The Last Panther
Slaughter of the Reich - The Halbe Kessel 1945
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The Last Panther
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Narrated by:
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George Backman
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By:
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Wolfgang Faust
About this listen
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.What listeners say about The Last Panther
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tomas
- 29-10-2017
brutal and amazing
a very dark, gritty and true account of the final days of ww2 from the German perspective.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Attila
- 30-04-2017
The Road meets Cross of Iron
If you are interested in this you must start with Tiger Tracks. Wolfgang returns this time commander of his own panzer. Similar to Tiger Tracks but even darker and more grim. I doubt this is a real account as Wolfgang has a god's eye of all the action however for WW2 enthuastists you will get your fix.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 08-06-2021
Explosive story of the final days of the Wehrmacht
Fantastic graphic story of the fall of the Wehrmacht in the closing days and the escape from the Halbe pocket. Though the memoir aspect of this story should be taken with a grain of salt as its authenticity is questionable, it doesn’t detract from the reality it presents.
Feldwebel Wolfgang Faust and his Panther Ausf G push hard against heavy soviet pressure, and experience the cruelty of war and the desperation of survival. Read wonderful and spoken clearly with tone that suits the events. A must read for WW2 enthusiasts or for anyone curious on what the perspective of a German soldier was during the war. Five stars
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jake P
- 27-02-2019
An emotional and intense tale
This book was hard to get through, but I'm glad i did. it is a fierce and emotional story that gives a in depth perspective of war.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark
- 22-09-2016
An eye opener
What made the experience of listening to The Last Panther the most enjoyable?
The first hand account written by the soldier who survived it. The portrayal of the randomness of living or dying from moment to moment.The bravery and mindset of the author and his comrades as they faught to survive. The realism of the agony of war and the gratitude I have never experienced it.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Last Panther?
The whole story was harrowing and dramatic whilst being non fiction: waiting in the forest for three Joseph Stalin tanks to pass by.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
The whole book start to finish.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
From the other side; the true story of one young German Soldiers fight to survive in the last weeks of WW2
Any additional comments?
Makes me think the West in 2016 could never cope with War like this, most of us have no idea what true war is. This book is spectacular in it's authenticity, it's depiction of the horror and randomness of living or dying from moment to moment. The courage and mindset of the author and his comrades is from another time this truly is an eye opener. And for buffs of WW2Tanks and how they perform etc. the battle encounters are brought to life. The narrator does a first class job to his style and accent match this German soldiers story very well. Started the second listening as soon as I finished the first listen, will now purchase without a doubt the other book by the same author. All these comments are of course are directed to people who have a genuine interest in World War 2 and the experiences as told from all sides. 5 Stars.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-02-2018
A tanker’s perspective.
A non-stop furious race to escape the ‘reds’ and reach the west. A graphically detailed account with no let up. Provides an insight into what Germany was like as a starting point to evolve into the democratic nation we know today.
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