Panzer Leader Memoirs of an Armoured Car Commander, 1944-1945

by Otto Henning, Geoffrey Brooks (Translator)

The armoured reconnaissance units were the spearheads of the Panzer divisions, moving stealthily ahead of the tanks to locate the enemy. Otto Henning's armoured car unit of the elite Panzer-Lehr-Division fought throughout the campaigns in the West in 1944 and 1945, arriving in Normandy a few weeks before D-Day and finally surrendering in the Ruhr pocket in mid-April 1945. Henning describes the difficulties reconnaissance forces faced in the close terrain of the Normandy bocage and the threat posed by the Allies' complete control of the air. He saw the devastation wrought by Michael Wittmann's lone Tiger tank against the British 7th Armoured Division at Villers Bocage, and experienced the chaos and demoralisation of the Germans' retreat across France. After the Battle of the Bulge and the final fighting in western Germany, Henning surrendered and endured terrible conditions in a prisoner-of-war camp until he escaped in 1947. This is a fascinating and often harrowing account of the final campaigns in Western Europe, and exposes the little-known scandal of the treatment of German prisoners-of-war even after the war had ended.

About the Author:
OTTO HENNING joined the panzers in 1941. From March 1942 until April 1943 he served with a motorized reconnaissance unit of Rommel's Afrika Korps. From 1944 Henning fought in Western Europe with the elite Panzer-Lehr-Division, eventually commanding an armoured reconnaissance unit. Captured by US forces in April 1945 he finally escaped from France in 1947 to rejoin his family in the Russian zone of Germany.

Genres: World War II, History, Germany, Nonfiction, Military Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2006

Reviews

[Blazen026]

Otto Henning v knihe Průzkum bojem opisuje svoje zážitky z druhej svetovej vojny. Ako člen a neskôr aj veliteľ prieskumnej jednotky si prešiel bojmi vo Francúzku , ale aj Ardenách. Ku koncu vojny skončil v zajateckom tábore a neskôr sa pokúsil o útek.

Tak táto kniha sa veľmi ťažko a pomaly čítala, no popravde nie som si istý, či to je prekladom alebo len skrátka tým akým spôsobom autor svoje spomienky spísal. Úvod začína popisom vylodenia spojeneckých síl v Normandii, ktorý v podstate žiadne nové zaujímavé informácie neprináša a za mňa je tu úplne zbytočne. Autor niekoľko krát spomína, že pôsobil najprv v Afrike, tak prečo sa kniha nezačína jeho rozprávaním o tunajšom pôsobení nemeckých vojsk? Namiesto toho sme už rovno vo Francúzsku a Afrika je len občas spomenutá. Keď konečne príde na rozprávanie autentických zážitkov, tak to na mňa pôsobí ako keby som knihu začínal čítať niekde od stredu. Veľmi zaujímavé sú však svedectvá o francúzskom odboji alebo detailný popis priebehu nemeckých prieskumných misií, ktoré boli často veľmi nebezpečné. Je tu tiež autorov pohľad na prístup oboch strán k vojenským zajatcom. Bohužiaľ mi celý čas prišlo, že sa Henning vyhýbal osobným názorom vždy, keď to šlo. Chýbali mi tiež nejaké kamarátske historky ako v iných vojnových knihách. Väčšinou to bol naozaj len suchý popis udalostí, čo môže niekomu vyhovovať, no mne to nesadlo.

Na knihu som sa tešil, ale nakoniec prišlo celkom sklamanie. Kým som sa prelistoval nakoniec, tak prešli možno až dva mesiace a pritom je to naozaj krátke dielo len s 250 stranami.

[Timo]

Menee alempaan keskikastiin lukemistani Koalan kirjoista. Keskivaiheilla kirja oli hieman puuduttava, mutta pääsääntöisesti mielekästä luettavaa. Kirjasta käy kyllä hyvin ilmi minkälaista oli olla panssaritiedustelijana länsirintamalla.

Lopun pako Ranskasta oli myös varsin jännä. Tuli yllätyksenä miten huonosti saksalaisilla sotavangeilla asiat olivat vankileireillä. Ihmishenkiä menetettiin aivan turhaan. Tällaisista asioista eivät "voittajamaat" juuri kertoile.

Hassutuksia oli mukana keskimääräistä vähemmän. Se jäi mieleen, että mies voi olla niin humalassa ettei pysty kävelemään, mutta puolitelavaunun ajaminen partiossa onnistuu silti.

[Jiří Szabó]

Mé zhodnocení: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw0PY...

[Stephen Hackney]

The author's memoirs were moderately worth spending the time to read. He provides some color in several minor incidences related to combat. His characterizations of some of his fellow panzer mates, while not developed in depth, is yet mildly entertaining. There is more value in the author's description of one of his commanding officers, who was bumbling, arrogant, and who eventually gets killed for his deficiencies in judgment. The author's story, in accounting for his part in the Western Front, is given from the micro-level, which is to be expected. I don't mind that restricted view, because often the reader gets a more 'in the trenches' 'everyday real-life' stories of the regular soldier. But that kind of color, or flavor was not provided the reader in this work.

[Al Williams]

This was certainly one of the better memoirs that I've read. All of Henning's reflections felt honest and objective and they provide interesting insights into the tactics of German reconnaisance units. There are certainly some issues with the translation from the original German and he has a habit of repeating himself from time to time, but I didn't feel that any of this diminished the book's value. If anything, it would have been nice to have more of his post-war life included. Highly recommended!

[Douglas]

Eh.

This book presents a compelling tale of the exploits of, and the war as seen by, the author. I think I would have rated it 3.5 based on that. But it fails, in my opinion, to give any real context or anything more than a very brief glimpse of his life and events. I'm sure they were life changing for him, but for the reader I walked away somewhat sad that there wasn't more substance here.