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In September 1939, the tanks of Panzer-Regiment 5 swept into Poland, a devastating part of the German blitzkrieg that opened World War II with a terrifying display of military force. The following spring, the regiment rumbled across France, again showing the destructive power of the panzer. But the units greatest fame would come in the North African desert, where Panzer-Regiment 5 joined Erwin Rommels vaunted Afrika Korps as it battled the British back and forth beneath the scorching sun of Libya and Egypt.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Author Bernd Hartmann served in the post-war German army as a Lt. Colonel and is now the spokesman for the Panzer Regiment 5 Veterans Association. He is, therefore, well qualified to write this history on a subject he fully understands. This book, however, is only Vol. 1 of that history and covers the period from when the regiment was raised until the end of 1941.
Whilst the Tank itself was a British invention from WW1, the German army had already developed a small number of these weapons by the time hostilities ceased in 1918. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was then prohibited from having any form of armoured vehicle which might be used in war. Whilst these provisions were closely monitored up to 1927, formal training in tank warfare did take place elsewhere. From these humble beginnings grew a first class panzer division within the German army with tanks which were, eventually, the envy of the world. By the outbreak of WW2 Germany's Panzers were probably the most formidable force of such weapons found in a single country. Whilst those early vehicles (Panzer 1) were the German mainstay until 1940, their shortcomings were soon exposed by enemy forces whereupon they were quickly replaced as new innovations in German technology worked hard to keep pace with new demands.
This book is a marvellous compilation of history - both written and visual, and is an overwhelming triumph of detailed research, hard work and who knows how many hours spent examining what must be thousands of documents and other sources of information. The historical photographs are so plentiful they actually add a sense of almost allowing the reader to identify with the work. Put another way; Whereas a reasonable collection of good quality pictures will always give the reader a feel for any subject, in this work, there are sufficient in number to almost tell the story by themselves. So much so, that they provide a much deeper understanding of the history of Panzer Regiment 5 which is as honourable as any regimental history.
Having set such a high bar for himself, I look forward to an equally superlative Volume 2 which, when both are placed together, will combine to provide all readers and historians with as complete a record as possible of this once great German regiment.
I really do congratulate the author on a most excellent job of work.
NM
(British army major - retired)
Whilst the Tank itself was a British invention from WW1, the German army had already developed a small number of these weapons by the time hostilities ceased in 1918. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was then prohibited from having any form of armoured vehicle which might be used in war. Whilst these provisions were closely monitored up to 1927, formal training in tank warfare did take place elsewhere. From these humble beginnings grew a first class panzer division within the German army with tanks which were, eventually, the envy of the world. By the outbreak of WW2 Germany's Panzers were probably the most formidable force of such weapons found in a single country. Whilst those early vehicles (Panzer 1) were the German mainstay until 1940, their shortcomings were soon exposed by enemy forces whereupon they were quickly replaced as new innovations in German technology worked hard to keep pace with new demands.
This book is a marvellous compilation of history - both written and visual, and is an overwhelming triumph of detailed research, hard work and who knows how many hours spent examining what must be thousands of documents and other sources of information. The historical photographs are so plentiful they actually add a sense of almost allowing the reader to identify with the work. Put another way; Whereas a reasonable collection of good quality pictures will always give the reader a feel for any subject, in this work, there are sufficient in number to almost tell the story by themselves. So much so, that they provide a much deeper understanding of the history of Panzer Regiment 5 which is as honourable as any regimental history.
Having set such a high bar for himself, I look forward to an equally superlative Volume 2 which, when both are placed together, will combine to provide all readers and historians with as complete a record as possible of this once great German regiment.
I really do congratulate the author on a most excellent job of work.
NM
(British army major - retired)
Format:Hardcover
I have no problem with Mr Hartmann's review of the 5th Panzer Regiment as a whole however there are glairing mistakes in some of the accounts he gives of actions the 5th fought. Of particular note in this regard is his account of the actions that the 5th fought after taking Mersa el Brega on 31 March 1941. Hartmann says on page 207 that on 2nd April `the regiment encountered 20 British Cruiser tanks'. The British did not have 20 serviceable Cruiser tanks in the forward area at this time. Indeed they only had 23 serviceable British Cruiser tanks at the start of the battle on 31st March and by the 2nd April all of these were out of action either as a result of enemy fire or more frequently by breakdown. He then goes on to tell us that `the first large scale armoured engagement in Cyrenaica took place on the evening of 2 April when 30 British tanks, including the heavily armoured Mark II, Matilda, moved out in an immediate counterattack'. Not only is this complete fiction because the British, as mentioned, did not have 30 serviceable tanks anywhere in Cyrenaica, they also certainly did not have any Matildas in the forward areas. The only Matildas anywhere in Cyrenaica at this time were three or perhaps four broken-down Matildas in Tobruk. These are school boy errors and detract from the otherwise very informative information of the makeup of the units in 5th Panzer and the anecdotes of its members. I would suggest that Mr Hartmann reads either the unit histories or the war diaries of 5th RTR, 6th RTR and 3rd Hussars, the British tank regiments that actually fought in this engagment, then he will gain accurate accounts of what happened to the British armour between 31 March and 2 April.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Panzers In The Sand, is the first of a two volume history of Panzer Regiment 5. A minor irritant is that this book has been translated into English, from German, by an American. Occassionally the translation (such as the letter home from an Afrika Corps soldier, complaining that he was ignored as a 'newbie') sounds silly. The book also uses the irritating Americanism describing tank crewmen as 'tankers', instead of the British expression 'tankies'.
Now that I've got that off my chest I can happily say that this is a truly fascinating account of life in an armoured regiment during its formative years, between 1935 and 1941. Overall, the narrative is well informed and interesting. But what really makes this book stand out is the wealth of photographs, illustrating daily life for the soldiers and showing the regiment in action in Europe and Africa.
(The reviewer, Robert Widders, author of Spitting on a Soldier's Grave: Court Martialed After Death, the Story of the Forgotten Irish and British Soldiers received a free review copy of this book. Robert Widders is not connected with the publisher in any way and did not receive any payment or inducement for this review.)
Now that I've got that off my chest I can happily say that this is a truly fascinating account of life in an armoured regiment during its formative years, between 1935 and 1941. Overall, the narrative is well informed and interesting. But what really makes this book stand out is the wealth of photographs, illustrating daily life for the soldiers and showing the regiment in action in Europe and Africa.
(The reviewer, Robert Widders, author of Spitting on a Soldier's Grave: Court Martialed After Death, the Story of the Forgotten Irish and British Soldiers received a free review copy of this book. Robert Widders is not connected with the publisher in any way and did not receive any payment or inducement for this review.)
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