Rating: 
Summary: Sets the standard for the genre....
Review: "Panzer Battles" is maybe THE indispensible tactical and strategic memior of the Second World War. The author, Maj. General F.W. von Mellenthin, does not have the fame of a Guderian or von Manstein, the colorful personal experiences of a von Luck, or the resources of a Patton (whose memoiors were written during, rather than after, the war); what he does have is a keen understanding of how modern warfare evolved during WWII and how its lessons can and should be applied -- not only in war itself, but (and I am reading a bit into this, but bear with me) in business and in life.Some cautions. Firstly -- "Panzer Battles" is very technical and is not a "hot lead and cold steel" memior, nor does it have the colorful stories that von Luck's "Panzer Commander." Personal experiences are kept to an absolute minimum and von Mellenthin seldom pulls back to give us a 'God eye' view of the war (he explains that on direct order of Hitler, field commanders and even the General Staff officers assigned to them were kept totally in the dark about the war as a whole, and only permitted to know that information which related to their own theater of operations). His book is a study of tank warfare as he experienced it as a staff officer in North Africa, Soviet Russia, and the Western Front, and does not pretend to be a historical overview, but only a sober analysis of his own expereinces. Secondly, it is almost entirely devoid of sentiment, emotion, prejudice, or favoritism -- Mellenthin writes in a cool-blooded, analytic vein, as if describing chess matches in a newspaper. People looking for vivid discriptions of combat, or even the small personal experiences that make war memiors so interesting, will be disappointed and should look elsewhere. Now -- the author, the book, its message, and its impact. "Panzer Battles" was written by a general staff officer who started the war as a captain and finished it as a major general. Along the way he served in Poland in 1939, France in 1940 and again in 1944, North Africa in 1941 - 1942, Russia in 1943 - 1944, commanded the 9th Panzer division in the battle of the Bulge and finished the war as chief of staff to the German army group trapped in the Ruhr, whose surrender more or less ended active fighting on the Western Front in 1945. He had intimate knowledge of generals like Model, Rommel, von Manstein, and Balck (who he considers the most underrated general of the war), access to many of their personal papers, and even met Hitler. The book follows his career from theater to theater, and recounts the many battles, but is most interesting when it discusses how the Germans achieved such amazing successes with am army that was usually outnumbered and outgunned, sometimes by odds of as much as 5 - 1. Mellenthin makes a convincing case that as late as 1944, the Germans could have avoided defeat on the Russian front had they been allowed to use the mobile tactics that they had invented and perfected, and whose worth they proved over and over
again during the war, rather than sticking by Hitler's inevitable 'hold or die' orders, which caused one disaster after another. He backs up this claim with numerous examples of small, mobile German forces destroying Soviet armies many times their size; and on the other hand points to such follies as the disasterous Battle of White Russia in July, 1944 (where Hitker issued yet another 'stand or die' order) as proof that "war is a science and one cannot disregard its principles with impunity." In addition to his ridicule of Hitler, Mellenthin also offers some rather pointed insight on the mentality of the Russian soldier and his leaders. His language is such that some modern readers will be offended, but his viewpoint was shaped not merely by Nazism (for which he clearly had little enthusiasm) but by culture shock. Mellenthin descended from an ancient, petty-noble Prussian military family that viewed war as a gentleman's pursuit, to be fought by dashing professionals on a field of honor: the cold-blooded tactics of the Soviet Command, which employed penal battalions, human-wave assaults, and forcible conscription of children and old people (who were sometimes thrown into battle without weapons), shocked and appalled him (he makes passing mention of German crimes against the Soviet population, but doesn't delve deeply into the matter). Like most Germans of this period, Nazis or no, Mellenthin viewed the Slav as an Asian, rather than a European, and seemed to regard them as slightly less than human. His comments in this regard are an interesting reflection of the times, and must be taken in that context. In closing, "Panzer Battles" can be taken as a simple military thesis, or broadened to show the value of felixibility, quick-thinking, and personal initiative in other aspects of the human condition. Either way, it is worth buying.
