I bought this on my Kindle from Amazon's suggestions, you know you read this book and you might like this book. The suggestions are generally right, which translates into me buying more books. Though that it not such a bad thing as I might not have read this book. I enjoyed it immensely.
A short synopsis is that his parents were ethnic Germans that had settled in the Ukraine and then his family immigrated to Canada. In the Author's early teens, his father wanted to be part of a greater Germany, the father listened to all the propaganda and wished to be part of the Third Reich. So they immigrated to Germany in 1939 He then was drafted into the Heer in 1943. He served with the 25th Panzer Regiment, 7th Panzer Division and was a gunner in both PzKw IVs and Jagdpanzer IVs.
I am sure we have read about combat encounters and large/small unit actions before. This book certainly deals with small tanks battles, which easily could be used for creating miniature scenarios. though what I most liked was the day to day narratives. He wrote about the process of being found fit for duty. All of the training was fascinating too One has read about boot camp experiences through the eyes of the GI, but this was the first book that I had read from a German soldier's perspective. I do not want you to think that this book is not a combat narrative, because it is. There were aspects of the German soldier that I now know more about because of this book.
I would highly recommend this book, especially the Kindle version. It is $21 cheaper than the hardcover. I always like a good deal especially when it involves a good book.
Mike
