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Panzer Commander: The Memoirs of Colonel Hans von Luck

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A Quick Review of Panzer Commander

Panzer Commander is one of the most recommended World War Two titles in the English language (it is included in AMAZON's Top 50 military history titles). At its heart, it is the war memoirs of one of Nazi Germany's most decorated soldier, Colonel Hans Von Luck. Von Luck, a tank commander in the truest sense of the word, found himself involved in some of the most memorable actions of the war: from the invasion of Poland, to the Battle of Berlin. Through his memoirs, one can obtain a rare perspective: that of a German soldier fighting for the glory of the German Reich. The reader is also able to obtain a unique behind-the-scenes look at German operations during the twentieth century's largest global conflict. As a result, his book has been read by some of the most respected military leaders and historians of the twentieth century. Von Luck writes with a very direct style. He offers no excuses and begs no forgiveness for serving the Nazi regime. He fought because he was a soldier sworn to obey his political masters in Berlin. To do otherwise would be unthinkable. It soon becomes clear that this strict, Prussian military mentality, which asserts itself throughout Von Luck's career, would serve the Nazi war machine well. With a clear set of orders, the Germans proved themselves virtually unstoppable. If it were not for the Allies superior war production, Von Luck maintains, the armies of Hitler would have achieved complete victory. Is this an overly optimistic claim? Perhaps. The Allies had their own strengths. For example, Americans demonstrated the unique ability to operate without preformulated plans and could quickly adapt to any situation, something that would prove to confound the Germans time and again. Would such strengths have sufficed to obtain victory? History provides no easy answer. I will allow you to provide your own answer. At the heart of this book are the military campaigns. The reader is along for the ride as Von Luck storms Poland, fights in the desert of North Africa, bitterly awaits orders to repel the Normandy invasion, and fights to save his men during the chilling last days of World War Two. We are also made privy to some of Von Luck's discussions with Nazi Germany's most capable soldier, Rommel. It soon becomes quite clear why soldiers on both sides of the front held him in such high regard. His remarks, as set down by Von Luck, prove him to have been a man of true genius, both military and political. The sole weakness of this book is to be found in the descriptions of various combat situations. To be honest, I found them to be quite dry and uninspired. We obtain no sense of what actual combat is like from Von Luck's terse descriptions. Furthermore, the lack of maps caused great confusion when certain geographically-based strategies were described. In short, what should have proven the books greatest strength, actually proved to be a boring weakness. What a shame. Ironically, the book concludes with the most interesting and vivid aspect of Von Luck's career: his captivity as a POW. His experiences in a Russian gulag prove to be fascinating. From the rigors of day-to-day survival, to the shocking portrait of Russian administration, Von Luck's achieves what he had failed to do with his combat descriptions; capture and hold the readers attention. It is here that the book excels. Over all, Panzer Commander is a book worth reading. While there are better works that describe particular military battles, few capture the personal aspects of a world war as this book has done.

Hans von Luck provides us a wealth of information in an extremely readable style, highlighting his career in North Africa under Rommel, his Western Front experience, and finally his capture and imprisonment for years under the Soviets. Von Luck is truly a "gentleman officer" and discusses the campaigns with cool detachment and frankness -- his anecdotes of radio transmissions with British officers when trying to find each others' men, lost in the desert wastes, lets the reader know that war, while terrible, still retained vestiges of chivalry. And his imprisonment in the Caucasus gave him a sympathy for the average Russian while showing us his leadership and survival skills in the same light. He is a remarkable man providing a remarkable story of what a senior panzer officer saw on three fronts during WWII. This is clearly one of the best books for any WWII library.

Hans Von Luck tells the story of the German Army at a lower tactical level than the other grand scheme books on World War II. Von Luck was in action in all theaters of the war from Poland to France to North Africa to the Eastern Front to the Western Front after D-Day and ultimately back to the Eastern Front where he was captured by the Russians. Von Luck does not seek to glorify war but explains the "esprit de corps" that his units had that made them want to do their best which meant fighting for their country. The book is truly inspirational that one officer so young could have so much effect in every major campaign of World War II in Europe. Von Luck is an officer and gentleman throughout the war and is an example of what a professional officer should be. Every Army officer or potential officer should read this book in order to better understand what they should seek to accomplish. World War II buffs not in the military will still find the book fascinating and an excellent addition to their library.

I have read countless World War 2 history books; some I struggled my way through, but others have been fascinating reads. So for example, Beevor's 'Berlin' and 'Stalingrad' were certainly easier than Wilmot's 'Struggle for Europe'.

I found von Luck's story fascinating because of the hundreds of anecdotes and observations that you seldom come across in more strategic history books. He certainly lived up to the English word 'Luck' and that he survived conflict from 1 September 1939 until the defense of Berlin 1945 and then another 5 years in a Russian prison camp is extraordinary.

