Product Description

Known for his bold and aggressive leadership, Kurt 'Panzer' Meyer was one of the most highly decorated German soldiers of World War II. Successively commanding a motorcycle company, a reconnaissance battalion, a grenadier regiment, and the Hitler Youth Panzer Division, Meyer saw intense combat across Europe: the invasion of Poland, the fall of France in 1940, the sweep through the Balkans and Greece, the bitter fighting on the Eastern Front, and the 1944 campaign for Normandy, where he fell into allied hands and was charged with war crimes. His first-hand account, written with unmatched vividness and immediacy, conveys the grim reality of war as well as the bravery of the young men he commanded.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68315 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 436 pages

Synopsis
Known for his bold and aggressive leadership, Kurt 'Panzer' Meyer was one of the most highly decorated German soldiers of World War II. Successively commanding a motorcycle company, a reconnaissance battalion, a grenadier regiment, and the Hitler Youth Panzer Division, Meyer saw intense combat across Europe: the invasion of Poland, the fall of France in 1940, the sweep through the Balkans and Greece, the bitter fighting on the Eastern Front, and the 1944 campaign for Normandy, where he fell into allied hands and was charged with war crimes. His first-hand account, written with unmatched vividness and immediacy, conveys the grim reality of war as well as the bravery of the young men he commanded.

Customer Reviews

Excellent. Should be read by All who want to know a true Soldier's experience in the Front LIne
An adsorbing and fascinating account of a true war hero and his life as a campaigning soldier. This edition is spoilt however by having been rewritten for the American market and therefore loses some of it's meaning from the original and in places it can be disconcerting to read "Americanisms" which seem out of place.
It's particularly disappointing that at the end of the book, on page 424, there is a table of Wehrmacht and SS rank comparisons against US ranks but a list of British ranks is not given.
Overall try to buy the 1994 English edition if you can, but this edition is certainly well worth reading if the English edition cannot be found.
Since writing the original review above, I've taken the time to re-read this excellent account of the life of a true soldier fighting for his country in many of the theatres of WW2. The bravery of both Kurt Meyer and those who fought alongside him is without doubt and detailed in this account. It must also be said that he was also a determined and charasmatic leader who has ensured that the record of those who fought in the units he commanded truly reflects their abilities as soldiers.
The support of those who knew him is self evident during the times of his trial, his imprisonment and eventual homecoming.
The issue of whether a commander is responsible for actions taken without his knowledge or without his direct order is one which can only be discussed if accounts of true soldiers such as Kurt Meyer are understood and recorded.
It remains to be seen if any of the war crimes committed by allied soldiers will ever be properly acknowledged let alone justice brought to bear on those responsible "..8th June 1944 (after the capture of a group of German Soldiers by the British 'Inns of Court Regiment') ... the badly injured Oberts Luxemberger was fettered by two British Officers, beaten unconscious and, in that blood-covered condition, tied to a British tank as a shield".
It should always be possible for all of us to be able to access both sides of the coin. This book helps us to see the full horror of war as fought be all armies.

Ok
Meyer provides a first hand account of his war, starting in Poland, through to the Balkans, onto the Eastern Front and finally to the Western Front.

He does provide some good accounts of his experiences during all this fighting but as you go on and especially when you get to the chapters dealing with Normandy and beyond you can start to clearly see his warped view of events, his radical views etc.

It is resonable to say that at least half of his book is pure propaganda!

Meyers Memoirs
This is the first time I have read a book written by a member of the Waffen SS and I have found it to be very interesting and opened up a whole new perspective on the experiences of the combat soldier in World War II.

I found this 'unputtdownable' not wanting to wait to find out what happens next and that I think provides a good selling point.

But this does come across - at least until the latter chapters - as a book of war, war, war. There is little information on how Meyer was digesting his experiences and of the psychological impact it had on him and his soldiers.

As the book proceeds there is a transition - that may go unnoticed, due to the fast pace of the events - from the sweeping Blitzkrieg tactics of the German forces in the early years of the war, to the small scale battles for individual hills.

There is also to be found an explanation for Hitlers infamous order for his SS to remove their cuffbands.

I found that the addition of more maps in a better position within the book, would have added another dimension to reading and there are also a fair number of spelling mistakes (more than necessary), though really the quality of this book still deserves promotion.

In a few words:

Totally recommended, great read, unputtdownable.