Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book from Panzer commander & Hitler advisor.
Review: Guderian was a German Panzer expert, & wrote a book in 1938 about Panzer tactics theories ("Achtung Panzer!)". This book is his 2nd & is his life story. He was both a field commander (a Panzer Division, a Panzer Corps, & then a Panzer Army) from 1939-1943, in Poland-France-Russia. Fired in Dec 1943 by Hitler, he was later (1944) re-hired to be one of Hitler's constant advisors until the last days of the war. Many referrences on battles. He comments about German tactics & military objectives which contributed to Germany's defeat. Unfortunately, the book lacks sufficient geographic battle maps. Despite this, I still VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THIS BOOK by a man who was BOTH a Field Commander & a General Staff Officer who advised Hitler, reviewing both Western, Eastern, & Italian Front operations.
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Summary: Exceptional book of the German Amry
Review: Heinz Guderian was more or less the founder of the German Panzerwaffe, or Armored warfare theory. He contributed indirectly to the creation of a new type of warfare and directly to its implementation, namely the blitzkrieg. This theory, of combined arms fighting, would smash the defenses of Poland, Norway, France and almost Russia. It only failed in the latter example, despite a string of overwhelming victories, by the vastness of the country and the decision by Germanys supreme commander - Hitler. This is really what the book is all about. Don't get me wrong, it's truly an outstanding biography about the Second World War and a person that contributed to the rise and fall of Germany. Guderian was without doubt of one the most sympathetic and charismatic officers and individuals in the Wehrmacht. An old fashioned gentleman, schooled in not only the arts of war but of society as a whole by a small piece of land in northeastern Europe - Prussia. A devout catholic, his enrollment in the armed forces would propel him through ranks and fame throughout Prussia and Germany.He was present when Hitler saw, and claimed, the capability of armored tactics and led his units during the invasion of Poland. His real success as a military commander though, would not come until the invasion of France and the penetration of the Ardennes and of course - the French battleline. During Barbarossa, the invasion of the Sovietunion, he led the Second Panzer Group (later to become the 2nd Panzer Army) to the very gates of Moscow. His book takes from the beginning of the war to the last battle of Berlin, in which the dreams of the Third Reich comes to an end by the combined pressure of the allies and the Red Army. His telling of the fighting capabilities of the Wehrmacht and the enemy feels correct and informative. It's a gripping story as the war in the west and east unfolds. His insights in the problems that faced Germany, the ruthlessness of it politics and the sorrows of war bear a personal and resourceful objective view of events that torched Europe and the world. He reasons and analysis the war, the people involved and also the different countries with great respect and objectivity. Although it bear the same scars of war as many of his fellow generals (Manstein, Hausser, Speer) - that Hitler was responsible for the failings of the strategy and the innocence of the armed forces regarding the Jew-issue and the treatment of prisoners and the population in the occupied areas - it feels more genuine and understanding. His portray of Hitler doubtless makes one wonder what in fact could have happened, in the military field, if the German General Staff had been allowed to control their operations. It's a great book about the tactics and operations of the greatest conflict in modern history. However, Guderian faces the same historic dilemma suffered by his comrades-in-arms in the German Army, SS or other branches of Germanys war machine. He cannot accept the collective guilt that, unavoidably, surrounds the members of a military that contributed to the destruction of Europe and the genocide of the Jew community. It doesn't really matter if you didn't commit any atrocities by yourself or the one closest to you. One that fails to intervene is in many ways just as guilty as the one committing the crime. You still share the guilt of what happened, regardless. I'm convinced that Guderian was in many ways the most sympathetic and understanding of the combatants in the war, but still I think he (like every other higher officer) knew or silently understood what was going on the home front and behind the battleline. He was a smart and educated man, who must have recognized the danger of the Jew prosecution and the infamous commissar-order. I would think that readers would be (even) more impressed if the fighting commanders or other (like Speer) took responsibility for what really happened. Nonetheless, it is a great book for everyone interested in tactics and military history, written by a man in its midst. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: One of the classic memoirs of the German generals
Review: Heinz Guderian's account of the development of the German armor forces between the wars and the accompanying strategy is one of the major readings in anyone's understanding of armored warfare.
Guderian helped to develop the concept of blitzkrieg, a concept similar to Liddel Hart's of the massing armored forces in conjuction with air power and artillery. Guderian was the prime architect of the invasion of France and after being relieved by Hitler was then called back to service as Inspector of Panzer Forces in 1943.
Guderian's theories are still in effect today in slightly different manifestations and are mainly used by the US Army's Armored Warfare doctrine. As a witness to modern armor tactics in Desert Storm and the 3rd Infantry Divisions drive north into Iraq in 2003- complete with German style 'reconnaissance in force' forays, I'd go so far as to say the the Army's Armored operational doctrine is a direct descendent of both Guderian and Von Manstein.
