THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion

Members can join in a Q&A with Stephen Robinson, the author of a new WW2 book; "Panzer Commander: Hermann Balck".

Stephen has generously offered to host a Q&A with group members about his new book; "Panzer Commander: Hermann Balck Germany's Master Tactician".

Here are some details on the book:

Germany’s Master Tactician
"A history of one of the world’s greatest armoured warfare commanders, Hermann Balck (1897–1982). During World War II, he commanded panzer troops brilliantly, and we follow his exciting journey through the fields of France, mountains of Greece and steppes of Russia. It is also the story of a cultured and complex man with a great love of antiquity and classical literature, who nevertheless willingly fought for Hitler’s Third Reich while remaining strangely detached from the horrors around him."


Casus Belli Podcast - Panzer Commander, an Interview with Stephen Robinson:
https://www.casusbellipodcast.com/wor...

Australian Defence Magazine Review:
https://militarybooksaustralia.wordpr...

For those interested in WW2 naval topics Stephen has also written and published a book on German commerce raiders: "False Flags". I am sure Stephen will be happy to take questions on this book as well.

False Flags: Disguised German Raiders of World War II by Stephen Robinson
Description:
False Flags tells the epic untold story of German raider voyages to the South Seas during the early years of World War II. In 1940 the raiders Orion, Komet, Pinguin and Kormoran left Germany and waged a ‘pirate war’ in the South Seas — part of Germany’s strategy to attack the British Empire’s maritime trade on a global scale. Their remarkable voyages spanned the globe and are maritime sagas in the finest tradition of seafaring. The four raiders voyaged across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans as well as the Arctic and Antarctic.

False Flags is also the story of the Allied sailors who encountered these raiders and fought suicidal battles against a superior foe as well as the men, women and children who endured captivity on board the raiders as prisoners of the Third Reich.

Check out the publishers web site for additional information and reviews:
https://exislepublishing.com/product/...

Just to get people interested in the book here is some information from the Introduction to "Panzer Commander":

"Balck had earlier established himself as one of the finest armoured warfare commanders in history during the Chir River battles, a series of desperate engagements fought on the frozen steppes of southern Russia during Germany's disastrous Stalingrad campaign. On 8 December 1942, when commanding the 11th Panzer Division, he annihilated the Soviet 1st Tank Corps as Sovchos 79, destroying fifty-three Red Army tanks. One week later, with only twenty-five operational panzers, Balck attacked the Soviet bridehead at Nizhna Kalinovski and destroyed sixty-five Russian tanks while only losing three panzers.

Balck's extraordinary achievements at the Chir River earned him a well-deserved reputation within the Wehrmacht as a commander who led from the front and won battles despite fighting against overwhelming odds. The German High Command recognized his courageous leadership, awarding him the Knight's Cross with oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, a prestigious medal given only to twenty-six other Germans during World War II. General Heinrich Gaedcke, who served under Balck on the Eastern Front, remembered him as a 'model field commander' and a 'man of unconventional, brilliant ideas and inspirations'.

Despite Balck's exceptional military record, he received little recognition after the war. Unlike Erwin Rommel, Heinz Guderian and Erich von Manstein, who will forever be associated in the popular imagination as legendary German commanders, history has largely forgotten Hermann Balck. The historian Carlo D'Este accordingly observed that his name 'is conspicuously missing from the list of successful generals. David Zabecki similarly concluded that Balck is the 'greatest German general no one ever heard of'. "

Chir River battles:
https://www.historynet.com/study-comm...

Panzer Commander Hermann Balck: Germany's Master Tactician by Stephen Robinson

A question for Stephen, when did you first hear/read about Hermann Balck and what inspired you to write a book on him?

Thanks for your response Stephen and also for the details on that book which is one that I have not heard of.

The Myth Of The Eastern Front: The Nazi Soviet War In American Popular Culture by Ronald Smelser

Did your research take you anywhere interesting and did you come across any material or information that surprised you, something you weren't aware of before?

I just had a quick look at those documents, I will have to go back for a more in-depth read but they look very interesting. Thanks for posting the links, very much appreciated and I am sure group members who have an interest in the subject will really enjoy checking them out.

David Glantz is one of my favourite author's when it comes to books on the Eastern Front although at times reading his books can be a bit of a struggle due to the amount of information and material.

I am about half-way through your book and really enjoying it. I have just finished the chapter on the fall of Greece and about to start the sections on the German invasion of Russia in 1941.

Do you think you can identify the main factor/s that led to Hermann Balck becoming such a great tactician and battlefield commander during WW2?

Why did the US Army take such an interest in him an how did they get to know about him in the first place if he never published any books on his wartime experiences?

Thanks for those answers, very interesting!

From reading your book Stephen it seems that Hermann Balck liked to lead from the front with communications back to his HQ which was left in the hands of capable subordinates. Is Balck's style of leadership much different from Erwin Rommel's? If so in what way?

I quite liked the quote from Freeman Dyson you used in the chapter heading for the Epilogue:

"Balck was a likable character because he did not take himself too seriously. He went on winning battles, just as Picasso went on paining pictures, without pretentiousness or pious talk. He won battles because the skill came to him naturally. He never said that battle-winning was a particularly noble or virtuous activity; it was simple his trade."

Do you think that's a fairly accurate portrait of Hermann Balck?

Rommel was more of a micro-manager, Balck preferred to delegate authority to his trusted subordinates. That method instills more faith and loyalty than a heavy hands-on approach. I interviewed von Mellenthin, and von Luck. Both had a very high regard for Balck, and both believed him a better strategic mind than Rommel, and perhaps the best tactical leader due to his ability to select the best men to take charge at various levels.

Colin wrote: "Rommel was more of a micro-manager, Balck preferred to delegate authority to his trusted subordinates. That method instills more faith and loyalty than a heavy hands-on approach. I interviewed von ..."

Thanks Colin, my reading so far tends to support exactly that.

Great conversation !

For those interested here is my thoughts on "Panzer Commander":

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Hey Stephen
I am going to change topic for a moment as I have just finished reading The Shipwreck Hunter: A lifetime of extraordinary discovery and adventure in the deep seas by David L. Mearns as an Australian his hunt for the Kormoran and the Sydney really interested me (Plus the Centaur) and got me wanting to know more about the Raiders. I forgot I had your book False Flags: Disguised German Raiders of World War II. One of the things that impressed me the most is the amount of photographers, I have notice in the photograph credits it notes Authors Collection, Where did you get them? What made you write about the Raiders (just a curiosity)?

For those interested here is an article on General Hermann Balck by Stephen Robinson, author of "Panzer Commander", which has just been released this month:

https://militaryhistorynow.com/2019/0...

Panzer Commander Hermann Balck: Germany's Master Tactician by Stephen Robinson