Panzers on the Eastern Front: General Erhard Raus and his Panzer Divisions in Russia, 1941-1945 (World War II German Debriefs) [Hardcover]

Peter Tsouras (Author)

Book Description

Series: World War II German Debriefs | Publication Date: March 1, 2002

General Erhard Raus was one of the German Army's finest panzer generals and a leading exponent of blitzkrieg in the east. German panzers were witness to the incredible onslaught that was the first few months of Barbarossa, then the gradual strengthening of Russian resistance, counterattack, and, ultimately, the long and drawn- out German retreat. Raus and his panzers therefore were tested in every conceivable tactical situation and, inevitably, Raus became highly versed in all aspects of mobilized warfare. This account by Erhard Raus, edited by leading Eastern Front expert Peter G. Tsouras, concentrates on German efforts to relieve Stalingrad and Raus, as commander of 6th Panzer Division, was in the thick of this bitter action, urging his panzers forwards in a massive effort to break the Soviet stranglehold. Written originally to brief the American Army, this valuable material is now made available for the first time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It makes an enthralling read. Recommended."
– William Piggott in Military Modelcraft International

"It is a gem of a book for serious students of the war, providing many insights on tactics, psychology and military lessons. As the good introduction by Peter Tsouras outlines, Raus is one of the great unsung commanders of the 20th century."
– Military Illustrated

"General Raus was clearly one of the more outstanding German Army commanders in World War Two . . . valuable . . . is obviously writing from personal experience and his accounts have a consequent immediacy which makes for an exciting story . . . the last chapter of the book is of particular interest, because it includes a detailed, and mostly verbatim, record of very frank discussions between Raus and Himmler, then Raus's army group commander, about the conduct of operations on the Eastern front. Himmler seems remarkably receptive to Raus's concerns and, following these discussions, arranged for Raus to brief Hitler on the Pomeranian battle in person, from which followed the former's dismissal referred to earlier . . . Peter Tsouras has put together a book which gives us an illuminating picture of what fighting against the Soviet Army of World War Two must have been like, both at unit and formation level."
– Bill Woodhouse in Tank: The Journal of the Royal Tank Regiment

"This reviewer's advice is to get this book if you have ANY interest in German armored operations in World War II. General Raus, though not as well known as some of his contemporaries, was a master at mobile, combined-arms warfare. Time and again, he outfought larger units and brought his troops through. The book moves quickly, holding the reader's interest, giving large doses of information without bogging down in technical details. I highly recommend this book." – Don Barry in Internet Modeler

About the Author

Peter G. Tsouras is a research leader for the Battelle Corporation in Crystal City. Formerly he was a senior intelligence analyst at the U.S. Army National Ground Intelligence Center's Washington office. His other books include The Great Patriotic War, Gettsyburg (1853674826) and (as editor) Fighting in Hell, and Anvil of War.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Greenhill Books; First edition (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739426443
• ISBN-13: 978-0739426449
• ASIN: 1853674893
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,438,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Raus-an unknown tactical genius, February 9, 2003

By 

john m price, md (monroe, la United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panzers on the Eastern Front: General Erhard Raus and his Panzer Divisions in Russia, 1941-1945 (World War II German Debriefs) (Hardcover)

This book was an excellant example of german battle tactics on the eastern front. It probably is too dry for the casual reader of military history, but for someone wanting to delve into more detailed discussion of ostfront german tactics, this book can be very enlightening. It basically is derived from interviews with General Raus by U.S. officers post WW 2. His discussion of highly fluid actions and his ability to win them is of great interest to the avid military reader and should be to officers in our U.S. armored forces. General Raus' name is obscure to western historians, but was well known to OKW as someone to get you out of a tough situation. "Raus will pull us through!"

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A necessary book in any military library., January 17, 2006

By 

Boogers (Wollongong, Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panzers on the Eastern Front: General Erhard Raus and his Panzer Divisions in Russia, 1941-1945 (World War II German Debriefs) (Hardcover)

I found it a very interesting read to say the least. The never-ending myth of German technical superiority is indirectly proven absolutely false. Raus recounts the advances to Leningrad as a succession of bridgehead operations, and the joys of facing KV1s with wave infantry attacks. An interesting aspect of the book is the drastic effect deep winter weather had on both protagonists. The way Raus and his officers handled it passively and actively is quite an eye-opener to creating opportunities from what could be seen as a drastic deficit. It is the German command and control that produces the victories in the book, as well as simple concentric axis of advance. If the German armies were truly left to the professionals in WW2, history in Europe might well have turned out quite different.

I must admit a weakness in the book is the fact that Raus never once confesses to being beaten by the Russians. His retreats, such as at Stalingrad, seem to be someone else's problem rather than his high casualities calling the end to an operation. You get the feeling that he would keep attacking with his shattered troops due to some ubermench powers his troops seemed to possess. The fact his logistic support was pretty ordinary doesn't seem to rate a mention with him, but one wonders if a lot of what he wrote is caught up in the emotion of the battles without an exceptional grasp of the global geo-politics in play while these battles played out. To draw on a story I read about; at the Vietnam Geneva peace talks a US general turned to Giap and stated, "You know what? You never beat us in any battle we fought. We won them all." Giap turned to him and stated, "This is irrelevant here."

Overall, a very educational text for genuine insights into WW2 German operations in very trying circumstances.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating overview of "operations and tactics" on the Eastern Front, May 15, 2006

By 

K. Young "Meritas" (Apex, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Panzers on the Eastern Front: General Erhard Raus and his Panzer Divisions in Russia, 1941-1945 (World War II German Debriefs) (Hardcover)

This is an extremely useful text that discusses in detail the tactical and operational aspects of the German battles on the eastern front. The weaknesses are (a) poor maps (get your own map of European Russia circa 194X) and (b) choppy organization caused by assembling the manuscript from many memos and a draft of Raus' autobiography. Even with faults this is a true "must read".