Panzer Commander: The Memoirs of Colonel Hans Von Luck

I had seen Hans von Lucks name in other books. When I saw he had a book I decided to pick it up. I found it fascinating enough to want to write the man a letter. Sadly he passed in 1997. Overall this book is reasonably balanced. He tries to tell his stories with an objective point of view. You will not see the glorification of Hitler, he does not write prejudicial views of Russians even though it could be argued he had good reason. This is not a book analyzing battle tactics. It is a about the memories and experiences of a man who happened to be involved in the Battles of Poland, France, Eastern Front, Africa, D-Day, and the final attempt to stop the Russians at the Halbe. He spent time in the Gulags and was released. His release starts the book. Some observations: * He goes about describing himself as a guy doing his duty. However, he was part of the early officer corps and was at Hitler's early speeches. I wondered if he was avoiding the label of Nazi but considering how people went out their way to help him while at the Gulags and after the war. Never mind the fact that many of his former enemies befriended him; he had to be a decent guy. * He mentions a meeting between Guderian and Rommel. He didn't know what they discussed but it would be fascinating to find out what they did talk about. * He was very close with Rommel and it gives you insight to the man. It's interesting that he doesn't talk about events involving his death. * The top reviewer said he didn't mention the attempt on Hitler's life. He in fact did and talked about Rommel telling him it would create a "Stab in the back" legend. * He comes across as rather honorable as he changes names or does not give full names to people he thought would get in trouble or should be left alone. * I found it interesting that during D-Day his group was to hold position and that Rommel had sent word to attack with everything. The message never made it to him other the other commanders. It makes you wonder what might have happened to the Para units if they were hit before they could organize their defenses. * He talked about Operation Goodwood and how Monty claimed it served its purpose because it tied up 4 divisions and allowed the Americans to break through. Yet, captured Canadian soldiers said Monty told them they were going to go for Paris. * He talked about a battle I didn't know about "The Battle for Hatten-Rittershoffen" A nasty affair that decimated his unit, the American 72nd Infantry division and the 14th Armored division. Two villages were leveled and nothing was accomplished. * He has a few funny stories like the adjunct he ran a plate of food to him through a bombardment as he felt it was bad for the commander to have an empty stomach. He also talked about how he obtained and lost a wine collection and a Mercedes. * He doesn't mention the fall of Hitler. * He tries to give insight to the ways of the Russians and the Russian mindset. As I mentioned he would have been a fascinating man to hear talk about his experiences. Luckily this book and a few videos will keep them around.

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 greatly enjoyed reading this book. Von Luck is clearly a capable storyteller who had a wide ranging and interesting experiences during and after World War II: invasions of Poland and France, invasion of Soviet Union up to the battles around Moscow, the final phase of the North Africa campaign, battles in Normandy and later, the relatively underpublicized campaign in Alsace-Lorraine, and the final battles around Berlin. Most of these experiences, he was at the tip of the spear of the German arms, especially early on in the campaign, when he was in the reconnaissance unit of a panzer division. His close association with a far more publicized figure, Erwin Rommel--he served under Rommel in France, in North Africa, and again, in France until Rommel exited the scene after the early phase of the Normandy campaign--doubtlessly helped publicize the book, in addition. His captivity in Russian camps for about 5 years after the war added several interesting chapters to the book. While the stories in the book are interesting enough, however, the book is curiously misleading in several aspects. While von Luck did serve in tank units, he was not, ever in his career, in a capacity to be described as a "Panzer Commander," at least not officially. He was a junior officer in a reconnaissance unit from the beginning of the war through early part of the Russian campaign, a commander of reconnaissance units in North Africa, and in charge of a mechanized infantry (i.e. panzergrenadier) regiment in Normandy and around Berlin. While he did often lead combined arms outfits that included tanks, given the usual German practice of creating ad hoc battle groups for specific tasks, the title of the book is still rather misleading. The blurb on the back cover goes even further with the mischaracterization, suggesting that he somehow led the panzer divisions he served in--which is totally untrue. The perspectives presented in the book may be a bit unsatisfactory for military strategy buffs. While his combat stories, when they appear, are interesting enough, the space devoted to combat operations is surprisingly limited. When they appear, they are very limited in scope. Such limited scope is understandable given that, first, von Luck was, in the end, a low man on the totem pole who was largely uninvolved in higher level command decisions; and second, he did not spend sufficiently extended period on any one front that would have given him a deeper perspective about the operations there. The more interesting stories concern his experiences in dealing with people (mostly civilians) of various kinds, including the German civilians (this is one of few firsthand accounts where the strange racial laws of Nazi Germany are mentioned and described in some detail--as von Luck's then-fiance, described only as Dagmar S., was, in Nazi parlance, a mischling, or a part-Jew, and as such, subject to various legal restrictions), the French living under German occupation, the Arabs of Libya and Egypt (this is one of the few accounts of the North African campaign where the actual local inhabitants are shown to be doing anything)k and the Soviet civilians around the camp in Georgia where the German (and other) prisoners were held. Even in these accounts, though, I kept wondering that the perspective is rather warped because of von Luck's background as a cosmopolitan, seemingly well-connected, aristocrat. He keeps describing, for example, his interactions with some pretty powerful and important people (such as von Papen, a former chancellor of Germany, and the father of one of his friends) in most casual terms--which I don't think would have been most Germans, even if they were army officers. Another thing worth remembering when reading this book, also, is the casual portrayal of the immensely powerful position he enjoyed as a well-connected officer in the occupying German army in France. He, and more importantly, his French friends led a quite privileged life, with access to good things that were in desperately short supply not only in France but also in Germany. He could even get the local Gestapo to release one of them who was arrested for (very real) involvement with the Resistance (although he could not get his Gestapo in Germany to release his would-be-father in law who was arrested as a political prisoner, nor could he obtain government's permission to officially marry his part-Jewish fiance--which are, perhaps telling revelations about Nazi Germany). The fact that von Luck was a "good German" is emphasized, especially by himself, and there is no reason to believe it is untrue. One does have to wonder how the other German army officers behaved in occupied countries. All in all, an interesting, entertaining read, but not really for military buffs. There is something too saccharine about the book and its author. Von Luck is too much of the stereotypical "good German": He speaks English, French, and Russian; He is friendly, cosmopolitan, and courteous to friends and enemies alike when not in combat; He is a courageous, tough, but professional fighter in combat. I don't doubt all of his narrative is completely true. I also think people like him were about as common as a dodo bird in Nazi Germany. On the other hand, his perspective is limited because of his relatively low rank (a captain at the beginning of the war, a colonel by the end) in the military totem pole. Plus, he is way too eager to please his English-speaking readers. These don't make for anything approaching an objective account about either World War II or about life in Nazi Germany.

