Friedrich von Mellenthin

Friedrich von Mellenthin (30 August 1904 – 28 June 1997) was a German major general during World War II. A participant in most of the major campaigns of the war, he became known afterwards for his memoirs Panzer Battles, first published in 1956 and reprinted several times since then.

Quotes

• At the very beginning of the offensive, the piercing of the forward Russian lines, deeply and heavily mined as they were, had proved much more difficult than we anticipated. The terrific Russian counterattacks, with masses of men and material ruthlessly thrown in, were also an unpleasant surprise. German casualties had not been light, while our tank losses were staggering. The Panthers did not come up to expectations; they were easily set ablaze, the oil and gasoline feeding systems were inadequately protected, and the crews were insufficiently trained. Of the 80 Panthers available when battle was joined only a few were left on 14 July [1943].
  • Panzer Battles: A Study of the Employment of Armor in the Second World War, translated from the German (University of Oklahoma Press, 1956)

External links

• Encyclopedic article on Friedrich von Mellenthin on Wikipedia