Rating: 
Summary: A fine book by a fine soldier
Review: I have just about finished reading this book, but I feel that it is one of the best books on war memoirs that I have ever read (although admittedly I haven't read that many). Hans von Luck takes us through his experiences with the calm detachment of one who is at peace with himself and has come to terms with the many harsh circumstances in which he found himself. There isn't any gory detail or horrifying imagery to this work, so blood-and-death fans would probably be bored with it, but I find that it's a fascinating account form the 'other' side. It would be hard to find another soldier who had the breadth of experiences that Hans von Luck had, or had met the number of important people, for example Rommel, vom Manteufel, Jodl, Kesselring etc. as he did. I highly recommend this book for those who are interested in stories of WWII.
Rating: 
Summary: A MUST FOR ANYONEE INTERESTED IN WWII HISTORY
Review: ONE OF GERMANY'S MOST BRILLANT AND CAPABLE YOUNG FIELD OFFICERS DESCRIBES HIS EXPERIENCES FIGHTING IN POLAND,THE RUSSIAN FRONT, NORTH AFRICA AND NORMANDY. CLOSER TO WHAT THE WAR WAS REALLY LIKE THAN ACCOUNTS WRITTEN BY HISTORIANS. A MUST FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN WWII HISTORY.
Rating:
Summary: It discusses not only the war, but experiances of the times
Review: I have read another panzer book, "Panzer Battles" and this is similar, but is intereseing in its own way. if your looking to learn about the tactics and outcomes of the German operations in World War Two, "Panzer Commander" is an O.K. book, but "Panzer Battles" focuses more on what I just stated. tells the World War II in a different, more personal way. This explains how it was to not only endure the terrible war, but how life was shortly before and after the war. He discusses his early respect for Hitler in 1939, but how Hitler eventually caused the utter defeat of Germany and the consequenses its people were to endure during the Cold War Era. More importantly, Hans von Luck discusses his compassion for his comrades-in-arms, and his respect for his enemies. He makes it clear that you can not judge people because of race, religion, or nationality, but must appreciate the person for who they are. Hans von Luck was apart of the Greatest ! ! conflict in history, and he knows that we can not make the same mistake again.
Rating:
Summary: Wow, what a great book!
Review: This book breaks down into two distinct parts. The first part deals with Von Luck's wartime career as a combat group commander in the German Army. The second half covers his experiences as a German POW in Russia. Both stories are fantastic! Von Luck is a good story-teller with a great story. I was struck at the depth of his character and his humanity under incredible stress. I can't imagine how difficult and grueling it must have been as a Russian POW but Von Luck seems to have weathered it by relying on his situational awareness and his belief and respect for the people around him. I recommend this book not just as a window onto the "otherside" of WWII but as an introduction to an interesting man who persevered against tremendous adversity and came through with his humanity and character intact.
Rating:
Summary: A amazing proffessional german soldier of the old breed.
Review: I loved this book. Von Luck was a soldiers soldier. The book details his experiences in the pre-war Reichswehr, Africorps (and one of Rommels favorites), Normandy, eastern front, and a prisoner of war in the dismal russian gulag system. Von Luck was one of the youngest german officiers to reach the rank of Oberst and not without good reason. His military proffessionalism is in the finest prussian tradition which will indelibly mark him as one of the premier commanders of the second world war. When one reads this story, it is plain he fought for his country as any patriot would without the trappings of idealogical fanaticism. As a student of military history, it is refreshing to read about a humane and chivalrous german officer in the midst of barbarity and chaos. This is a must read for any armchair commando.
Rating:
Summary: Good story teller !
Review: Hans von Luck happened to live the lives of several men, so it seems. He was at practically all the major scenes of the European WWII theatre. Von Luck tells his tale well and, despite the subject, with some humour. He has good philosophical thoughts. There were however a few things which annoyed and puzzled me a bit. Hans von Luck stays clear of more detailed descriptions of the fighting actions. He describes them in the same fashion as he describes his visits to his friends in Paris.A bit casual and cool, as if fighting in sub sub sub zero temperasture in Russia is not worth much more description than the casual remark about the purchase of wine. He keeps his distance and stays cool. As he is always an officer and a gentleman he gets more and more a one-dimensional, fictional, person. In the end I wondered whether it were memoires or a bad screenplay. Albeit this, the book is highly recommendable for an insight in the German army.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone puzzled by the insanity of war.
Review: A superb, easy-to-read detail of one man's adventures in war. Excellent reading for anyone interested in the ultimate failure of politics - war.
Rating:
Summary: The Wehrmacht's Answer to Forrest Gump!
Review: About a third of the way into this book, I had to check to make sure it was a biography and not fiction. Hans von Luck's experiences in the German military during WW2 read like something out of "Forrest Gump" - this guy was everywhere: East Front, North Africa, Normandy, East Front, etc. One humourous thread that runs through his various tours of duty is his seemingly bottomless personal stash of coffee that he took with him everywhere (real coffee being like gold in Germany then). His writing style and the philosophical perspective that he brings to his experiences reveal a cultured and capable individual. It is unfortunate that more of Germany's leading military commanders (Rommel, Wittman, etc.) did not survive the war, because the world would have the full benefit of their reflections on the war "from the other side". A good read that reveals some of the humanity present within the German military at that time.
Rating:
Summary: Panzer Commander the other side of WWII
Review: Panzer Commander is the memoirs of Col Hans Von Luck who had a varied and interesting military stint with the German army in WWII. In short this book is valuable because the perspective is told from the German side and by a real soldier not a manic Nazi. This book would be an excellent book for someone who is not interested in just military history but for the more human side of the war. Luck talks about his years in a Russian prison camp and seems to be able to tell his whole
story without bitterness. If someone doesn't make a movie out of this book then I will.
Rating:
Summary: WWII a ten year ordeal?
Review: Von Luck relates his experiences of WWII that lasted from 1939
to 1949 when he was released from a Soviet POW camp. Truly an amazing story of one who served with the likes of Rommel, and was once sent to have an meeting with the Hitler himself! A truly insightful and captivating tale of a man who served on both
the eastern and western fronts as well as in Africa.
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