Franz Kurowski – författare

In his latest account of German soldiers in combat in World War II, Franz Kurowski journeys into the desert with the Afrika Korps, graphically depicting what it was like to sweat beneath the African sun, to taste the gritty sand, to serve under a brilliant commander like Erwin Rommel. From 1941 to 1943, this fighting force waged an impressive campaign that turned Rommel into the Desert Fox and secured the Afrika Korps a legendary place in military history. The Afrika Korps deployed to Africa as Germany’s Italian allies teetered on the brink of collapse in early 1941. With high spirit and aggressive courage, the Afrika Korps roared into action and battled the British back and forth across the Western Desert--at places like El Agheila, Gazala, Tobruk, and El Alamein--for much of the next two years. The campaign then shifted into Tunisia, where the British onslaught combined with the arrival of the Americans and growing supply difficulties to force the Afrika Korps to surrender in May 1943. Kurowski’s narrative focuses on the men who did the fighting, who endured not only enemy attacks but also the extremes of the desert climate, who experienced moments of sheer terror as well as occasions of humor, who saw war’s savagery and its surprising, if brief, civility, and who counted themselves proud to be members of Germany’s Afrika Korps.

With the same drama and attention to detail that made Panzer Aces and Panzer Aces II such thrilling reads, Franz Kurowski tells the stories of more German armoured officers during World War II. Extensively researched, these gripping accounts follow panzer crews into some of the bloodiest engagements of the war, from the deserts of North Africa, the monumental battle of Kursk, and the hedgerows of France to frightening clashes in the black of night on the Eastern Front.About the AuthorFranz Kurowski served as a reporter in the German Army in World War II and is also the author of Jump into Hell and Infantry Aces.

The panzergrenadiers were the foot soldiers who went into battle alongside the Third Reich’s feared tanks. Whether in the Wehrmacht or Waffen-SS, these troops endured all the horrors of infantry combat--fighting hand-to-hand, storming enemy positions, and rescuing fallen comrades--but they did so in the shadow of thundering giants like the Tiger and Panther. Kurowski tells the stories of some of the very best of these mechanised infantrymen, bringing them and their actions to life.About the AuthorFranz Kurowski served as a reporter in the German Army in World War II and is also the author of Jump into Hell and Infantry Aces.

Before the German blitzkrieg stormed across Europe in 1939-40, a group of elite soldiers prepared the way by seizing bridges and other strategic targets ahead of the attack. In the following years, these warrior-spies, known as the Brandenburgers, operated behind enemy lines around the globe, from Russia and Yugoslavia to Egypt, Iraq, and India, often bending the rules of war while completing their daring covert missions. Trained to mobile and independent, steeped in foreign languages and customs, and expert in numerous military specialties, the Brandenburgers influenced the world’s special forces long after World War II.

With speed, violence, and deadly power, heavily armored tanks spearheaded the German blitzkrieg that stormed across Europe in 1939. Tracks rattling and engines roaring, these lethal machines engaged in some of the fiercest fighting of World War II, from the beaches of Normandy and the Ardennes forest to the snow-encrusted eastern front. In this reprint of the hugely popular book, prolific author Franz Kurowski tells the gritty, action-packed stories of six of the most daring and successful officers ever to command Panzers, including Michael Wittmann, Hans Bolter, Hermann Bix, and others. Timelines mark the milestones of each officer's career.

With the same drama and excitement as Panzer Aces, Panzer Aces II relates the combat careers of six more decorated German Panzer officers. Extensively researched, these gripping accounts follow the men and their tanks across three continents into some of World War II’s bloodiest engagements. They campaigned with Rommel in the deserts of North Africa, participated in the monumental tank battle at Kursk, and, maneuvering only by muzzle flashes, fought frightening small-unit contests in the dark of night. Master tacticians and gutsy leaders, these men, including Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski, Kurt Knispel, Karl Nicolussi-Leck, and others, are legends.

Combat stories of eight German infantry soldiers: one paratrooper, two members of the Waffen-SS, and five members of the Wehrmacht A concluding chapter examines infantry tactics This is an authentic account of German infantry aces, common foot soldiers who were thrust into a blazing maelstrom of bloody horror the world had never seen. On the frozen Russian steppes, under the scorching African desert sun, and in the final desperate battles, they were outnumbered and outgunned and faced impossible odds. Here are the fascinating stories of the men who stared death in the face during some of the most brutal battles ever waged.

Following the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, Germany was not permitted to build or operate submarines. However, clandestine training took place on Finnish and Spanish submarines and U-boats were still built to German designs in Dutch yards.At the outset of the Second World War, Admiral Karl Doenitz argued for a 300-strong U-boat fleet, since his force of fifty-seven assorted U-boats could not materially affect British seaborne trade on their own. In August 1939, _U-48_ left Germany, commanded by Kapitanleutnant Herbert 'Vaddi' Schultze, to take up a waiting position around the British coast.It scored its first success on 5 September, when it torpedoed the British freighter _Royal Sceptre_, followed by _Winkleigh_ on 8 September. On both occasions, the first of many, Schultze showed himself to be a notable humanitarian: he addressed signals to Churchill giving positions of the sinkings so that crews could be saved.By 1 August 1941, _U-48_, the most successful U-boat of the Second World War, had sunk fifty-six merchant ships, of 322,478 gross tons, and one corvette. She was then transferred to the Baltic as a training boat. Schultze became commander of operations at 3 U-Flotilla, before being appointed commander of II/Naval College Schleswig. He died in 1987 at the age of 78\._U-48_ was scuttled on 3 May 1945.