... full of interesting aspects of WWII armored combat, and a look into an extraordinary panzer commander's career....a nice cross section of photos of various notables who crossed paths or fought alongside the Graf...I enjoyed this book quite a bit.
AMPS Despite his fanciful first name, this Silesian nobleman's little-known career is a suggestive one-man slice of World War ... Read moreII, the Freikorps, and the Eastern Front, where the Soviets learned to fear his tank commands
World War II takes the reader from Hyazinth Strachwitz's early family history, education World War I, the interwar years to the invasion of Poland, to France and then Romania and Yugoslavia are just prelude to World War II on the Eastern Front....an important work that documents his actions and gives great insights into the use of the panzers on the eastern fr
Kepler's Military History Bagdonas' writing and flow are very good and the reader is easily engaged with his informative style. Additionally, he provides numerous anecdotal information that add depth to the commentary. ... his use of appendices added greatly to the provision of information surrounding von Strachwitz's accomplishments. The bibliography that he provides is very useful in identifying additional sources to the reader on the various engagements in which the Panzer Graf was engaged.Bagdonas notes that von Strachwitz left no memoirs or notes; so gathering and drafting a comprehensive biography was extremely difficult...he has done a commendable job and that the book may serve future generations as an example of an individual who responded to the call of his nation twice and served in an honorable and selfless way throughout. As a leader, commander and officer, von Strachwitz was an individual to emulate.... recommend this book for its publication quality, its photo/map inserts and the information that the author provides about this noteworthy historical figure
The Military History Reviewer During both world wars, Germany set a very high standard for tactical leadership. This was especially true in the Soviet-German conflict, where German commanders used maneuver and coordination skills to defeat more numerous opponents. Most accounts of such victories focus on the achievements of senior leaders such as Heinz Guderian or Erich von Manstein. Except for a number of divisional histories, however, this literature is short on details about how Germans operated at tactical levels from company through regiment. Raymond Bagdonas, a self-taught Australian historian, helps fill this gap with a biography of Lt. Gen. Hyazinth, Graf von Strachwitz, the subject of at least two previous studies in German...The Devil's General provides a well written, interesting account of German tank combat against the Soviets
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