Customer Reviews

Grenadiers

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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-SS

Grenadiers 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.

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.

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.

This is a book that should be read by all soldiers and leaders of men. Kurt Meyer tells thru these pages his role in the great struggle. He repeats Guderian's words that the "motor is a weapon". Speed and surprise. Keep the enemy in doubt. Panzer Meyer also shows his concern for his men and that they were comrades and not just officers and enlisted. He carried this concern after the war when he fought for the rights of his men when they were being defamed.

Meyer's memoir sets a frenetic pace and never lets up. An intense and exhausting read. No childhood 'growing up' chapters here...it starts with the invasion of Poland and doesnt give the reader a chance to catch his breath. No political or strategic analysis of the war, the reader is brought along with Meyer and his elite SS grenadiers from the blitzkrieg into russia to the brutal defensive battles of normandy. Reminded me of "The Forgotten Soldier' except no one will try to say this is a work of fiction. Narrow-minded people who think the SS were evil henchmen of Hitler go spread some more propaganda. If you can appreciate the German soldier for being an elite and honorable enemy of the past then you will enjoy this book.

This first person account of WWII is fascinating. The book itself is not that well written and you have to accept the stylistic language that I believe is typical of turn of the century Germany, however it is undeniably exciting and provides you with a ringside seat to combat from one of Germany's most highly decorated officers. To get the most out of this book the reader should have a solid understanding of the Waffen SS.

This is probably the best book I've ever read by a high ranking officer in the SS. It is extremely fast paced and very informative. You really get the feel of what it must have been like. What happens to Panzer Meyer after his capture however is a travesty of justice. Great book.

Magnificient book on what makes the Waffen SS the premier fighting force of the world, duty, devotion, loyalty and self sacrifice.

There are two parts to this book, on one side we have a first-hand account of the war from the view of a soldier and on the other what appears to be a propaganda leaflet.

To start with, Meyer provides the account of the war he fought, starting in Poland, campaigning through the Balkans, his battles on the Eastern Front, and his final battles fought in the west preluding to his capture, trail and imprisonment as a convicted war criminal. Meyer does provide a graphic account of his experiences, and one is able to appreciate to some degree what it must have felt like to have been there.

However to the other side: one notes throughout Meyer's work how his men never commit any war crimes in the east nor the west however he gladly provides various accounts of the war crimes committed by his foes. As the book proceeds into the chapters dealing with Normandy and beyond, one gets a sense of some pretty warped and radical views: he notes how it was the French resistances own fault French civilians were shot in reprisals and does not provide any feeling of remorse for such comments. He allows room to denounce the Allied bombing of Caen, stating the city was abandoned, yet fails to mention how it was major supply node, headquarters, and eventually a retreat route for German forces - it was hardly abandoned of German forces. It is these types of comments, and his defensive nature of the murder his men committed against Canadian troops that make half this book feel like a propaganda leaflet.

An Excellent acount of a battle with the SS Grenadiers