Books : MICHAEL WITTMANN AND THE WAFFEN SS TIGER COMMANDERS OF THE LEIBSTANDARTE IN WWII, Vol. 1 (Stackpole Military History)
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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.541343
EAN num: 9780811733342
ISBN number: 0811733343
Label: Stackpole Books
Manufacturer: Stackpole Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 432
Printing Date: September 01, 2006
Publishing house: Stackpole Books
Sale Popularity Level: 229800
Studio: Stackpole Books
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Product Description:
German Panzer ace Michael Wittmann was by far the most famous tank commander on any side in World War II, destroying 138 enemy tanks and 132 anti-tank guns with his Tiger. This classic of armored warfare is both combat biography and unit history, as Patrick Agte focuses on the life and career of Wittmann but also includes his fellow Tiger commanders in the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. Volume One covers the Eastern Front, where Wittmann racked up more than 100 kills and participated in the Battle of Kursk in 1943.
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Rated by buyers 
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Patrick Agte wraps up his history of the 101st/501st SS Panzer Battalion and its most famous member, Michael Wittmann, in this 380+ page paperback from Stackpole Books. Wittmann and Company fought in some of the fiercest battles of the Western and Eastern Fronts, compiling an enviable combat record.
Though the 101st was never able to launch traditional blitzkreig operations while stationed in Normandy, they placed a crucial role in delaying the Allied advance. Time and again 101st Tigers decimated opposing U.S., British and Canadian units. Wittmann's one-man attack on the British 7th Armoured Division on 13 June 1944 is the classic example of the devastation one skillful Tiger commander could inflict on opponents.
Wittmann was killed in combat on 8 August but the Battalion fought on, joining in the German retreat eastward. Eventually re-equipped with the unstoppable but mechanically unreliable King Tiger, the Battalion took part in the December Ardennes offensive and later served in Hungary and Austria. To the end of the war it remained a first-class combat unit manned by skillful, seasoned fighting men.
As with the previous volume, Volume Two is a mixed blessing. It presents a great deal of information on Wittmann and other 101st tank commanders and crews but Agte is no wordsmith. Volume Two reads a bit better than One but it still plods along. Then too Agte's fawning tone towards Wittmann and several other Battalion luminiaries grates on the nerves. Wittmann and the others may have been superbly skilled warriors and tacticians but they surely had flaws, weaknesses, etc. You wouldn't know that from Agte's book.
The book is illustrated with over 280 photographs, some of which are poorly reproduced, and over a dozen maps, most of which are so badly done as to be useless.
In summary, Volume Two is worth a look but don't expect a sparkling text and objectivity. That's unfortunate because fighting men like Wittmann, even if they served the world's most evil empire, deserve to have their exploits chronicled in a fair-minded fashion.
Rated by buyers -
The Eastern Front experiences of the world's most successful tank ace, Michael Wittmann, and those of his fellow Waffen SS Tiger commanders of the Leibstandarte Division are covered in this very first of two volumes published by Stackpole Books.
This very first volume does provide a great deal of information of Wittmann and his comrades and the combat activities of the 4th (Heavy) Company from its creation in January 1943 to early June 1944 when Wittmann & his comrades, now part of the 101st SS Panzer Battalion, found themselves in France awaiting the Allied invasion. Numerous first-person accounts of Wittmann, the man and the military commander, abound. Though many are written in the stilted, stiff wartime style, they do present a coherent picture of an exemplary commander and a superlative fighting leader. The book also includes testimonials to other Waffen SS commanders and many accounts of Eastern Front action. Unfortunately the book, originally published in Germany, is a ponderous read.
The book also features over 300 photographs of Wittmann, his comrades, their tanks, Soviet opponents, etc. Unfortunately photo reproduction quality is poor; most shots are muddy. There are a number of battle maps included but they are are hard to understand and add little to the narrative. I did find the inclusion of the various units' Order of Battle fascinating. At a single glance you could see how many tanks the unit possessed, supporting flak units, scout cars, supply trucks, etc. and realize how large an organization the 10st, for example, was.
All in all, Agte's book is a mixed blessing. Lots of info on Wittmann, other Tiger commanders and Eastern Front battles but it's presented in a plodding, graceless narrative. Lots of rare photos but they're poorly reproduced, etc. Reasonable price ($19.95) but remember: you still need to pick up volume 2 to see how it all ends!
Your call!
Rated by buyers -
I read a couple of readers reviews before I purchased the book. I confirm or concur with what one of the reviewer's said. The maps are not the greatest and the cities mentioned in the text are hard to locate on them and you also need to purchase Vol 2 which continues the story of Wittmann. Vol 1 covers mostly the eastern front and some Italy and Wittmann's exploits there but you need Vol 2 for the western front. It is an easy reading book. More detail about the Tiger's performance aspects would have been good. I will write more on Vol 2 when finished.
Rated by buyers -
I really liked how the book not only delved into Michael Wittman, but also the explored the battles the he was in during WWII.
Rated by buyers 
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Great book. Read Vol I first. You wouldn't want to put the book down. Great story about Michael Wittmann, a true German war hero, and his many panzer comrads in WW II.
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