The Last Panther

Slaughter of the Reich - The Halbe Kessel 1945

By: Wolfgang Faust

Narrated by: George Backman

While the Battle of Berlin in 1945 is widely known, the horrific story of the Halbe Kessel remains largely untold. In April 1945, victorious Soviet forces encircled 80,000 men of the German 9th Army in the Halbe area, South of Berlin, together with many thousands of German women and children. The German troops, desperate to avoid Soviet capture, battled furiously to break out toward the West, where they could surrender to the comparative safety of the Americans. For the German civilians trapped in the Kessel, the quest to escape took on frantic dimensions, as the terror of Red Army brutality spread.

The small town of Halbe became the eye of the hurricane for the breakout, as King Tigers of the SS Panzer Corps led the spearhead to the West, supported by Panthers of the battle-hardened 21st Panzer Division. Panzer by panzer, unit by unit, the breakout forces were cut down - until only a handful of Panthers, other armour, battered infantry units and columns of shattered refugees made a final escape through the rings of fire to the American lines. This first-hand account by the commander of one of those Panther tanks relates with devastating clarity the conditions inside the Kessel, the ferocity of the breakout attempt through Halbe, and the subsequent running battles between overwhelming Soviet forces and the exhausted Reich troops, who were using their last reserves of fuel, ammunition, strength and hope.

Eloquent German-perspective accounts of World War 2 are surprisingly rare, and the recent reissue of Wolfgang Faust's 1948 memoir Tiger Tracks has fascinated readers around the world with its insight into the Eastern Front. In The Last Panther, Faust used his unique knowledge of tank warfare to describe the final collapse of the Third Reich and the murderous combat between the German and Russian armies. He gives us a shocking testament to the cataclysmic final hours of the Reich, and the horrors of this last eruption of violence among the idyllic forests and meadows of Germany.

©2015 The Estate of Wolfgang Faust; Bayern Classic Publications (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

This book is full of interesting tidbits

The narrator is easy to listen, meaning you don't really notice him. That's high praise cause a lot of books are ruined by the reader clashing with the flow of your attention. I did not know about the events in this book which are well told by 1st person perspective..

Exciting Story

It’s hard to believe this is a true biographical story because of the details. It has the perspective of an all seeing author, not an actual participant. Nevertheless doubtless the details are truly authentic, maybe in the aggregate, taken together.

Gripping tale

This was a powerful account that kept me on the edge of my seat. If you are interested in the fight on the Eastern Front, this is for you.

A Breathtaking Story

While the story is absolutely breathtaking, the over expressive reading style of the narrator often detracts from the total impact.

Good Story, Regardless of Fact or Fiction

Looking at other reviews of this title before listening, I was skeptical of the accuracy or whether the claims of it being 'Pro-Nazi propaganda' were warranted. I have heard of a lot of 'memoirs' written by German Veterans and Generals being seen as whitewashing of history, or vindication of their own actions, knowing this, I went into this title with a massive grain of salt.

Needless to say -and maybe I am naive, I didn't find a single part of this story -be it a memoir or a work of historical fiction, to be anything resembling 'Pro-Nazi' message or vindication of the Nazi cause. Instead what i found was a heartbreaking;y tragic story of a desperate young man, entering hell and coming out the other side -his hands dirty, his mind warped, body broken.

Whether it is a true memoir or not is inconsequential as far as I am concerned, as to me it is a well paced, nuanced tale of just how horrific war can be. The fact is this: the Battle of Halbe Pocket, the 9th Army did break out to reach a corridor held by the 12th Army, and the crossing of the Elbe to surrender to the Americans were all true events. I don't know whether 'Wolfgang Faust existed or not, and I don't really care. To me he represents everyone of those poor souls trapped, desperate for something resembling hope.

