Hitler's Panzers
The Lightning Attacks that Revolutionized Warfare
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3.8 • 13 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
From Dennis Showalter, recipient of the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize and the Pritzker Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement, a fascinating account of Nazi Germany's armored forces during World War II
Determined to secure a quick, decisive victory in his quest of conquer Europe, Adolf Hitler adopted an attack plan that combined tools with technique—the formidable Panzer divisions. Self-contained armored units able to operate independently, the Panzers became the German army's fighting core as well as its moral focus, establishing an entirely new military doctrine.
In Hitler's Panzers, Showalter presents a comprehensive study of Germany's armored forces. By delving deeply into a detailed history of the theory, strategy, myths, and realities of Germany's technologically innovative approach to warfare, Showalter provides a look at the military lessons of the past, and a speculation on how the Panzer ethos may be implemented in the future of international conflict.
Customer Reviews
Great info ... But.....
This book is very well researched and contains a wealth of good information but is not without it's flaws. First Mr Showalter seems to have a fondness for some of what could be called the more "stilted" form of English which would force less educated readers to refer to the dictionary too often. This would be fine for an "academic" work, but for the general public, no. The real problem is that Showalter falls into the trap of trying to apply today's standards to the 1940s. It just doesn't work when your trying to really understand the events and the people who lived them. The best example I can give is his equating the German soldiers treatment of French north African troops with acceptance of Nazi ideology. Actually, a group of good ol boys from south Alabama would have reacted exactly the same in 1940, but not due to any Nazi connections. Today's standards, morals, etc just don't apply in that case, and he does the same throughout the book. It's a big flaw, but is one of very few. Overall a very good source and interesting reading.