Order in Chaos: The Memoirs of General of Panzer Troops Hermann Balck
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.44 (786 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0813161266 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 578 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-07-13 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Army officer. He is an honorary senior research fellow in the War Studies Programme at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.Lieutenant Colonel Dieter J. . Biederkarken, USA (Ret.), was born and raised in Germany. He attended college in the United States and became an American citizen and a U.S. Zab
Balck also offers observations on Germany's greatest generals, such as Erich Ludendorff and Heinz Guderian, and shares his thoughts on international relations, domestic politics, and Germany's place in history. His memoir details the command decision-making process as well as operations on the ground during crucial battles, including the Battle of the Marne in World War I and his incredible victories against a larger and better-equipped Soviet army at the Chir River in World War II. His brilliantly fought battles were masterpieces of tactical agility, mobile counterattack, and the technique of Auftragstaktik, or "mission command." However, because he declined to participate in the U.S. Army's military history debriefing program, today he is known only to serious students of the war.Drawing heavily on his meticulously kept wartime journals, Balck discusses his childhood and his career through the First and Second World Wars. German general Hermann Balck (1897–1982) was considered to be one of World War II's greatest battlefield commanders. Available in English for the first time in an expertly edited and annotated edition, this important book provides essential information about the German military during a critical era in modern history.
Balck takes advantage of being the 'last man standing' to present his version of events and experiences. . His recounting of events is aided tremendously by the twenty superb maps included in this book. Balck's Order in Chaos is an incredible surprise for those seeking fresh discussion on World War I, the interwar years, and World War II. Students of war, students of German history, and World War II buffs will read it with profit."Journal of Military History. "A model translation of one of the leading memoirs from the German Army's mid-level command. I found these pages absorbing."Military Review"German general Hermann Balck's perspective on war had largely been lost to American scholars. It provides vivid accounts of the battles and c
WWII German Panzer General Hermann Balck memoir "Order In Chaos" by German Panzer General Herman Balck (May 2015).First quick note: there is no usual paper "book cover" or "dust jacket" to this book; essentially, the "book cover" has been printed onto the hard covers of this book -- a very fine high-quality book from the University Press of Kentucky (although the photos are murky, not sharp glossy).At the time of this review, no "Look Inside" feature was available to show its Table of Contents -- I'm sure that feature will soon appear. Until then:A much condensed "Table of Contents":. Interesting Thomas Reiter I haven't read a German general's memoirs in quite a while--after a while all of them started to sound the same--but Balck has always been one of my favorites, so I was eager to read this book. Briefly, this book is very interesting on some topics, less so on others, as described below.As the other review notes, a good portion of the book deals with Balck's experiences during WWI and during the interwar years--according to my Kindle, this was a third of the book. The portions of the book dealing with WWI are relatively interesting, but . Great Content, Disappointing Construction Thucydides Jr, An excellent and much needed translation of these memoirs for history buffs and students of operational and tactical fighting in WWII. Balck was a fighter, and a good one, and his exploits are well known to many of us who read WWII history with interest. Though I am not done reading, content is very good, and the work is an great addition to my WWII library. Kudos to Kentucky for making this book happen.Why 3 stars then? Well, content is 5 stars. physical quality of the book, 1.5 stars. The book is basically a case bound paperback, with