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مذكرات قائد بانزر: هيرمان بلاك
A history of one of the world's greatest armoured warfare commanders, Hermann Balck (1897-1982).
During World War II, Balck commanded panzer troops from the front line and led by example, putting himself in extreme danger when rallying his soldiers to surge forward. He fought battles that were masterpieces of tactical operations, utilizing speed, surprise and a remarkable ability to motivate his men to achieve what they considered to be impossible. We follow his exciting journey through the fields of France, mountains of Greece and steppes of Russia. In Greece, through flair and innovative leadership, his soldiers overcame every obstacle to defeat determined Australian and New Zealand soldiers defending the narrow mountain passes. Balck personally led his men to victory in battles at Platamon Ridge on the Aegean coast and in the Vale of Tempe, before entering Athens.
This is also the story of a cultured and complex man with a great love of antiquity and classical literature, who nevertheless willingly fought for Hitler's Third Reich while remaining strangely detached from the horrors around him. The book is the result of extensive research of primary and secondary sources, including Balck's battle reports and first-hand accounts written by Allied soldiers who opposed him, panzer division war diaries and campaign assessments, and declassified Pentagon documents.
During World War II, Balck commanded panzer troops from the front line and led by example, putting himself in extreme danger when rallying his soldiers to surge forward. He fought battles that were masterpieces of tactical operations, utilizing speed, surprise and a remarkable ability to motivate his men to achieve what they considered to be impossible. We follow his exciting journey through the fields of France, mountains of Greece and steppes of Russia. In Greece, through flair and innovative leadership, his soldiers overcame every obstacle to defeat determined Australian and New Zealand soldiers defending the narrow mountain passes. Balck personally led his men to victory in battles at Platamon Ridge on the Aegean coast and in the Vale of Tempe, before entering Athens.
This is also the story of a cultured and complex man with a great love of antiquity and classical literature, who nevertheless willingly fought for Hitler's Third Reich while remaining strangely detached from the horrors around him. The book is the result of extensive research of primary and secondary sources, including Balck's battle reports and first-hand accounts written by Allied soldiers who opposed him, panzer division war diaries and campaign assessments, and declassified Pentagon documents.
310 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 10, 2019
During the late 1970’s and early 1980's I read a number of books on German commanders of WW2 like Heinz Guderian’s "Panzer Leader�, Erich von Manstein's "Lost Victories" and books by Erwin Rommel and F.W. von Mellenthin to name a few. I figured I had read nearly everything that was published covering the great panzer leaders of the Second World War.
Well it appears I was wrong because in 2015 the book; “Order in Chaos: The Memoirs of General of Panzer Troops Hermann Balck� arrived on the bookshelves in shops around the world. I eagerly devoured the contents of this book and figure well that's it, I have read most anything in English on the subject. So again I was pleasantly surprised to see a new book on the market covering the life of Hermann Balck written by an Australian author, Stephen Robinson.
This book covers the wartime career of General Hermann Balck in twelve easy to read chapters with numerous B&W photographs, many from the author’s own collection, and numerous maps covering the campaigns and battles discussed in the narrative.
In the Introduction to "Panzer Commander" the author lays out exactly why this book needed to be published and why it should be widely read and appreciated by students of WW2 history and armoured operations:
"Balck had earlier established himself as one of the finest armoured warfare commanders in history during the Chir River battles, a series of desperate engagements fought on the frozen steppes of southern Russia during Germany's disastrous Stalingrad campaign. On 8 December 1942, when commanding the 11th Panzer Division, he annihilated the Soviet 1st Tank Corps as Sovchos 79, destroying fifty-three Red Army tanks. One week later, with only twenty-five operational panzers, Balck attacked the Soviet bridehead at Nizhna Kalinovski and destroyed sixty-five Russian tanks while only losing three panzers.
Balck's extraordinary achievements at the Chir River earned him a well-deserved reputation within the Wehrmacht as a commander who led from the front and won battles despite fighting against overwhelming odds. The German High Command recognized his courageous leadership, awarding him the Knight's Cross with oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, a prestigious medal given only to twenty-six other Germans during World War II. General Heinrich Gaedcke, who served under Balck on the Eastern Front, remembered him as a 'model field commander' and a 'man of unconventional, brilliant ideas and inspirations'.
Despite Balck's exceptional military record, he received little recognition after the war. Unlike Erwin Rommel, Heinz Guderian and Erich von Manstein, who will forever be associated in the popular imagination as legendary German commanders, history has largely forgotten Hermann Balck. The historian Carlo D'Este accordingly observed that his name 'is conspicuously missing from the list of successful generals. David Zabecki similarly concluded that Balck is the 'greatest German general no one ever heard of'.�
It was interesting to learn that in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s Balck was invited to the position as an adviser to the US Military to assist the US Army in post-Vietnam War doctrinal reforms. Specifically the US Army wanted to know how to fight the Red Army in Europe and win despite unfavourable numerical odds and Balck’s first-hand experience in fighting on the Eastern Front during WW2 was considered vital and relevant.
