Guderian's Panzers: From Triumph to Defeat on the Eastern Front (1941)

"Using this time a zoom lens on Panzer General Heinz Guderian, Craig Luther again captures the realities of Germany´s eastern front in 1941, the execution of ‘Case Barbarossa.’ His engaging narrative provides a richly documented account of an operational genius (and loyal follower of the “Führer”) along with his armored forces as an instrument of war to smash the Soviet Union. While Luther is focused on Guderian’s combat activities in Russia, he is also careful to note the panzer general’s complicity in the execution of Hitler’s criminal orders in the ill-fated eastern campaign."
 

"Dr Craig Luther, accomplished expert on the Eastern Front, has once again produced a work worthy of any library. He ably presents the strategic and operational contexts of Guderian’s Russian campaign, while illuminating the tactical differences between the two armies. His analysis of Guderian as a man, commander, and leader presents lessons that still resonate today. This book serves as an excellent introduction to the opening months of Operation Barbarossa and the pivotal role that Guderian played."

“In Guderian’s Panzers: From Triumph to Defeat on the Eastern Front 1941, Craig W. H. Luther’s latest book, we see Guderian as the flawed man that he really was, not the self-aggrandizing tank expert he made himself out to be in his popular memoir, Panzer Leader… Luther’s book provides perhaps the best account yet of what it was like to ride the waves of enthusiasm as the first large-scale battles along borders of the Soviet Union are won at scant cost to the invaders… This book needs to be on the bookshelf of anyone attempting a serious study of the initial phases of Operation Barbarossa and of Heinz Guderian the man… Craig W. H. Luther’s Guderian’s Panzers provides a fresh look at a conflict that still remains the largest land war ever attempted.”

"In his new book Craig Luther offers a gripping read with a refreshingly critical view of Guderian, whose memoirs are far too often taken at face value."

Praise for Soldiers of Barbarossa (2020)

“This splendid volume complements the authors’ previous work on Operation Barbarossa by providing unique glimpses of this uncommonly brutal warfare through the soldiers’ eyes. It not only captures the ferocity of the fighting but it also exposes the wildly swinging emotional reactions of the soldiers to it, as well as to the political context in which it took place. It is a must-read for those interested in World War II, in general, and the Soviet-German War, in particular.”

“David Stahel and Craig Luther, among the foremost experts on the German invasion of the Soviet Union, have assembled a dramatic, insightful, often shocking collection of accounts from more than two-hundred German soldiers who took part in the invasion. Soldiers of Barbarossa conveys the ferocity of the fighting, the harshness of the environment, the brutality of the Third Reich’s ideological ‘crusade’ in the East, and the calamity that befell the Wehrmacht as the Blitzkrieg failed for the first time. Students, experts, and laypeople alike will find Soldiers of Barbarossa compelling reading.”

Praise for The First Day on the Eastern Front (2018)

“Certainly the most complete, balanced, and, without question, the most thoroughly researched treatment of the first twenty-one hours of Operation Barbarossa. Luther has captured the drama, shock, and devastation of those fateful hours like no one else. It is a powerful and enthralling read. Highly recommended.”

“A formidable, balanced, and successful effort to capture the immense complexity and overpowering emotional impact of the first day of Adolf Hitler’s Operation Barbarossa, characterized by impressive and carefully documented detail.”

“Exhaustively researched and well written, Luther has produced a work with a very unique approach to a well-covered topic. This book is a must-read for students of the Eastern Front in World War II.”