paints a detailed picture of deadly fighting and stunning victory." WWII History, 03/2009

"...riveting...very well done and gives the reader a much broader vision of the "forgotten" Invasion of France". IPMS 04/2009

"...makes a major contribution to our understanding of American infantry in Europe."Michigan War Studies Review, 01/2011

Product Details

• Hardcover: 350 pages
• Publisher: Casemate; 1st Edition/BCE-BOMC edition (May 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193203370X
• ISBN-13: 978-1932033700
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #618,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasant Surprise, August 4, 2008

By 

R. A Forczyk (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: DAY OF THE PANZER: A Story of American Heroism and Sacrifice in Southern France (Hardcover)

In The Day of the Panzer, amateur historian Jeff Danby has written one of the best company-level accounts of the Second World War to appear in recent years. Although the author had a personal interest in writing this account - his grandfather was killed in action during the fighting described - he does not cloud the narrative with useless emotion and he brings a very solid research effort to bear on the topic. The result is a narrative that is balanced, objective and interesting - far-surpassing Stephen Ambrose's back-biting Band of Brothers concoction. In this account, Danby focuses on the 3rd Infantry Division during the invasion of southern France (Operation Anvil-Dragoon) in 15-27 August 1944. Although describing a rarely-mentioned campaign in some detail, the author's primary interest is in describing the activities of L Company, 3-15th Infantry and its attached tanks from B Company/756th Tank Battalion. Overall, this is a very well-written piece of tactical history and a pleasant surprise.

The Day of the Panzer consists of fifteen chapters, beginning with the composition of L Company and its earlier combat at Anzio, the amphibious landings in southern France and march toward the Rhone valley and then culminating in the action at Allan on 27 August. The author provides a postscript which describes the post-war lives of most of the participants, an appendix which provides a complete L Company roster (with information on combat awards and casualties), a glossary and some very nice pictographic charts on the MTOE of U.S. infantry and tank units. The notes and bibliographical sections indicate that the author did an immense amount of research for this work, including reviewing most of the relevant official U.S. records at NARA. Unlike Ambrose, who interviewed only a handful of members of E-506 PIR for Band of Brothers, Danby interviewed a very large amount of U.S. veterans as well as French citizens of the town of Allan, which provides far more credibility. The book is supplemented by 13 excellent maps, including one 3-D one of the action around Allan, that make it very easy for the reader to follow the narrative. The book also has 43 original B/W photos that depict L Company in France.

For the past sixty years, the Allied landings in southern France have generally been over-shadowed in post-war historiography and the popular imagination by the D-Day landings in Normandy. When considered, operations in southern France were often derided as `the champagne campaign' and left at that. Danby does a great service both to the veterans themselves and U.S. Military history by personalizing a campaign that had some very hard-fought moments. Unlike the D-Day landings, the three U.S. divisions that landed in southern France on 15 August 1944 did not face heavy German resistance and the author notes that L Company moved inland more rapidly than expected. Indeed, the first week of the invasion was more like a pursuit for the U.S. infantry units, as most of the German troops withdrew northward up the Rhone valley back toward Germany.

The drama in the narrative is provided when the 3rd Infantry Division's pursuit comes to a near halt due to severe fuel shortages and the decision was made to send a small task force to try and catch up to the Germans and interdict their single escape route until the rest of the American forces could arrive. Thus, L Company and two Sherman tanks of the 756th Tank Battalion and a few other vehicles were sent off in hot pursuit. Unfortunately, they bumped into a German headquarters in the town of Allan and quickly found themselves in a hornets nest, with a number of U.S. soldiers captured. L Company managed to secure the town but a German counterattack, led by a single Panther tank, inflicted significant losses (including the author's grandfather) and the Americans were soon surrounded. What followed was a tense, close-quarter action that the author describes in great detail.

There are several interesting points that this book brings out. First, German small-arms accuracy was much poorer than American infantry; oftentimes, German soldiers missed close-range shots while it was not unusual for American riflemen to pick off Germans at 100-200 yards. Second, although the Sherman tank was inferior to the Panther in most respects, it was not as helpless as is sometimes depicted. The author describes how one Sherman spotted a Panther in ambush and then deliberately went about taking it out. Third, the much-maligned U.S. infantry of WW2, often depicted as unmotivated draftees, could perform quite well on the battlefield. It is particularly surprising to read about two separate actions where privates took on several German machinegun positions and prevailed. Much of this was testament to General Truscott's superior training in the 3rd Infantry Division, but there is little doubt that the U.S. infantry was both aggressive and skillful.

I particularly liked the emphasis on tank-infantry cooperation in this book, which is rare in many tactical accounts. Young officers graduating from the Armor Officer's Basic Course today should read the story of 1LT Edgar Danby's one-day in combat as a platoon leader as a valuable cautionary tale. Although most of the American officers involved in this action end up as casualties - sometimes as the result of bad judgment - there is no rancor in this narrative. The only point where I question the author's evaluation is in regard to Captain Coles, the L Company commander. Coles was an OCS hothead who repeatedly struck enlisted soldiers at a time when General Patton was on the verge of being relieved for the same offense. The author sees Coles as a good combat leader, but I would question the leadership abilities of someone who was constantly beating up his subordinates. You don't lead men with your fists. Otherwise, this is a great piece of historical research and a worthy read both for the specialist and the general public.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, July 9, 2008

By 

Guy Deyoung - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: DAY OF THE PANZER: A Story of American Heroism and Sacrifice in Southern France (Hardcover)

I bought this book with some hesitation because I felt the title sounded like a "B grade" movie. My fears were totally unfounded because the book was excellent. The author follows a small group of soldiers during a relatively short period of time during the campaign in Southern France. In the early parts of the book he does a good job quickly and clearly putting the campaign, and the battle that will become the later focus of the book, into their historical context. He also introduces the soldiers and civilians who will be the main characters in the story. He has a real gift for bringing the characters to life. He deftly describes their pre-war backgrounds, World War II experiences, and the jobs that they are expected to perform in the upcoming battle. Once the table has been set he gives a detailed acount of the battle in and around the village of Allan. He describes the battle in such a way that you can follow what happened at the same time that you can appreciate the confusion that the soldiers must have felt. His description of the destruction of the tank in which his own grandfather was killed was stunning. It happens so suddenly that I had to re-read the passage to be sure of what I had read. I think this reflects how the people who experienced the events must have felt. Anyone who is a student of WW II will enjoy this book.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something Completely New, Freshly Presented, June 20, 2008

By 

T. P. S. "Savas Beatie LLC" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: DAY OF THE PANZER: A Story of American Heroism and Sacrifice in Southern France (Hardcover)

Day of the Panzer is unlike any other WWII book I have read, and I have read hundreds. In a nutshell, it explores the invasion of Southern France after D-Day, and the thrust inland, following (more or less) a few select unit and individuals as they drive fatefully toward their destiny in the small farming town of Allan, where veteran German infantry and a Panther tank await them.

The result is a focused, tightly wound series of chapters about the battle that erupts there. The author follows the men (and many locals) on their experiences, which includes grenade attacks, tank-to-tank battles, POW issues, executions, and heroics you have never heard of before. If you enjoy small-unit tactics--think Band of Brothers in Carentan, Episode 3--you will love Day of the Panzer.

This book also includes wonderful photos you have never seen, and great original maps--and a cool original drawing by the author of a German Panther. Buy and read this book. You will not be disappointed.

(By way of disclaimer, I read the initial manuscript and helped provide guidance and developmental editing for the author. I have never met Jeff Danby, and do not profit from the sale of this book. tps)