Customer Reviews
Great book - By: Luis Miguel Vale, 23 Nov 2007 
In my opinion this is one of the best books ever written about second world war. I have to say that i've read this book over twenty times, & i've got over three hundred books of second world war. If you are an enthusiast you must read this one. The most brilliant tactician.
Dull - By: , 07 Dec 2000 
When I bought this book, I was expecting great things. Previously I had read "Achtung Panzer" & "Panzer Leader" by Guderian, & was expecting much the same. However, Manstein was obviously a professional soldier & not a professional writer. This book was very dull, & I ended up not reallly caring as each chapter became my own personal battle just to finish it. Not recomended. Try one of Guderian's books, or von Mellenthin's "Panzer Battles" instead.
The Memoirs of One of Germany's finest Generals - By: , 09 Dec 1998 Manstein was undoubtedly one of Germany's best generals in the Second World War. Certainly one would have to compare him with Rommel, the "Star of Africa"( the only one to hold this honour apart from Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest scoring ace on the Western Front) & others like Ewald von Kleist & Ritter von Leeb. A brilliant tactician & strategist, his book covers a lot of important aspects of the both fronts. However he tends to neglect some aspects of his actions, like the dismissal of Count von Sponek & the debacle at Kursk. Despite alll that it is a must for alll military students & those who wish to get an insight into the life of one of Germany's greatest field marshals.
A Review of Manstein's Work - By: , 29 Oct 1997 With an emphasis on analysis seldom presented in a book this accessible, Manstein has presented his readers with a rich history of his activities in the Second World War. The majority of the book is devoted to his greatest operational achievement, the successful withdrawal of several German army groups on the Southern end of the Russian front after the defeat at Stalingrad. There are moments in the recounting of this operation when the reader can fully appreciate the difficulties confronting Manstein & his staff; the tension, always understated by the author, becomes palpable, if only because of what he does not say. Lost Victories is a glimpse into one of the most brilliant military minds of this century & a book not to be missed.
Personal war memoir of Hitler's most outstanding general - By: , 11 Mar 1997 Erich Von Manstein played a part in planning some of Nazi Germany's most stunning military triumphs, from the technicallly brilliant "Sichselschnitt" plan that destroyed the French Army in May of 1940, to the bloody Crimean Campaign of 1942.
Manstein's book is that of a professional military officer. He devotes a great deal of time to explaining the mechanics of planning an executing military strategy. His character portraits of his military colleagues lack the punch that a more independent military writer would give them; even his analysis of Adolf Hitler as a military commander is somewhat colorless. The one personal touch in the book is Manstein's account of the death of his son, fighting as a junior officer in a unit under his command.