There are numerous reasons to study this memoir. I could mention scores of reasons regarding the factual details provided here but I won't, as that is prevalent in other reviews to a great degree. I want to cover one essential topic, and that is that this will make you feel. You will in reading this, feel the humanity of Von Luck's experience, and you will in a way come to a greater understanding of life in general because of it. The reality of the bond that all soldiers feel across political boundaries and against the flow of time draws closer here in what Von Luck created, more so than in the majority of publications regarding the subject. I don't mean the Band of Brothers Hollywood cliché that's been pillaged and raped until it's unrecognizable; I mean a real account. Not a bleach blonde skateboarder with an iPod, and not a cigar chomping, fearless fabrication. I mean a real man, and a real war. Not many people understand that idea thoroughly, what with the Call of Duty video game mentality I have seen these days. As a veteran of the war in Iraq I found many of the details Von Luck provides us about what North Africa was like to hit home, and his perceptions and emotions made this work come alive in my hands. I could almost perceive Von Luck's voice coming through the pages, I could imagine hearing his German accent. Reading this was as if I had a chance to sit and talk with him. I am not a fan of Ambrose, as I find him obtuse, blindly nationalistic, and thoroughly revisionist but I do commend his open mindedness and treatment of Von Luck as portrayed in this book. I think it helped Ambrose up his game somewhat for when he wrote, "D-Day". I can say personally that I think this will assist Americans in overcoming their unfounded hypocritical anti-German prejudice and it will also help us to feel the things an honorable German did during the Hitler era as an Officer doing his duty for his country. I think it goes without saying that Von Luck brings an incredibly real and colorful human window into events that many of us study detached and in black and white.

Lack of maps was disappointing & consequently a 4.5 star would be appropriate; however it is otherwise a compelling 5 star story. Von Luck provides an excellent view from the prospective of a midlevel command officer who experienced combat on all but the Italian fronts. Although I am a military history buff, this book provides a must read for anyone interested in understanding the war from the prospective of a professional soldier along with some why & where analogy. Good early panzer development from the prospective of leadership & tactics. Helps in inproving one's appreciation for its roll in early victory's and later ability to compete agains superior manpower as well as improved battlefield equipment & supply. It also adds much to Rommel’s mystic as a leader who was torn between his professional duty & tactical brilliance Vs the politics & reality. Both Luck & Rommel display an enormous ability to overcome adversity in manpower & supply. This book is important in understanding how training, quality, leadership & superior tactics overcomes numerical inferiority. Also, how political interference can diminish outcomes. Luck’s eventual capture by the Russians, 5 years in prison camps & life after release add much to a greater understanding of who this professional was. I found this book not only very educational, but also a well written and riveting read.

