The series of interviews that are the focus of this book do not provide a continuous account of the history of the Panzer Lehr Division, nor do they provide the context in which the actions described took place. I have, therefore, tried to provide the missing continuity with a very brief history of Panzer Lehr Division 130 and descriptions of the relevant military situations.
The scope of this volume precluded great detail in the division history. For such detail, the reader is referred to Jean-Claude Perrigault’s massive La Panzer-Lehr-Division, Le Choc des Alliés Brise l’Arme D’Elite de Hitler. Perrigault provides the definitive detailed history of the division, recognizing and utilizing previous histories along with extensive research in records and personal interviews and narratives. His account is richly rewarding reading. Helmut Ritgen’s Die Geschichte der Panzer Lehr Division im Westen 1944 1945 remains valuable. Ritgen’s personal narrative, Westfront 1944 overlaps his history of the division and has the advantage that it is also available in an English translation. Kurowski’s Die Panzer-Lehr-Division provides some colorful anecdotes and glimpses of action but is light on the facts.
Discussion of the larger military context rests largely on those works mentioned in the attached bibliography.