This view that Balck’s Eastern Front experience could still be relevant to US Army tactical doctrine could be drawn from the Chir River battles in Russia during WW2 as highlighted by the author in his book:
“During the Chir River battles and subsequent operations near Rostov, the 11th Panzer Division lost 215 men killed in action, 1019 wounded and 155 missing. Balck believed his division killed 30,700 Red Army soldiers and he also estimated enemy tank losses:
During the period from 28 June to 11 March 1943, the division knocked out 1000 tanks, of which 664 were knocked out by Panzer-Regiment 15 and 336 by other weapons. Of the latter, 65 were destroyed by tank-hunter teams in close combat. This compares to our own losses of 50 Panzers as total write-offs.�
The author also quoted: “The historian Dennis Showalter concluded that Balck's conduct at Chir River 'was an example of staff work, willpower, and tactical skill still legitimately cited as among the greatest divisional-level battles ever fought'."
In the book we learn how Balck liked to lead from the front but also how he placed a lot of trust in his subordinates to carry out the assigned missions. He comes across as a soldier’s soldier and a commander that his men trusted implicitly.
The main focus of the book is really the period where Balck could provide that battlefield command at divisional level so the French, Greek and Russian campaigns up to the fall of the Stalingrad pocket are covered in detail. The Epilogue of the book then provides details of the rest of his wartime career until the end of the war. Overall this was a very easy to read book and one that I would recommend for those who enjoy battlefield accounts from WW2.
by
Well it appears I was wrong because in 2015 the book; “Order in Chaos: The Memoirs of General of Panzer Troops Hermann Balck� arrived on the bookshelves in shops around the world. I eagerly devoured the contents of this book and figure well that's it, I have read most anything in English on the subject. So again I was pleasantly surprised to see a new book on the market covering the life of Hermann Balck written by an Australian author, Stephen Robinson.
This book covers the wartime career of General Hermann Balck in twelve easy to read chapters with numerous B&W photographs, many from the author’s own collection, and numerous maps covering the campaigns and battles discussed in the narrative.
In the Introduction to "Panzer Commander" the author lays out exactly why this book needed to be published and why it should be widely read and appreciated by students of WW2 history and armoured operations:
"Balck had earlier established himself as one of the finest armoured warfare commanders in history during the Chir River battles, a series of desperate engagements fought on the frozen steppes of southern Russia during Germany's disastrous Stalingrad campaign. On 8 December 1942, when commanding the 11th Panzer Division, he annihilated the Soviet 1st Tank Corps as Sovchos 79, destroying fifty-three Red Army tanks. One week later, with only twenty-five operational panzers, Balck attacked the Soviet bridehead at Nizhna Kalinovski and destroyed sixty-five Russian tanks while only losing three panzers.
Balck's extraordinary achievements at the Chir River earned him a well-deserved reputation within the Wehrmacht as a commander who led from the front and won battles despite fighting against overwhelming odds. The German High Command recognized his courageous leadership, awarding him the Knight's Cross with oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, a prestigious medal given only to twenty-six other Germans during World War II. General Heinrich Gaedcke, who served under Balck on the Eastern Front, remembered him as a 'model field commander' and a 'man of unconventional, brilliant ideas and inspirations'.
Despite Balck's exceptional military record, he received little recognition after the war. Unlike Erwin Rommel, Heinz Guderian and Erich von Manstein, who will forever be associated in the popular imagination as legendary German commanders, history has largely forgotten Hermann Balck. The historian Carlo D'Este accordingly observed that his name 'is conspicuously missing from the list of successful generals. David Zabecki similarly concluded that Balck is the 'greatest German general no one ever heard of'.�
It was interesting to learn that in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s Balck was invited to the position as an adviser to the US Military to assist the US Army in post-Vietnam War doctrinal reforms. Specifically the US Army wanted to know how to fight the Red Army in Europe and win despite unfavourable numerical odds and Balck’s first-hand experience in fighting on the Eastern Front during WW2 was considered vital and relevant.
This view that Balck’s Eastern Front experience could still be relevant to US Army tactical doctrine could be drawn from the Chir River battles in Russia during WW2 as highlighted by the author in his book:
“During the Chir River battles and subsequent operations near Rostov, the 11th Panzer Division lost 215 men killed in action, 1019 wounded and 155 missing. Balck believed his division killed 30,700 Red Army soldiers and he also estimated enemy tank losses:
During the period from 28 June to 11 March 1943, the division knocked out 1000 tanks, of which 664 were knocked out by Panzer-Regiment 15 and 336 by other weapons. Of the latter, 65 were destroyed by tank-hunter teams in close combat. This compares to our own losses of 50 Panzers as total write-offs.�
The author also quoted: “The historian Dennis Showalter concluded that Balck's conduct at Chir River 'was an example of staff work, willpower, and tactical skill still legitimately cited as among the greatest divisional-level battles ever fought'."
