Guderian Heinz Wilhelm - Guderian : Panzer pioneer or myth maker?

GUDERIAN

MILITARY PROFILES

SERIES EDITOR

Dennis E. Showalter, Ph.D.

Colorado College

Instructive summaries for general and expert
readers alike, volumes in the Military Profiles
series are essential treatments of significant and
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ancient times through the present.

Panzer Pioneer or Myth Maker?

Russell A. Hart

Copyright 2006 by Potomac Books, Inc.

Published in the United States by Potomac Books, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hart, Russell A.
Guderian: Panzer pioneer or myth maker? / Russell A. Hart.
1st ed.
p. cm.(Military profiles)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-57488-809-9 (alk. paper)ISBN 1-57488-810-2
(pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Guderian, Heinz, 18881954. 2. GeneralsGermany
Biography. 3. Germany. HeerBiography. 4. Germany. Heer
Armored troopsHistory. 5. World War, 19391945Tank
warfare. I. Title. II. Series.

U55.G8H28 2006
358.18092dc22
[B]

2005055226

ISBN-10 1-57488-809-9 HC
ISBN-13 978-1-57488-809-6 HC
ISBN-10 1-57488-810-2 PB
ISBN-13 978-1-57488-810-2 PB

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards Institute Z39-48 Standard.

Potomac Books, Inc.
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Dulles, Virginia 20166

First Edition

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

I have incurred many debts of gratitude during completion of this biography of Heinz Guderian. I would like to thank Alex Lassner for sharing his research on the military aspects of the German annexation of Austria in 1938. I would also like to thank Geoff Megargee, Jrg Muth, Gerhard Weinberg, Dennis Showalter, and Wick Murray for their insights into Guderians personality, relationships, and career. I must also acknowledge the assistance and advice of Mark Reardon, which has been indispensable. Thanks also go to Jim Gates, Michael Pavkovic, Jim McNaughton, Dan Mortensen, Rob Rush, Tom Hughes, and David Zabecki for advice, friendship, and encouragement. As ever I am indebted to my brother, Stephen Hart, and especially my wife, Allison Gough, for their valuable input and support. At Potomac Books, Inc., I would like to thank Paul Merzlak, Rick Russell, and Laura Hymes for their confidence, guidance, and camaraderie, without which this project would never have reached fruition. I would also like to thank Donald Frazier for his valuable work on the maps. Special mahalo goes to my program director at Hawaii Pacific University, Michael Pavelec, and to the generous support of several HPU Trustees Scholarly Endeavors Program grants, without which this project could never have been completed. At HPU, I would also like to thank Ralph Kam and Stefanie Sasaki for their assistance. Any errors of fact that remain are my responsibility alone.