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39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Riveting account of one of the best Waffen-SS commanders, July 17, 2002
It's great to see that this book is available again. I got mine a while back when it was hard to find. Anybody with an interest in military history should get a copy. Buy it and be enthralled by this account of perhaps one of the most famous commanders in the Waffen-SSGrenadiers is the autobiography of Kurt "Panzer" Meyer, arguably one of the best, if not the best commander in the Waffen-SS. Panzermeyer's military accomplishments include being one of the most decorated soldiers in the German armed forces during World War 2 (Knight's Cross with Swords and Oakleaves, and probably the Diamonds as well had he not been captured) and a promotion to Brigadier General and command of the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" at the age of 33, making him the youngest general on either side during the war. Had he not been captured late in 1944, Panzermeyer would have likely been named commander of the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler and the Battle of the Bulge could have turned out quite differently. Meyer's account is gripping and grimly realistic, depicting the brutal fighting during the war and the individual bravery of the men under his command. The career of Kurt Meyer is a microcosm of German fortunes during the war: glory, capture, defeat, and eventual rehabilitation. Meyer comes out as extremely modest (he credits his men for earning him his awards and promotions) and fearless (he led from the front and was wounded numerous times and several of his drivers were killed fighting alongside him). Read Panzermeyer's account of how he led his men and his motivational method in leading his men during the Greek campaign. I certainly don't think any officer today would toss a hand grenade into his own men to make them advance, but it does show the fighting spirit of the Waffen-SS. As commander of the reconnaisance batallion of of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Meyer earned his reputation as a soldier willing to take risks and thereby gaining tremendous results. His later career in the Hitlerjugend was marked by accusations that he ordered the execution of Canadian prisoners during the fighting in Normandy while in command of the 12th SS Panzer Division. Meyer was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and was eventually released after serving ten years. One interesting tidbit. Meyer was probably saved by a petition written on his behalf by Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen, the archbishop of Muenster and a noted anti-Nazi. Also, Canadian troops were accused of killing German prisoners as well at Normandy. Even Canadian journalists and officers confirm this in their attempts to overturn what was probably an unjust decision. Passions run hot in battle and unfortunate incidents often occur. Meyer probably had no knowledge of the actions taken by some of his troops (although Wilhelm Mohnke, one of Meyer's regimental commanders, probably condoned the execution of prisoners- Mohnke has been accused of war crimes commited against British prisoners in 1940, against Canadians in 1944, and possibly knowing about/condoning the events in Malmedy during the Battle of the Bulge, although he only served time as a POW and never was placed on trial). Meyer was the victim of victor's justice. Meyer, to his credit showed no rancor towards his captors and frequently praises the bravery of his enemies, including Soviet troops. The book is relatively free of any political views, even though Meyer was a member of the Nazi Party, as were most of the high-ranking SS officers. Some reviewers have noted the wordy style, but that's probably a result of an almost exact translation from the original German (look at the works of the famous German authors like Thomas Mann or Guenther Grass). It does read rather quickly though, unlike Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann, but that's a differnt subject! One irony, Meyer died on his 50th birthday while trying to petition the German government to grant Waffen-SS veterans the same rights as other German veterans of the war, a goal which remains unfulfilled.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Historically worth it, March 25, 2002
I wonder if I read the same book as the other reviewers. This book is fascinating since it was written by a highly decorated officer who served in some of the most important campaigns of WWII in France, Belgium, Greece, Poland, and the Soviet Union and an SS officer at that. Meyer was clearly a man of action who was a capable and lucky leader of men. There are several accounts where Meyer almost ends the war early as officers and drivers near him meet hot steel. This is not a detailed "how to command men" text other than it is clear that Meyer and the other SS junior officers lead from the front and it does not provide tactical or strategic overview of any particular battle (other than Meyer's opinion that the HitlerJugend (12th SS) should have been pulled from Caen).
The language is a bit archaic, but not distractingly so. However, multiple passages include phases like "the motor was our weapon, I pushed our men faster and faster, we could not give the enemy a break" and "the brave and loyal <insert SS officer> fell to enemy fire while leading his men as an excellent soldier and an officer". Meyer was certainly a warrior, a man of "blood and iron", he was not, however, a historian or a war reporter.
The trial of Meyer is handled in what appears to be an honest fashion and Meyer does not seem to be a war criminal by this account. He does not doubt that executions occurred when front line soldiers captured the enemy in tense, violent situations, but he is also honest enough to point out that it occurred on both the Allied and the Axis sides of the lines. Meyer provides a convincing argument that the Waffen SS was a separate entity from the extermination camp system (if for no other reason than they were too busy fighting the armies of those who took up arms against Nazi Germany)
This book is worth reading in the sense that it does provide insights into the mindset and the personality of one of the bravest of officers, a member of the SS, a man decorated by Hitler, a man who opposed the July assassination attempt, and yet a man who claims to have served for his love of Germany and not to have been aware of the extermination program or the aims of the criminal regime he served.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Awesome Military Memoir, August 15, 2001
Questions of ideology aside, few military formations have accrued so many battlefield honors in such a short time as the Waffen-SS. In his fast-paced wartime memoir, Kurt "Panzer" Meyer provides extraordinary personal insight into how this amazing record was compiled. Meyer is a simple, straight-forward soldier who tells it like it was. He writes clearly and concisely about his personal experiences in the Waffen-SS. It is more than just a soldier's story as Meyer has an eye for the small, often poignant, details that bring the war home to the reader. Victories and defeats are discussed in a relatively dispassionate light, and Meyer always has high words of praise for the courage of Germany's foes. Beyond being a great war memoir, Meyer provides essential insights on tactical problem solving that no professional soldier should miss. His handling of motorized troops is incredible, and he always tries to explain his tactical thinking. The professional soldier who fails to profit from Meyer's writing is doing himself a grave injustice.
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by Jens Westemeier
