Panzers on the Eastern Front: General Erhard Raus and his Panzer Divisions in Russia, 1941-1945 (World War II German Debriefs) - Hardcover

Tsouras, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1853674893 ISBN 13: 9781853674891

Publisher: Greenhill Books, 2002

Synopsis

General Erhard Raus was one of the German Army's finest panzer generals and a leading exponent of blitzkrieg in the east. German panzers were witness to the incredible onslaught that was the first few months of Barbarossa, then the gradual strengthening of Russian resistance, counterattack, and, ultimately, the long and drawn- out German retreat. Raus and his panzers therefore were tested in every conceivable tactical situation and, inevitably, Raus became highly versed in all aspects of mobilized warfare. This account by Erhard Raus, edited by leading Eastern Front expert Peter G. Tsouras, concentrates on German efforts to relieve Stalingrad and Raus, as commander of 6th Panzer Division, was in the thick of this bitter action, urging his panzers forwards in a massive effort to break the Soviet stranglehold. Written originally to brief the American Army, this valuable material is now made available for the first time.

About this title

About the Author

Peter G. Tsouras is noted military historian and a leading writer of alternative history with 22 titles to his credit on subjects ranging from Alexander the Great to the American Civil War and the Second World War.  He recently retired from the US Government as a senior intelligence officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency.  He served with the 1st Battalion 64th Armor on active duty with the US Army and subsequently retired as Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Army Reserve.  He was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, and currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

Review

"It makes an enthralling read. Recommended."
– William Piggott in Military Modelcraft International

"It is a gem of a book for serious students of the war, providing many insights on tactics, psychology and military lessons. As the good introduction by Peter Tsouras outlines, Raus is one of the great unsung commanders of the 20th century."
– Military Illustrated


"General Raus was clearly one of the more outstanding German Army commanders in World War Two . . . valuable . . . is obviously writing from personal experience and his accounts have a consequent immediacy which makes for an exciting story . . . the last chapter of the book is of particular interest, because it includes a detailed, and mostly verbatim, record of very frank discussions between Raus and Himmler, then Raus's army group commander, about the conduct of operations on the Eastern front. Himmler seems remarkably receptive to Raus's concerns and, following these discussions, arranged for Raus to brief Hitler on the Pomeranian battle in person, from which followed the former's dismissal referred to earlier . . . Peter Tsouras has put together a book which gives us an illuminating picture of what fighting against the Soviet Army of World War Two must have been like, both at unit and formation level."
– Bill Woodhouse in Tank: The Journal of the Royal Tank Regiment


"This reviewer's advice is to get this book if you have ANY interest in German armored operations in World War II. General Raus, though not as well known as some of his contemporaries, was a master at mobile, combined-arms warfare. Time and again, he outfought larger units and brought his troops through. The book moves quickly, holding the reader's interest, giving large doses of information without bogging down in technical details. I highly recommend this book." – Don Barry in Internet Modeler

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenhill Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1853674893
• ISBN 13: 9781853674891
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256