Darren Baker looks at a book release from Helion and Company titled ''Panzer Gunner From my Native Canada to the German Ostfront and Back'' that tells the life story of Bruno Friesen, a Canadian who ended up in the German army of WW2 as a Panzer gunner.

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Thanks!

Darren, thanks a lot for the review - this sounds fascinating on all kinds of levels, not just concerning the employment of armor. I‘ll certainly be picking up a copy.

Jerry

Thanks for your review Darren.

I read the paperback from Stackpole a few years ago and thereby learned a bit about tank gunnery!

The bits that were the most interesting to me: playing cat and mouse with T-34s in a Panzer IV, and using the Jagdpanzer IV in an ambush situation, taking full advantage of the L/70 against a JS-2.

What made me wonder, though, was how quick they were to abandon a tank and blow it up with a demolition charge, even after suffering only minor damage. In contrast to their Soviet counterparts, German tanks were few and precious. Yet, in one instance, the main gun having been damaged, the tank commander ordered the tank to be abandoned. Apparently he thought their chance of survival higher on foot than in a defenseless tank?

I also wondered about tank destruction especially as it meant most of the rounds for the MG34 had to be left in the destroyed tank.

Fascinating story here with a local twist: first came across the story several years back when this was a featured Military Book Club offering. Really need to track down a copy and finally read the whole thing.