Customer Reviews

From Normandy to the Ruhr: With the 116th Panzer Division in WWII

5 star:		(10)
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Reviewer: Lou Witt, a WWII combat infantryman from Catonsville, Maryland

If you are looking for easy narrative reading, stick to Stephen Ambrose. If you are looking for WWII history glossed over, try Charles Whiting. However, if you are looking for an inside view of the almost daily operations of a German panzer division on the Western Front during the last year of the 3d Reich, Heinz Günther Guderian's book 'From Normandy to the Ruhr' was written for you.
This book is not light reading, but neither is it ever dull. It was written by an expert on the subject of armored warfare. Guderian was born into a military family, the son of the man considered to have been a leading proponent of modern combined arms warfare. The author served with the 16th Panzer Grenadier Division on the Eastern Front prior to his extensive experience in the west. After the war, he served as a Bundeswehr tank battalion and brigade commander, and finally, as a general officer, as Inspector of Armored Troops.

Guderian served as the First General Staff officer of the 116th Panzer Division from its formation in early 1944, through its training in preparation for resisting the anticipated allied landings, and on until the division's destruction. As I was not familiar with the German title of "First General Staff officer," I learned that his job was essentially a combination of the positions of division chief of staff and G-3 (Operations Officer) in an American division. As such, he was certainly an officer who was completely "in the know" about his division's combat actions from battalion level up, as well as the decisions at corps, army, and even army group echelons of command. Not only did this book provide me with an excellent, in-depth appreciation and understanding of the structure of a German panzer division, but the strategies and execution of battle plans as well. It has also inspired me to learn more about, among other topics, German tactics, equipment, and replacement training, and then to be able to compare them with those of the US Army with which I am more familiar.
More than the author's style, it is the rich detail and important insights he provides that compelled me to read this book from cover to cover.

Sort of like Forrest Gump in the 60's, the 116th Panzer Div was in the middle of many of the famous and key battles in the Western Front in '44 and '45. This book is an excellent description of the battles from the German point of view. The writing and research are fair and scrupelous. If you've read the major histories by American or British authors, this one will fill any voids, correct a few misunderstandings, and explain the other side of the story. You might want to keep those major histories handy, because sometimes I got a little confused about the larger picture (though Guderian describes the action on either side of the 116th).

The late General Heinz Günther Guderian wrote the best division history I have ever seen, and I have read many. Every detail of the 116th Panzer Division's operations from its organization in the spring of 1944 through the end of the war in the Ruhr Pocket is covered in this amazingly detailed study. Moreover, the reasons for each tactical decision are laid out in clear terms, whether they were made for purely doctrinal rationale, unfortunate battlefield necessity, or from political influence. It is this richness of explanation that sets Guderian's book apart from all other division histories. In a genre (division histories) dominated by books which are often little more than keepsakes or souvenirs, filled with sentimental versions of the way the authors wish the war would have gone, From Normandy to the Ruhr stands out as an unemotionally recounted day-by-day, blow-by-blow account of how, despite being constituted late in the war and despite being virtually destroyed three times (Normandy, Aachen/The Hürtgen, and the Ardennes), a German panzer division repeatedly rose to the challenges posed by mission after mission. Written by the Division's 1st General Staff Officer himself, this book provides profound insights into how the German Army was able to remain a formidable foe until the spring of 1945.

As the publisher's ad copy emphasizes, this is NOT a personal memoir by a private or sergeant, or lieutenant. There are some very fine books that fit the "memoir" category, including several by this book's publisher, The Aberjona Press, such as Black Edelweiss, Seven Days in January, The Good Soldier, and Five Years, Four Fronts. However, while exciting to the buff, educational to the student of battlefield actions and reactions, or even titillating to the "war porn" junkie, there is much more to military history than the combat recollections of those who saw action at the foxhole level. Normandy to the Ruhr is a much rarer bird: it is a brilliantly polished tactical history, written by a highly decorated staff officer, which explains the mechanics of war at the tactical level. It is supported by dozens of outstanding maps which allow the reader to follow all of the action, and a very robust photo section, which allows the reader to form a mental image of most of the characters mentioned in the book.

From Normandy to the Ruhr is also a crucially important work because, almost uniquely, it explains the terrible influence of politicos-in this case, Nazi politicians, military and civilian-on the battlefield conduct of war. The meddling, political correctness, and downright blunders foisted upon commanders at all levels by political leaders with a wide variety of agendas other than battlefield success is brilliantly documented in this book.

For readers who wish to know not just the "what" of combat which can be gained from junior soldiers' or leaders' memoirs, but the "why," From Normandy to the Ruhr is a must-read. It is critical reading not only for the student of German operations on the Western Front, but for those interested in the many American and British units which fought the 116th Panzer Division...from Normandy to the Ruhr!

