Hitler's Panzer Generals: Guderian, Hoepner, Reinhardt and Schmidt Unguarded

Written by David Stahel

Narrated by Julian Elfer

Germany's success in the Second World War was built upon its tank forces; however, many of its leading generals, with the notable exception of Heinz Guderian, are largely unknown. This biographical study of four German panzer army commanders serving on the Eastern Front is based upon their unpublished wartime letters to their wives. David Stahel offers a complete picture of the men conducting Hitler's war in the East, with an emphasis on the private fears and public pressures they operated under. He also illuminates their response to the criminal dimension of the war as well as their role as leading military commanders conducting large-scale operations. While the focus is on four of Germany's most important panzer generals-Guderian, Hoepner, Reinhardt, and Schmidt-the evidence from their private correspondence sheds new light on the broader institutional norms and cultural ethos of the Wehrmacht's Panzertruppe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jan 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9798350882865

David Stahel

David Stahel is the author of over a half dozen books about World War II, several focusing on Nazi Germany’s war against the Soviet Union (including Operation Typhoon and The Battle for Moscow). He completed an MA in war studies at King’s College London in 2000 and a PhD at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in 2009. In his research he has concentrated primarily on the German military in World War II. Dr. Stahel is a senior lecturer in European history at the University of New South Wales, and he teaches at the Australian Defence Force Academy.