German general Hermann Balck (1897–1982) was considered to be one of World War II’s greatest battlefield commanders. 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. 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. 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. 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.
Table of Content
List of Maps
Foreword by Carlo D’Este
Preface
Introduction
1. 1914
2. 1915
3. 1916
4. 1917
5. 1918
6. Retrospective on World War I
7. 1919
8. 1920
9. 1921
10. In the Third Reich
11. World War II
12. Greece
13. Russia
14. 1942
15. 1943
16. The Gross-Deutschland Division
17. Commander in Chief, Army Group G
18. North of the Danube
19. Looking Back
Appendixes
Notes
Index
About the author
Lieutenant Colonel Dieter Biedekarken, USA (Ret.), is coeditor of Order in Chaos: The Memoirs of General of Panzer Troops Hermann Balck, 1893–1948.More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
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