This is a valuable study from a competent German perspective bringing us other important pieces of information in an affordable and understandable form about some armor operations during the initial phases of Operation Barbarossa and the initial advance in the Caucasus.
The main part of the book (the first five chapters) deals with the offensive operations of the 48.Panzerkorps in the direction of the Black Sea, but also covers other Panzer Corps operations towards Kiev and subsequent encirclement and, finally, XXIV PanzerKorps actions in Operation Typhoon.
As with many other books from the Casemate, this one was also originally published in 1959 when the Cold War was in full swing and the operational expertise of the former German officers was highly sought after by the Alliance. The author - Oskar Munzel - generally rarely mentioned and overlooked military personality, provided useful analytical lessons and accounts supported by generals and officers from the PanzerKorps involved in operations described in the volume.
Even today the volume is still a respectable and recommended book that deserves wider attention offering some useful insights and evaluations. Throughout the book, the author stressed the importance of the element of surprise, leadership, logistics or weather and terrain, plus good inter-service cooperation in conducting panzer operations.
The last chapter (10 - „Experiences with Panzer Attacks”) can be seen as the „Conclusion” part and discusses not only many operational aspects but, also provides a useful insight and analysis of the initial German campaign in Russia, concluding with some preconditions for the preparation of panzer attacks.
Finally, three appendices (excerpts from a war diary, a selection of orders, etc) and an index close out the book. No photos are provided - a significant drawback - which makes the reading sometimes dull.
There are no less than 21 tactical maps, some too small, poorly located at the beginning of the book, as I have seen in all Casemate’s books so far, that „...provide only a general overview of the situation.” I consider them helpful and added to the narrative, but at the same time, these maps should have been placed only in the chapters that actually discuss the respective battle. As it is, when you are reading about a battle you have to flip back several pages to find the relevant map.
This book is no dry piece of military history and it still remains very readable and thought-provoking. Overall is a good operational study that offers more than just an analysis of some panzer operations and maneuvers. Recommended!
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