The Last Panther - Slaughter of the Reich - The Halbe Kessel 1945 (Wolfgang Faust's Panzer Books) Kindle Edition

Being a military man myself and really enjoying these types of work; "The Last Panther" was gripping, suspenseful, and raw. The book centers around a Feldwebel (comparatively same rank as I was, a Sergeant) attempting to keep he and his crew alive through impossible, nightmarish odds, in one of the last functioning Panther tanks of the Third Reich. He and his tank are in a race against time and the Russian war machine to escape west, to avoid the certain doom of Russian capture to find relative safety in American capture. The language that the author uses is both gripping and descriptive. You are left to imagine the absolute carnage that is unfolding on the tired, weary and battle worn combatants and the civilians that follow them, as the Russians close in behind them. The feeling of impending doom and suspense is palatable, every page is a shock at the in-humanity these people faced between constant shelling, harrying by enemy aircraft, and other means of destruction.Small things in the piece, like the way the author described facing the new Josef Stalin type heavy tanks that could fight and kill German King Tigers, was absolutely gripping. Too often we only hear the History Channel emeblishment of the Tiger tank series-- whilst absolutely a marvel of battlefield strength, it was not the quantum shift if armored warfare that we sometimes believe. It was interesting to hear the German tankers thoughts on things like why he thought those said Josef Stalin tanks reloaded so slowly; his hypthosesis was that they gun used a two part charge and projectile system (like a battleship). I know that he was spot on from hindsight in 2015, but it's astonishing to hear his deduction from 1945 as he faced down the gun.It's important that the world not turn a blind eye to works like these, lest we lose entirely the first hand account of what actually took place here. Too often we are left with the Hollywood image of these battles, which is an absolute mockery of what these people actually endured. One passage that really stuck with me is when the author described his retreating element coming into contact with a group of 3 Russian T-34 tanks that were dug in to defend against German retreats such as this. The battle unfolds in great detail as the author describes the tension and stress of having his gunner engage targets that are also engaging him. At one point in this battle, 2 of the three T-34s are destroyed and one final Russian tank remains. The Russian tank emerges from his defensive position, in a gallant attempt to ram tanks in the german element, knowing that they are ultimately doomed. The author describes this tank commanders action as heroic and even goes as far as to elude to the fact that this "Hero of the Soviet Union" and his actions, while incredibly valiant, were ultimately in vain and would most likely would never be recorded or remembered.It is through works like this, that we can respect, admire and never forget true courage and true determination. It is my hope that my review here influences somebody to purchase this book and pay omage to this incredible human history. If just one person does so, this will have been a success.

It seems this is thought to be more of a Novel by some forums. Take that for what it is worth. Lots of action, too much detail, everything explodes into a ball of flame and in the end few survive.That does not mean the events described did not happen. I find it hard to believe that all of this happened to or was observed by the author exactly as described.It starts out well with names of places, but no names of his crew. Not even first names or a nick name, which is fine, but overall makes it less believable and less personal.That being said, it's a wild ride. Full of action, explosions, a fanatical enemy that has no self preservation instincts at all, traitors, evil SS officers and much much more. I recommend it as a easy read and enjoyable, but not a historical document.An audio version might be good for a long commute.

The Last Panther has shed more light on the reality and brutality of the final stages of WW2 than any movie hollywood has produced. The raw and candid storytelling effectively puts the reader right in the Panzerkampfwagen V next to the author and allows one to be fully immersed in every gory and hellish scene. Being a student of this history with an emphasis on armored vehicles, I did not find any relevant technical mistakes and all the descriptions of the battles with vehicles make sense from a technical standpoint. Other reviews have claimed inaccuracies stating that the author mistakenly described tank specifications such as mistakes in chassis, powertrain and armament but these reviews show that the reader who left the review is not knowledgeable enough to know the distinctions and classifications of different vehicles such as the difference between a “Jagdpanther” and “Jagdpanzer” which are both mentioned in the book, or the fact they the 88MM armament in a Tiger I is not the same as the 88MM in the Tiger II. Disregard these reviews. The book has wild encounters between Russian and German tanks of various types in various situations, such as 3 IS tanks VS 2 Panthers, Tiger IIs vs IS tanks, Flamethrower T34s and more. The personal account paints in candid form the sheer amount of German civilian deaths that where occurring by the thousands, the sheer amount of sexual assaults and torture of woman of all ages by the opposing forces, which is glossed over by most modern media. The sheer will to survive and not fall in to the merciless claws of the “Reds” is a constant expression through out the story. I highly recommend this book for any true student of WW2 history. It personally left an impression that is simply unforgettable.

Fantastic, detailed account of the desperate attempts of the Germans to escape the horrors of Soviet Russian capture or occupation! Highly recommend!