For serious students of Rommel, this book is a must as it highlights a number of personal interactions between von Luck and his commander. The French campaign is described in great detail and von Luck gives some wonderful descriptions of Rommel's tactics and how he wins his men's loyalty. The story of von Luck's capture of Fecamp would be humorous if it wasn't warfare. To me this account of the capture of the harbour was a highlight of the first hundred pages of the book. I'd suggest at this stage you'd either be hooked to continue reading or otherwise don't waste your time as the rest of the memoirs are filled with similar such stories.

I also loved reading about the post 1945 years, the harsh years in captivity and how he created a new life for himself after his release in January 1950. He won my admiration and yet all through the memoirs you do sense his constraint in retelling these years. He does not glorify war and actual specific details of battle are often quite impersonal. Instead he excels in the observation of his encounters with people - with the famous such as Guderian and Rommel to the ordinary such as Russian guards and peasants, French resistance with whom he watched 'illegal' jazz and of course his interactions with his men and colleagues.

His memoirs recount his love affair with Dagmar who is "one-eighth Jewish". It is the detail around the events of her father being imprisoned in Sachsenhausen and von Luck's attempt to intervene by asking to meet with Kaltenbrunner that make for riveting reading. He also intervenes on behalf a Frenchman arrested by the Gestapo and I found his conciliatory attitude towards his Russian captors amazing. Cynics may brush these accounts aside as selective memory but I found all these stories remarkably consistent with the character of the man who emerges from all these stories.

He was a proud German army officer of the Third Reich and his recognition of this is not hidden, nor does he shy away from acknowledging the horrors perpetrated by his fellow countrymen and his own inner turmoil and frustration. There will always be heart break for a patriot of an evil regime.

A great read; my only disappointment being that 350 odd pages went by so quickly.

I love to read about ordinary people who have lived through extraordinary events. Such is the case with Colonel Hans Von Luck (Full name Hans-Ulrich von Luck und Witten, 15 July 1911 - 15 January 1997), who was a Colonel German Armored Forces (Oberst im Panzerwaffe) during World War II.

Von Luck writes about World War II from the German perspective. And what a story! From the German invasion of Poland to the invasion of Russia to the first American battles in North Africa to the invasion of Normandy to his capture and imprisonment by the Russians outside of Berlin, he saw it all.

Some reviewers here have panned Von Luck because he seems somehow try to skirt or evade what he did as a solder. Nonsense. Soldiers kill their enemies. That means he indirectly or directly (through his leadership) killed Poles, Russians, English, French and American soldiers in the many actions he saw. It certainly doesn't make him a Nazi or a war criminal. He was a professional soldier and he served his country with distinction. I have met one or two German soldiers from that period- just because he was a Vermacht Panzer officer doesn't make him a boor, a bullet brain, a Nazi or a war criminal. And just because he doesn't pour out his guts about some things he'd rather forget doesn't put him in denial.

But Von Luck would never have written this story if it hadn't been for his friends: historian Stephen Abrose (Band of Brothers) and one of his English opponents, Major John Howard of the 2nd Ox & Bucks. Howard and Von Luck had become friends long after the war while teaching Belgian officers about lessons learned- and it was Howard that introduced Von Luck to Ambrose, who eventually urged him to write this book.

It's his friendships after the war and his willingness to get on with his life that demonstrate to me the real character of the man. I have a rare hardcover copy of this book in my library, which I treasure. It's one of the most honest books I've read, and while I and others are horrified at what Adolf Hitler did to the German people and to Europe, I felt after reading this that I better understand the professional junior officer's perspective.

First let me say that I find it nearly impossible to believe that anyone could give this book less than four stars. If you have a true interest in learning the thoughts of a German solider, buy this book. The value far exceeds the cost of the book. Previous low ratings are either completely biased against German points of view or they had expected something more traditional (blood & guts) and would not allow their horizons to expand.

This is the sixth book that I have read from the WWII Library and by far the best. I had expected something more like Currahee, Road to Arnem, etc.; but was pleasantly surprised. Panzer Commander is a collection of stories written from a German soldier who fought in nearly every major WWII battle. His experiences include the blitzkrieg through Poland and the remainder of Europe, the invasion of Russia, the battles in North Africa, D-Day at Normandy, the gradual retreat toward and defense of Germany and nearly five years in Russian POW labor camps.

