Panzer Commander: The Memoirs of Colonel Hans von Luck (Mass Market Paperback)

by Hans Von Luck (Author) "I come from an old military family whose roots can be traced back into the thirteenth century..." (more)
Key Phrases: North Africa, Knight's Cross, Africa Army (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
This unique memoir tells the story of one of the field-grade officers whose martial skills sustained the Third Reich against a world in arms. Von Luck fought in the Wehrmacht's armored forces for six years in Europe, Russia, and North Africa; then spent five years in a Russian labor camp. His narrative is as free from cant as it is from braggadocio and false modesty. It presents a soldier, a warrior, and a leader who never failed his men, and whose courage never faltered. It also portrays someone whose comprehensive lack of insight into the nature of the regime he served will be difficult for many readers to credit. Yet von Luck's sincerity is apparent; and his was a mind-set too widespread in Germany to be dismissed as mere self-exculpation. Failure to understand it leaves the Nazi years a mystery. Recommended for collections in this area, especially as a counterpoint to Sieg Heil!: War Letters of Tank Gunner Karl Fuchs, 1937-1941 ( LJ 9/1/87), whose narrator served in the same division as von Luck on the Russian front.
- Dennis Showalter, Colorado Coll., Colorado Springs
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"For sheer breadth of recorded experience, no soldier's memoir can match it."
--Military History Quarterly

"One of the more valuable World War II memoirs...an exceptional volume."
--Booklist

"A soldier, a warrior, and a leader who never failed his men, and whose courage never faltered."
--LibraryJournal

"The ultimate professional soldier...a personal history that may provide guideposts for the future."
--Topeka Capital-Journal -- Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Dell (January 5, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440208025
• ISBN-13: 978-0440208020
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #278,963 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a good book worth reading, September 18, 1998

By A Customer

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.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review of Panzer Commander, July 2, 2000

By	Mark A Fassio (Pendleton, KY United States) - See all my reviews

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.

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An important insight of WWII from a German officer, June 28, 2001

By	Philip A. True (Fairfax, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.