An excellant account of one Div in the fight of WWII. As this unit fought on the Western Front it differs in the action accounts of the "Fight to the Death" that went on in the Eastern Front.
Very descriptive accounts of battles fought and what went wrong on the German side and how they countered the Allied assaults. Sometimes successful and sometimes not....there are no one "we won every battle" descriptions but an honest account of how this division "the Greyhound" Division fought.
Having been the only major unit to make it to the beaches on D-Day but not having the resources to consolidate their gains and then fight a continuous withdrawl action for the rest of the war, I found this book easy to follow. I was not lost and the maps made following the battles extremly easy to navigate which unit fought who.
Well worth it.

For WWII enthusiasts, Heinz Gunther Guderian's _From Normandy..._ is a must! "The little Guderian," who was the 116th's (1a) and awarded the Knight's Cross for leading the division's remnants out of the Falaise Gap, first published it in 1994, some twenty years after retiring from the Bundeswehr. Fortunately for those of us language hindered, Aberjona Press has just issued an excellent translation.

This is much more than a book about panzer battles and includes astute observations about the political realities of 1944-45 and how they impacted on the German military. It's also a succinct revelation about the French and German cultures. For example, Guderian discusses some prevalent French thought about the Transportation Plan's relentless bombing of the Seine bridges and Normady's RR system. As one French woman told Heinz Gunther, "they'll bomb us until we turn German," an observation I picked up on when living in Vernon(Eure), France in the 1950's.

I adopted _From Normandy.._ "cold" (prior to publication) as a text for my American Military University World War II(ETO) course and am glad I did. However, I wasn't taking many chances since I had just used _Six Days in January, the 6th SS Mountain in NORDWIND_ and knew the quality of publications Abjerna puts out. See Aegis Consulting's website for some great maps which correspond to Aberjona's books.

Heinz Günther Guderian's "From Normandy to the Ruhr The 116th Panzer Division in World War II," should be required reading for everyone with an interest in ground operations in Europe after the D-Day landings. Guderian's diligent and comprehensive research of both the American and German plans and operations makes this book an essential for professional soldiers and historians. The Aberjona Press does an excellent translation to English. The selection of military terminology of both sides and explanatory comments by editor Keith E. Bonn are helpful for all readers. There is a remarkable collection of detailed maps and photos of the participants and battle scenes. This book is at the top of World War II history list for the reading public. Further details can be viewed at the Aegis Consulting Group, Inc. web site: http://www.116thpanzer.net/

Guderian's history is among the best histories of the German Army in World War 2 on the western front. Being the former chief of staff of the division he was well placed to give insite into the stenghts and weakness of the German defense on D-Day. His book includes some controversial personal reflections on Fieldmarshal Erwin Rommel and General Graf v. Schwerin.
I gave this book 5-stars for the simple fact it is one of the few German army histories that gives a factual no-nonsense reflection on the performance of the German army in World War 2 but lacks the revisionst cliches'.
This book I would recommend to those that are interested in the Allies on the western front as it gives unique insite into how and why the Allies were successful and the reason the Germans failed.

"From Normandy to the Ruhr" provides unique insights into the decision-making process of a Panzer Division. The 116th Panzer Division is of particular interest because it fought in just about all the most decisive battles of the Western Front in 1944-45.

Guderian examines both victories and failures in an interesting way.

The 26 maps will be much appreciated by armor pros and wargamers.

An extra plus for the beautiful cover and general layout. There are portraits of all Knight's Cross holders of the division. My only negative comment would be that some of the photos should have been better reproduced and larger.

If you are a professional armor officer, serious wargamer or Panzer warfare buff - this book is for you.

The real story of the 116.Panderdivision Windhund from the qualified point of view of Major Heinz Günther Guderian (later General in the new reformed Bundesheer), son of that General Guderian father of the Blitzkrieg.
Every aspect is discussed, as technical as human.
Every battle is explained in detail, with a large use of military terms, maps and original documents.
Also the difficult realtions between the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and the subordinated units are analized, giving the exact sense of those difficult days at the end of World War Two.
This is the point of reference about the 116.Panzerdivision, only a larger number of pictures should be needed to carry out an outstanding work.

Not an easy read, but the effort is well worth it. This book is a gem of craftsmanship, and provides a fascinating insight into the strategic, tactical and political considerations involved in the final defense of the Reich from the perspective of one of Germany's best Panzer divisions. It is not a foxhole book, with graphic descriptions of tactical conflicts, although reports are excerpted that are chilling, to say the least. The combat reports about Aachen, where my father fought, are one example. I vividly recall an excerpted report describing 54 American soldiers dispatched in a single day by two snipers during brutal house to house fighting.

If you want the foxhole perspective, and the "jets of flames from the hatches of the Shermans" type of book, you will probably not be satisfied with this read. But if you want the perspective of a 1a, with incredible insight and writing skills, it is a book you will want to tackle.

Highly recommended!