The Colonel gives one of the most seemingly unbiased accounts of the War and political climate that I have ever read. He is the true professional soldier, fighting in a War that he does not necessarily believe in, but because it is his duty as an officer (at first) and to protect his homeland (toward the end). He gives the reader an understanding of how Hitler slowly gained popularity and how Goebbels created a propaganda machine that rarely reflected reality. Von Luck also gives the reader a firsthand account of Rommel and of his later frustrations with the German leadership. It is uncanny how closely Rommel resembles General Patten. He is strong willed, takes unorthodox approaches and generally succeeds.

Throughout his experiences, Von Luck's curiosity of different lands and people is obvious. He looks at people objectively, trying to understand why they think a certain way and understand their differences. Von Luck relates to people well and does not prejudge them. This is probably the single most important trait he possesses and one of the main reasons he was successful throughout the war and survived the labor camps.

Panzer Commander is well written and moves along without getting bogged down. It is not a riveting, blood-and-guts account. Rather it is the autobiography of a German commander, centering on World War II, with a broad rather than detailed view of the action. Some maps would have been helpful. Writing as an eye-witness, the author shares the details of his personal life during the war, and makes an emotional impact on the reader. Of particular novelty, and a little hard to credit, were the references to being "fair" in war. This included a "gentlemen's agreement" for cessation of hostilities promptly at 5:00 p.m. by both sides in Africa, and calling each other on the radio to ask about missing patrols. Luck also discusses that halfway through the war, many of the commanders felt they were going to lose because of lack of equipment and supplies, and I got the impression that attacking the Russians was a fatally excessive commitment of resources. It is hard to imagine how they kept up their morale as both fronts were being pushed back. The account of how Luck persevered in the Russian work camp makes me respect him. Since the end of his captivity in 1950 the author made a career for himself, and also has become a sought after lecturer for historical groups interested in the war in Normandy, and has made many friends among the Allied veterans.

This is a sobering account by a well-bred German officer of his WWII experiences and, at the very end of the war, an account of capture by the Soviets and five years of captivity in Russia. There is little doubt from von Luck's account that he is of the old school, born into a well-off family of Prussian militarists, and one who was a professional and a "gentleman" in his treatment of his men and of those he conquered. Von Luck makes it clear in the beginning that the failure of the German officer corps to oppose Hitler was the oath all had taken to defend the fatherland and its leader, Adolph Hitler. He doesn't dwell, in fact does not mention, the attempted coup in the summer of 1944; he seems, as most German officers apparently felt, that once the famous oath was taken, nothing could be done to remove the "corporal" from power. Obviously, the immense power of Hitler's SS and other units were enough to cause one pause; but still, a few Germans did. Von Luck was not one of them.

The book is not one of military tactics, maps, or reviews of grand strategy. It is a very personal account with only sketchy links to the overall war. Some may find this disappointing. I didn't, because I was more interested in von Luck's own reactions and they are often more important than battle details. Von Luck occasionally is reflective, but most of the time it is his story of war, a job to be done, a job to be done efficiently and well. He holds no grudges against those he conquers, and because of his linguistic fluency makes friends with former enemies.

But it was troubling to me to see no reflection or regret, for example, after the brief Poland campaign. Von Luck's unit returns to their base in Germany where they are lustily cheered and feted as heroes. No thought here of what was done, namely the destruction and occupation of Poland, which afterall was hardly an enemy, but only the satisfaction of victorious soldiers and of the booty obtained. This is true also of von Luck's time in France, where he establishes genuine friendships with the French and builds up his wine collection. Again little contemplation on what this meant, only, it seems, that the orders were to attack France--and to carry out the mission successfully.

From his account and the testimony of others, including Steven Ambrose, von Luck is someone you'd undoubtedly like as friend, neighbor, and storyteller. To me, what is important about the book is not what von Luck says--most of it honest talk and interesting details--but what he doesn't say.

What I love about this book is that Hans Von Luck clearly shows exactly how the typical German soldier conducted himself. It showed that the common concerns of the average soldier in ww2 Germany was not of the "jewish question" or of the other rubbish Hitler tried so hard for everyone to believe, but instead they concerned themselves, of their fellow soldiers, their family, and their home. But because they were soldiers they had to do their duty, which was to fight.

When reviewing a WW2 memoir that's written by a German one can easily get into a fix. Either it's "too apologetic" for some people or people will think their are hiding the atrosities of the war. Without having a preconcieved notion of what he should or should not of written, I found this book to be a brilliant read that keeps the human side of the war and avoids the politics. From the snows of the Russian front to the dessert of north Africa, Luck gives you a feel for what it was like and the relationships he had with his men and fellow officers. I wish the book was longer and spent more detail on the actual combat and a considerable portion of the book deals with his postwar captivity. For avid military buffs who enjoy reading about tactical maneuvers with numbers and strategy this book is not for you. But anyone who wants an honest account without being bogged down with confusing diagrams this is a great enjoyment.