Guderian's Panzer Leader is without a doubt, a required read for anyone interested in the military history of WWII.
Rating:
Summary: One of the classic memoirs of the German generals
Review: Heinz Guderian's account of the development of the German armor forces between the wars and the accompanying strategy is one of the major readings in anyone's understanding of armored warfare. Guderian helped to develop the concept of blitzkrieg, a concept similar to Liddel Hart's of the massing armored forces in conjuction with air power and artillery. Guderian was the prime architect of the invasion of France and after being relieved by Hitler was then called back to service as Inspector of Panzer Forces in 1943. Guderian's theories are still in effect today in slightly different manifestations and are mainly used by the US Army's Armored Warfare doctrine. As a witness to modern armor tactics in Desert Storm, I'd go so far as to say the the Army's Armored operational doctrine is a direct descendent of both Guderian and Von Manstein. Guderian's Panzer Leader is without a doubt, a required read for anyone interested in the military history of WWII.
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Summary: A must for any modern warfare buff...
Review: Heinz Guderian, the one General in the German Wehrmacht with perhaps the greatest single influence on the development of armored warfare tactics, expresses his own views about the events in which he was directly involved both pre-WW2 and during the war. I enjoyed his candor and frankness and found the book to be quite illuminating. It is odd growing up in the U.S. and hearing our version of events during this titanic struggle, but it is quite something else to read about events from one of the more prominent figures on the "other side". Highly recommded for any WW2 buff and any war history buffs.
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Summary: GREAT!
Review: I first started to read this book for a report I was doing on the development of Panzer forces. As I read more and more the better it got! I couldn't stop. I talks about everything! Even how they would put flowers on the tanks when they went to a friendly country before war broke out. It's a great book for anyone wanting to learn more about WWII.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as I hoped
Review: If you're thinking about reading this book, you've probably already aquired an interest in WWII from the german point of view. I guess it's true that this book is a must read, being the memoirs of such an important participant as Guderian. I would like to say, however, that it can be quite boring at times. Sometimes, reading this book is like reading a log. To me, there were just too many uneccessary details, like where the HQ was located on this and that date. I would not recommend this book unless you're a serious historian. I've actually stopped reading books like this, myself. I like to read history, but if I'm going to do it in my spare time, it better be stimulating. I didn't really expect this book to be entertaining, but I thought it would be stimulating in other ways to read what Guderian thought. Unfortunately there was too little of that, and too much of irrelevant details. Personally, I liked von Mellenthin's Panzer Battles better than this book. At least, he tries to come up with some lessons learnt from the operations he covers, and he doesn't present more details than what is neccessary to make his point.
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Summary: A work of great magnitude.
Review: In this excellent account of World War II from the perspective of the German, Guderian succeeds in gripping the attention of the reader and fascinating him or her until the final page.
As you read Guderian's description of the 1940 campaign in the West, you can almost feel the disappointment of the Germans as the high command practically allowed the British escape at Dunkirk. The author's depiction of the campaign in Russia is no less enthralling; you can almost see the German soldiers trudging through the mud and snow and feel the loss of hope as time passes and winter progresses.
Not only does this well-written work provide a detailed description of the campaigns that the colonel-general served in, but also vivid pictures of the men that drove the Third Reich into destruction, including of course, Hitler, Goering, Himmler, and Keitel, among others. Guderian gives the most detailed insight into the figure of Adolf Hitler. He takes measures to show what particular events and actions taken by the supreme command led to certain failure, making this book a must-read for those interested in Nazi Germany's rise and fall.
I highly recommend this read to anyone interested in the Second World War.
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Summary: Self-serving autobiography of a principal Nazi general
Review: Panzer Leader is the autobiography of Nazi Colonel-General (= US Army 4 Star) Heinz Guderian, who played an instrumental role in the development of Hitler's tank troops. This book is standard must reading for serious students of tank warfare, but should be read with caution and context when used as a source work of the Nazi Era. Insights include the German Army General Staff's resistance to innovation such as putting radios into tanks, his description of the battles of Dunkirk and Moscow and his claim that Hitler lost both battles by ordering Guderian to halt, and his descriptions of prominent Nazi's including Goering, Himmler, and Hess. My problem with this work is the rationale for his actions the head of a rubber-stamp commission that discharged soldiers from the German armed forces as a precursor for them being turned over to the SS for torture and murder after the July 1944 assassination attempt against Hitler. Contrary to his claims, he did little to prevent the SS purge. Guderian falsely describes the Waffen SS as a professional military organization that was largely innocent if not unaware of the Holocaust. As Chief of the General Staff from July 1943 until late April 1945, he is either lying or wearing both actual and moral blinders.
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Summary: Teaching tales from the inventor of the panzer division
Review: The best book ever written on combined arms operations, written by the man who wrote the book. His work, as well as "Acktung Panzer" are as valid today as they were in the 1940's.
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