Rating: 
Summary: Great read for people interested in history and soldiers
Review: A very good book covering World War 2 from the perspective of a German General Staff Officer. Especially interesting is Part 2 about the war in the Western Desert. Von Mellenthin describes Rommel's leadership methods, the reasons for victories and defeats. In Part 3 he writes about the Russian theatre, the skills of Generals like Manstein or Balck, who takes the author with him as his Chief of Staff from Corps to Army level in Russia and to Army Group G in the Western Front. I can highly recommend Panzerbattles not only for readers of military history but also for soldiers who want to know more about lessons learned in World War 2.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely a staff officer's view
Review: Although he began as a cavalry officer, von Mellenthin seems to have found his niche on staff, usually as an Intelligence Officer. As such his book is, as others have noted, on the dry side; war for von M is primarily an intellectual exercise. That's not meant as a slam; it's actually quite interesting to get this sort of dispassionate account, complete with analyses of alternative battle plans that both sides might have tried. Students of the North Africa campaigns (through El Alamein) will be find Panzer Battles especially interesting, not least for the tactful but essentially unfavorable appraisal of Rommel. (One suspects the author would have been happier under Auchinleck, who remained at HQ like a proper commanding officer.) If you're looking for stirring adventures, 3 stars may seem too many; but if you're looking for a studiedly apolitical analysis from a German professional officer's viewpoint, you might well think it deserves 4.
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Summary: A different look...
Review: Although I could only give a three star rating, I think it really deserves a 3 and a half. That said... This is not an easy book to read. If you are not familiar with military terms, good luck with this one. Even after working in a division level staff, I had to re-read some passages. That being said, as with all military reports, it's a little dry. For those with military experience, it's kind of like reading manuals; a bit boring, but filled with useful information. As a book that covers large unit actions, the decision making processes of some of Germany's brightest Generals, and more than a few disparaging remarks against the OKW/OKH, this book doesn't miss. In that vein, it provides a look at somebody who was behind the scenes at the German army's most pivotal campaigns, even if he is a little free with his glowing reviews of the Generals he worked for. If your looking for a book that covers tank on tank battles, and conversations with individual soldiers, you may want to pass on this book. A better book that recounts small unit actions is Panzer Commander by von Luck, which covers almost the same ground, but reads like someone sharing old war stories. I would reccomend this book to anyone interested in WW II history, with an emphasis on the grand scale. Bottom line, a good book, if a little slow.
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Summary: Fellow Armor Officer
Review: As a fellow armor officer I really enjoyed the general's book, his insights were brilliant along with his leadership analysis. There was definitly a sense of german superiority especially when refering to the russians. However it was never left without ample evidence and cunning explantions. I would highly recommed this book not only for its brilliant armor insights, but for its accurate analysis of leadership.
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Summary: For the serious student of WWII, a great book!
Review: For the serious student of WWII I think this is one of the best books out there. Concise and well written, Von Mellinthin provides great tactical and strategic insight into the deployment of armor on the eastern front in WWII.
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Summary: read with military curiorsity but with political discretion
Review: Great military insights, a classic Prussian staff officer's work. A must read for understanding armour battles in WW2, especially those on the Eastern Front where the most intense armour battles took place. Tactics and commands were well-analyzed in most chapters.
However, politically this book seems a defense for the German General Staff. As a general in the Wehrmacht, Mellenthin disappointed me for not expressing opinion towards the Holocaust, and in general his opinions towards the Red Army and the Russian people seemed too strong.
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Summary: Case studies in armored warfare
Review: I actually read this book BEFORE the first Gulf War, and when, during operation Desert Shield, a camera crew showed this book sitting on General Schwartzkopf's nightstand I knew immediately what Africa Korps operation Schwartzkopf was going to try to repeat in the coming Desert Storm, -- namely, the battle of the Gazala line, only instead of a dust storm to cover the shift of his tanks to the outer flank in the desert, he would use the airforce to blind his opponents. And sure enough...
Rating:
Summary: OK, but not wholly reliable
Review: I read this book some time ago, along with his book on German generals. It's interesting to compare the US history of the Lorraine campaign with the information in this, but I recently found a glaring error - he has the SS Panzer Corps attacking from south side of the salient in response to the Russian offensive of Feb 1943 that cut off (from rail links, anyway) two German army groups. Glantz (From the Don to the Dnepr)and other books with more details have the opposite-the corps (Das Reich and Totenkopf) attacked from the northwest side of the salient.
Rating: 
Summary: A Chore to Read
Review: I've been reading a number of memoires of WWII German generals, so I picked up this book. I don't regret reading it as contains an account from an important player in that war. However, I found it very dry and without much soul, unlike the memoires of Guderian, Rommel, von Luck, or even the cerebral von Manstein. And unless you are really into the details of tank battles, it contains very little new if you've read Guderian and von Manstein because the author succeeds pretty well in hiding himself. If you like detailed accounts of battles, you may find this book to be interesting. If you tend to like war stories or some reflections on the war experience, this book will probably leave you cold. Worthwhile read I think, but definitely not a pleasure. If I were to assemble a reading list of German commanders, I'd probably put this book toward the end of the list.
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