Panzer Ace: The Memoirs of an Iron Cross Panzer Commander from Barbarossa to Normandy Kindle Edition

Author Richard Rosen wrote and kept a wartime diary, and that diary was eventually transformed by him (and by author/translator Robert Forczyk) into this book. Perhaps because the author used his past diary-based notes, the descriptions and action sound more matter-of-fact than hyped-up (and that’s a good thing).The three main campaigns where Rosen fought were Russia, Normandy/France and Hungary. Of those three, the Normandy/France campaign had the fewest pages devoted to it. But wherever Rosen fought, it seemed the great weight of the Tiger tank made the machine prone to getting stuck in marshy areas, recently thawed ground or plain old mud. Tiger tanks often had to pull other Tiger tanks out of the muck, moving them back onto more solid ground. And of course at the end of each day there was usually the need to refuel and rearm. So wherever Tiger tanks went, support vehicles had to follow. Still, the Tiger was a great machine with excellent armor – the trick was to be able to keep the tanks operational (as the reliability of the early Tigers was not great).Rosen’s also reflects a bit on his changing thoughts and perceptions as the war progressed and as Germany’s fortunes turned from glorious victories to the abyss of imminent defeat. There are also many photos, though viewing them on a tablet instead of a Kindle reader is recommended.Bottom line: A no nonsense description of WW II fighting as viewed from the Tiger tank’s commander’s seat.

Richard von Rosen’s riveting and reflective combat memoir vividly conveys the frontline realities of different theatres of operations of the WW II. The narrative is told with the vivid detail of an impassioned eyewitness and his rare and moving memoir is a first person chronicle of nightmarish experiences.The book is divided into 10 chapters (with nice presentation of main events during the period described) and I was glad to see professional forewords by dr. Robert Forczyk and also the author.After the first chapter (“The second World War begins”), the author described in Chapter II’s 100 pages his first battles during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa (“On the Eastern Front June – August 1941”). Operations at Stary Bychow, Breaking through the Stalin line or Battle for Roslav - where author was wounded for the first time - are excellent descriptions of the daily tanker’s life and sacrifices.Author’s convalescence and additional training are detailed in”My quiet time in the Reich (February 1942 - January 1943) before going “Back in Russia (January-May 1943)” as tank platoon leader to participate in the bitter fights for Rostov. The story of the Battle of Kursk -“Operation Zitadelle (June-July 1943) - includes the encounter with SU 152, stepping on a mine (engineer training before operation paid off) or his second wound on 14.07.1943.After another year, his unit was transferred to France to fight against Allied forces. The next two chapters, “The invasion Front, 1944” and “Operation Goodwood” are filled with Western Front experiences.“At Sennelager Camp (September-October 1944)” is a very short chapter about a training/reorganization period with more information from photos than text. One photo shows unteroffizer Kurt Knispel, tank ace at 23 years old with over 160 kills (KIA 28.04.1945).Chapter IX - “The Collapse (1944-1945)” describes the armored operations in Hungary (military coup included) and also the Battles for Gyongyos, Szolnok, etc. Wounded for the third time, Oblt. R. von Rosen is hospitalized in a Luftwaffe hospital in Bratislava.In the last three chapters “Military Hospital and the End of the War (February-July 1945)”, ”Home Again” and ”A prisoner of the French”, the author recalls the humiliation of defeat and surrender, but also the brutality of French occupation.Eventually, worth mentioning is the von Rosen’s resume at the end of book. In 1955 he (re)started a military career being commissioned into Bundeswehr as Hauptmann and he retired as major-general in 1980.The book is filled with an impressive number of contemporary photos (over 400), plus some sketches. Some photos have even some interesting (tactical) comments. Sometimes I found disturbing to start a narrative just to be interrupted by more than 10 pages of illustrations. I had to flip back several pages in order to remember the initial phrases. As throughout the text, the photo captions pay a special tribute to his former comrades and friends.The volume ends just with a short epilogue and no notes or index sections are provided.One of the more valuable WW II memoirs! Recommended!