In the story there are heroes (the Soldiers fighting to protect civilians), villains (smug Waffen SS men only looking out for themselves), traitors (the German Seydlitz Men helping the Soviets), cowards (German Soldiers refusing to fight and hiding among the Civilians), and innocents (the women and children caught in the crossfire). And no side of the conflict or political perspective is spared or given vindication...In fact -for all those accusing this boo of being 'pro-Nazi' I would say there is surprisingly little political references. The few references to the Nazis do not paint them in a flattering light,portraying the SS as smug, arrogant,self serving -and willing to murder anyone who gets in the way of their escape westward. Several times the narrator 'Faust' makes references to the Nazi atrocities on the Eastern Front, and even empathizes with the vengeful Soviets.

To me it seems that the reason why so many accuse this book of being 'Pro-Nazi' is because of the simple fact that it portrays a German Soldier as the protagonist, despite the fact that he does not openly admonish Hitler or the Nazis. It seems today that in order for us to have a 'good German' they must first disavow Nazism and actively oppose the regime in order to be seen as somewhat redeemable. But this character 'Faust' doesn't really bother with that -as he is too busy trying to survive the brutal, savage melee to worry about whether he's fighting for the goodies or the baddies. And that's probably what was going through most German's heads at the time.

Some people take issue with the fact that 'Faust' doesn't name any of his Panzer crewmen or the fact that his Platoon Leader's 'Iron Cross' is inaccurate. While the latter part is true -as only a Knights Cross of the Iron Cross was worn around the neck, it is never explicitly stated that 'the Iron Cross around his neck isn't a Knights Cross. Thus, how sure are you that Faust wasn't referring to the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross in an abbreviated way, simply for brevity. The same thing with his crewmen -its easier for a reader or listener to understand, "I told my gunner to..." or "my driver looked at me with horror" as opposed to "I told Schmidt to..." or "Fredrik looked at me with horror..."

All in all I found the story sobering, especially in the end...Not going to spoil it.

I've always wanted to read about the Battle of Halbe, and whether this is fact or fiction, this book gave me the picture I had long sought out, and I feel as if I am a better, more informed person for reading it.

If you are looking for Pro-Nazi war porn, look somewhere else, and perhaps read something like 'The Devil's Guard' an actual Pro-Nazi work of fiction about Waffen SS men who fight in Vietnam for the French Foreign Legion. Upon reading the first few pages of that book, I had to put it down -as it portrayed the SS as super-soldiers, who the French stand in awe of. Soviets and Vietminh guerrillas are shown as bloodthirsty savages -with about as much subtly as neon light saying 'bad guy'. The book even advocates taking enemy civilians hostage.

This book, I repeat, this book -despite claims of the contrary, is not that.

And if you doubt me, read it (or listen) for yourself.

Nothing held back

This is another great book about germans being trapped inside a “pocket” within german borders, but this one spares not one bloody detail. If you like books with in-depth battle details, this one’s for you.

amazing

it was so good I loved it so much if you get the chance you should get this book it is so good I recommend it so much

Great book, terrible reader.

I cannot imagine a worse reader for this story. Good content though... Only thing that kept me going.

Real Fighting

It is very hard for Americans to imagine fighting without limits by either side. Very violent with no quarter given by either side,

True or not, this is an exciting read

I'm writing a combined review of Tiger Tracks and The Last Panther.

Many reviewers think these are fictional stories, not memoirs. My gut tells me they read more like Hollywood than history, but I didn't fight on the Eastern Front, so what do I know? Maybe the insanely violent battles, the desperate attempts to escape from the Red Army hordes, the drug use, the murders, and the rapes are all true.

Some say this book is false because the author never gives the name of his unit. If you were a former German WWII soldier writing under a pseudonym, maybe you wouldn't want a written account traced back to you. Some people have pointed out phrases that didn't sound like they'd be used by a German WWII soldier, but this obviously went through a translator, possibly many years after the war, and the publisher may have told said translator to jazz things up a little. Some say iron crosses were never worn on neck ribbons, but I've read about them on ribbons in The Last Battle by Cornelius Ryan, which is a well-known history book. Maybe near the end of the war, the Nazis were passing out iron crosses as a last-ditch morale booster.

So, I don't know what % of these books are truth vs. fiction, but they are incredibly tense and action-packed reading material. If they are fictional, the real tragedy is that I don't know who the author is, because I want to read everything else he's every written.