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Guderian: Panzer Pioneer or Myth Maker? By Russell A. Hart. Washington: Potomac Books, 2006. ISBN 1-57488-810-2. Maps. Photographs. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Pp. 160. #13.95.
After the Second World War, how the English-speaking world looked at the war was shaped by a number of influential memoirs penned by former German officers. Among the more notable of these were Erich von Manstein's Lost Victories (akaBqy, Was I Brilliant) and F. W. von Mellenthin's Panzer Battles. Few were more influential, however, than Heinz Guderian's Panzer Leader.
Published in Germany in 1951 under the title Erinnerungen eines SoIdaten, Guderian's memoir was translated into English and published the following year as Panzer Leader. The book proved remarkably influential in shaping perceptions as to how the German Army created its panzer arm, and Guderian's role in that process. This perception was aided by the publication, especially...