Interesting, it did a lot to learn about WWII from the German side. I thought the German soldiers were aware of some of atrocities that occurred. Changed my opinion of how much they were told.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in combined arms warfare. Tanks, infantry, artillery, and AirPower must coordinate closely with each other to survive and win on the battlefield. Von Rosen provides a blow by blow account of the typical tank crews trying to get it right. The M-60 tank I rode in the late 1960s was about on a par with the Tiger built by Germany 30 years before. Read this book and apply von Rosen’s lessons to modern day Ukraine; where the Ukrainians do not have air superiority, or enough tanks.

Good review of what a German young officer life was like. So much time getting tanks unstuck and repaired. Good book

I'm about a third way through this book. I don't expect an apology from this man, but all the matter of fact talk about how glorious it was to beat the 'enemy', the wanton destruction, the burning of farmhouses to deprive people of their livelihoods, etc makes me feel sick. There is no regard for the fact that they shouldn't have been there. The attack was unprovoked and extremely duplicitous - all classic features of Nazism. Similarly I've read about many Germans of those days who protest they were ordinary soldiers and civilians fighting for the vaterland. Not a thought about the fact they had occupied millions of square miles through extreme violence and devastation, nor the fact they were not wanted anywhere. Mass murder came later of course. Didn't these facts occur to them? And today, many decent Germans feel they have to constantly atone for the acts of their forefathers. I'm so glad they lost, and so sad they had their country kicked into a sand heap before they gave it up.

Herr Rosen has produced a very solid if not memorable memoir, but the books value for military historians is the fact that he saw combat with the iconic Tiger and King Tiger tanks. If you are expecting detailed tank versus tank descriptions, there are but few examples, though is honesty regarding the flaws of the Tiger design are very refreshing. What shines out from the pages throughout the memoir is his sense of comradeship with his fellow tank crewman, their hardships in battle, the ravages of the bitter Russian climate, and of note is the remarkable capacity of the Panzer soldier to recover their seemingly knocked out vehicles.Very well illustrated with numerous photos, this book should appeal to a wide array of military history buffs, and well merits it's 4 star rating.

I have just re-read this book and my opinion is confirmed; this is an excellent account by a man who was wounded on many occasions,as a result of being in the thick of it.He was a dedicated soldier, doing his duty, but rather conscious of his family's lineage, which was of the high class, leaving him feeling a little vulnerable following the bomb plot to kill Hitler.What strikes me is the number of images in the book, which concentrate on what was happening, where and when, but mostly the youth of the author and those under his command.His writing is unassuming, almost matter of fact, hence the criticism of others that there is mention of orders on a consistent basis, whilst the description of the fighting is undramatic. I am not sure what these people expect; maybe it is because they have read a lot of Sven Hassel's fiction?The final chapters of the book helped me understand the confusion of the final months, particular the fighting around Budapest and Lake Balaton.His account of living in the French occupied area after the war provided a valuable insight into what it was like as a discharged Wehrmacht soldier.This book is a worthy companion to Otto Marius book Tigers in the mud, because by reading both, one can learn about front line experience with all the marks of Tiger, including the massive JagdTiger, described in Tigers in the Mud. What puts Von Rosen's contribution on a better platform is that unlike Carius, he doesn't try to justify his country's actions.This is a thoroughly good read and is a worthy title to add to the collection on panzer warfare.

I am fascinated by individual accounts of warfare from any age. This is an account of a young German minor nobleman who joined the German tank force as an enlisted man and served as a tank gunner in Russia before being commissioned, finishing his service and war as a Captain in the heavy tank force on the Western Front - Tigers and King Tigers. It is detailed and a thrilling read, as he describes the fact that commanding a company of the premier tanks of the war was not what it was cracked up to be - sabotage in the factories made them unreliable, most were destroyed by allied air power before they were even delivered...and he must have gone through several tanks himself just in accidents and air strikes! But as a first-hand account, it is invaluable.I felt for him on returning to Germany to hear of his experiences in the French-held sector, and his bitterness towards the occupiers and their petty ways. But while not a Nazi by any means, he is common to many similar writers in being supportive of the regime and war aims, and seemed unapologetic - worrying as he ended his service in the 80's as a West German General!

having just finished the book I am very impressed with the quality of the pages and binding, This author gives a very readable account of his time in the war as a gunner in a mk111 tank in Russia , He also explaines in graphic detail life in the panzerwaffe throughout the war & how lucky he was to survive it, Most books today now tell it as it was & this is book is one of them, one of the better books I have read lately. Recommend 5 Stars