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: #25326 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 436 pages

Customer Reviews

Well worth buying
I have spent five years looking for this book in English, and I still believe it was worth it. The only bad thing I have to say about the book, is, as the author explains, the fact that it has been changed into American English ( foxhole for trench etc) but that is not very often. This book is a reprint only done this year and it has been done very well. The quality of the book is superb. But more importantly, the content is excellent. The way he describes the hell he and his men had to endure is amazing. And unlike some others, of all sides, he points out constantly that it was his men that won his battles for him, under his direction. Throughout the book there is no attempt to apologise for anything that may have occurred during the war, simply the truth of what he saw and what he believed. The author is not as well celebrated as others in his army, but after reading this book you will wonder why he seems only to be mentioned in passing. Few others, including historians, have had the experience combined with the humility of this man, making for a gripping read.

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.

Excellent first hand accounts
I agree with the previous reviewer. This book is a facinating read on the career of Kurt "Panzer" Meyer who lead his units from the front in every theatre of war he served in. I'm amazed that he is only mentioned in passing in other literature. Unputdownable!!