memoirs

Steven H. Newton has compiled one masterful book and rescued one of the most vital documents of wwii. Austrian born Erhard Rauss along with Erwin Rommell are the two top tacticians of all time. His daring approach for dealing with the massive soviet assaults on the eastern front by withdrawing his main battle line and supporting elements to alternate positions prior to the devastating artillery bombardments preceeding the main thrust has got to be one of the most innovative concepts in wwii warfare. Requiring pinpoint timing and nerves of steel this operation was both extremely difficult to assimilate and execute and sadly was not generally adopted by other commanders. Another highlight was 6 Panzer's actions during the attempt to relieve the German 6 Army trapped at Stalingrad. Rauss' bold, creative use of his lone division (23 Panzer was too weakened to be of any offensive use) has got to be considered the single most outstanding feat of wwii, (second only to the extrication of Army Group Caucasus from the jaws of encirclement and annihilation by Manstein, in my opinion the single most difficult operation of wwii) that a single German Panzer division wreaked such destruction and havoc against overwhelming russian numbers that it almost succeded singlehandedly in extricating 6 Army, confirms once more that it was numbers and NOT quality that brought about allied victory in wwii. This action caused the russians to open a new front that necessitated the withdrawal of 6 Panzer. His defensive exploits at Belgorod and Kharkov caused the russians (all the way up to Stalin) to rethink their whole offensive approach and must be labeled amongst the most skillfully executed operations of the war. He adds fresh and expert analysis of kursk and the final defensive battles in the east.

This book is a Master Class in tactics at all command levels and a treat to any future commander of military forces. The tactical and strategic concepts are as fresh and useful today as they were back then. Rauss is a master of economy of movement in battle and it shows in his writing too, which flows precisely, entertainingly and is easy to assimilate. I urge you the reader to get a copy now of this soon to be scarce classic work.

The name Erhard Raus will not register to many students of WWII, but the general saw as much action on the Eastern Front as any officer I know of.

Raus entered Operation Barbarossa in command of a brigade in the 6th Panzer Division, and ended the war as the head of an Army Group. He learned the art of tank tactics under fire. After he was captured he penned an extensive memoir (while the war was still fresh in his mind). Although pieces were used by American intelligence, they were often heavily edited and incomplete. Here, for the first time in print, is Raus's complete memoir. In a word, it is extraordinary.

The memoir was located, pieced together, and translated and edited from the original German by Steven Newton (Professor of History, Delaware State University). Raus was as good a writer as he was a tank commander. Simply put, this is extraordinarily well written, although it assumes at least a working knowledge of the war in the East and the structure of the German military.

Raus discusses the offensive battle in Army Group North during the drive for Leningrad, the offensive against Moscow, his role in Manstein's abortive effort to relieve Stalingrad (oddly, Manstein is not found in the index though is mentioned often), and the final defensive battles back into Germany, where Raus was relieved of command by Hitler in March 1945. Hasso von Manteuffel (who also is absent from the index) assumed his command, ending Raus's 40 years of military service. Raus's writing is often personal, always perceptive, and offers a hands-on knowledge that was obviously fresh in his mind when he wrote.

Newton provides an enlightening Introduction to this memoir and a date-oriented resume of Raus's career, which appears as an appendix. Thirteen maps are included (they are good but not great).

Panzer Operations should be read and owned by every WWII tank and East Front student everywhere. Run, don't walk, to your local book store (or order on line) and pick up a copy. With his work getting this manuscript into book form, Dr. Newton has proven once again why he is widely considered one America's foremost military historians.