This book left me wanting more. A very well balanced take on the trials and tribulations of a German officer in WWII. Some real insight into the war in the desert as well as many other campaigns. I agree with some other reviewers who mention that at times Von Luck seems to be playing CYA, trying to distance himself from some of the worse aspects of the Germans during the war. It read almost like it was written just after the war, while in captivity, as opposed to many years later. At times he just seemed as if he was trying to play to an audience of the Allied victors, as if trying to make clear he was not one of the "Bad Germans". Perhaps some of this was due to the fact that at the time he was acting as a tour lecturer in Normandy, talking to Allied veterans. His life as a captive in Russia may also have had some impact on this, as he had to learn how to get along with his captors. But this is just a minor quibble. I found myself admiring the author for his professionalism and strength in dealing with such difficult circumstances. He was obviously well thought of in and outside of the Heer. Was very fair in addressing the character of the Russian. Many would have been very bitter after going through what he did. Another minor criticism, brought up by others here, is that Von Luck was not really a Panzer commander but rather an armored infantry and reconnaissance leader. But blame for this probably lies more with the publishers than with the author. Overall well worth a read!

Amazing read, this book shows the life of one of the most gifted German battalion commanders of WWII who saw action almost everywere (Poland, France, Russia, Africa, D-Day, Germany 1945, etc.), was among the Rommel's favourites and ended his combat experience in a daunting Russian captivity. Hans Von Luck is a cosmopolite Prussian gentleman well aware of the excesses of the Nazi regime, before being a highly talented and respected Wehrmacht frontline officer and his memories truly convey the feeling of those times on the "other side of the hill". I read for decades books on WWII written by "Allied" authors (historians and militaries) and I very much appreciated reading something from a German authoritative and "balanced" point of view. It was refreshing and gave me perspective. WWII is a topic which has been "rinsed to death", books like this succeed in giving new reading stimulus to it. Not much description of combat action, although it is not lacking, the book focuses on the people, culture and feelings of those who crossed Von Luck's path. Anyways, epic descriptions of intimate and combat Rommel personality, of Afrika Corps operations 1942/1943, Operation Goodwood in Normandy 1944 (Von Luck cunningly placed those famous 88 batteries at Cagny that eventually mauled the British tank advance) and of ferocious Alsace fighting in February 1945. Read it.

I am impressed with Colonel Luck's straightforwardness in writing this memoir. For example he describes a bullet flying through his hat in one or two sentences. His excessive pith leaves me feeling like I want to know more but at the same time knowing I've read enough. I came away from this book feeling like I had a glimpse into the old-school Prussian military and their deep sense of duty, the latter being criminally exploited by the Nazi regime. You can only fault these guys for an excessive nativity in the face of the Third Reich - but not a lack of integrity, common sense and an adherence to military principles that their culture formed over hundreds, if not over a thousand, years. Colonel Luck is likely one of the last true veteran Prussian officers and I feel we are lucky to have his memoirs. The writing style threw me off at first, but quickly got used to it. It's a bit more direct, and less flowery than, say, Beevor. But I got used to it quickly, and by the end the book had become a staple of my WWII library. I will undoubtedly return to this book a few more times over my lifetime.

ottimo

I just wanted to point out that the rating for this book was listed as good to very good with the description by stating that there may be some writing or highlights in the book, as it is used. I was amazed by the condition. I would not have known it from a new book. This seller clearly cares about the condition and quality of the books they sell. This was a gift for my son, who has the paperback version, which is literally falling apart, but he loves this book so much, I searched for a hardcover version. He was beaming when he received this gift. Thank you!!!

As memórias do Oberst von Luck foi muito bem escrita e são surpreendentes, ele passou pelos principais teatros de guerras e tem um emocionante relato no pós guerra, quando foi prisioneiro num campo na Geórgia e o reencontro com os camaradas na Alemanha e reconciliação com inimigos do passado.

Although this is one of the best WWII autobiographies I've had the pleasure of reading, the quality of the book paper and print is some of the worst I've ever seen.

前線での指揮官として、ポーランドからベルリンに至るヨーロッパにおけるほぼ全ての戦線で戦った著者の回想が、飾り気の無い文章で描かれている。 大げさな言葉使いをせず、一将校の視点で各場面で感じた事が率直に記されており、それが逆に文章全体の迫力となっている。 著者と並ぶもう一人の「主人公」としてロンメルの存在が有り、彼が単なる優れた戦闘司令官では無く、もっと遠い所を見通していた事が分かる。あの状況下でのロンメルの無念さが痛い程に伝わって来る。