In the book we learn how Balck liked to lead from the front but also how he placed a lot of trust in his subordinates to carry out the assigned missions. He comes across as a soldier’s soldier and a commander that his men trusted implicitly.
The main focus of the book is really the period where Balck could provide that battlefield command at divisional level so the French, Greek and Russian campaigns up to the fall of the Stalingrad pocket are covered in detail. The Epilogue of the book then provides details of the rest of his wartime career until the end of the war. Overall this was a very easy to read book and one that I would recommend for those who enjoy battlefield accounts from WW2.
by
June 2, 2022
The author as certainly spent many hour researching Hermann Balck before putting pen to paper, So rich in historical detail, it feels like the author as left no stone un-turned in his research. Again the authors writing quality shines as he transfers all this research into a book sequence that keeps the reader interested (which is no easy thing to do) the story moves at the right pace, is easy to follow, throughout the book are plenty of historical maps and pictures from world war 2 that give the reader a visual guide to the route that the story is taking. The story follows Hermann Balck across the various battle fields of World War 2, the writing style allows the reader to fully understand how gripping and difficult these battles were, the horrors of war are not easy to understand for people not involved but this book does allow the reader to have a decent understand of these hellish periods in history/ You learn about a very interesting man, in a role of responsibility, and the positives and negatives of being in such a position, by the end of the book you actually feel that you know Hermann Balck the person, the book really does a fine job of taking you deep into the life and characteristics of the man. Another talent of the author is that he is good at describing the background terrain environments which the battle take part in. In my opinion it takes much effort to produce such a over view of a persons biography. First the front cover is very attractive and makes you want to read the book, the page quality is of high quality with a glossy feel to its pages, I did not find any editorial errors within its pages. The book includes a index and notes section at its rear which allows the reader to find quickly any part of the story they want.This is the kind of book you read once, keep it, and then in a years time read it again, any person interested in the 2nd world war will love this book, any student studying history or interesting influential historical characters will find this book very useful. Cannot think of one negative to say about this book. One of the best war books I have read.
January 11, 2022
Excellent book on an often overlooked commander.
January 18, 2020
Easy to read and though it provides significant operational detail it does not overwhelm the writing. Robinson tells a story that is engaging yet thought provoking and his use of quotes from Balck build a picture of a man who understood armoured warfare but who also knew the importance of orders being communicated with clarity and purpose to his men whom he trusted to use their initiative in battle. That NATO engaged him in the 70’s to provide tactical insight into fighting an imagined war with Russia is testament to the high regard he is held amongst the ranks of WW2 generals.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2019
A fascinating book about a little known figure in World War 2 history and in the development of military tactics. I hadn’t heard of Balck before but he comes across as an intelligent, cultured man who lived in extraordinary times. As well as giving gripping accounts of hard fought battles, this book beautifully describes the terrain - so often pivotal to the ultimate outcomes. The maps are clear and easy to follow and the photos are a good companion to the text.
January 1, 2021
Another very good book by Stephen Robinson, excellent description of the battles against the Kiwis and Australians in Greece. Robinson's otherbook, "False flags : disguised German raiders of World War II", was the best book I read in 2020
October 22, 2023
Good Book, I do recommend reading it followed by Order in Chaos (Balck's memoir). Little known Germany General, who helped create the Kampfgruppe concept to perfection. Fought in France, Greece, Salerno, and Russia. At the end of the war he refused to cooperate with the US Army Historical section on the German way of fighting. Later in life he was convinced by his former Chief of Staff von Mellenthin (author of Panzer Battles) to discuss how to stop the Soviets. The result was the AirLand Battle Concept that drove the US Military from the 1980s through the 1990s. Definitely a book to read in companion with his memoirs.
June 13, 2022
Excellent book
Herman Black was one of the best leaders of German Armour units in WW II but is not as well known in the West like Romney or even Von Manstein. He chose not to take part in the series of post war interviews. But this book goes a long way of correcting that oversight and puts his career in perspective, particularly his operations in Russia during b the Stalingrad battles. I now want to read his own book "Order in Chaos" a very apt definition of war.
Herman Black was one of the best leaders of German Armour units in WW II but is not as well known in the West like Romney or even Von Manstein. He chose not to take part in the series of post war interviews. But this book goes a long way of correcting that oversight and puts his career in perspective, particularly his operations in Russia during b the Stalingrad battles. I now want to read his own book "Order in Chaos" a very apt definition of war.
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