Alfred Otte

The HG Panzer Division was written by Alfred Otte and originally published as „Die Weissen Spiegel” by Podzun-Pallas-Verlag with ISBN 3-7909-0185-7. This version was published in 1989 by Schiffer Publishing of West Chester, Pennsylvania. This version I reviewed was the first english language edition. The ISBN of this particular book is 0-88740-206-2. It is a hard back book and is 176 pages long. I purchased the book used from a seller on Amazon and paid $8.99 before taxes and shipping.

Alfred Otte appears to have been a member of the Hermann Göring Panzer Division (hereinafter HGPD) from what I had gleaned from the book. This appears to have been his only book published. He states that he had contributed many photos to the book.

I believe the best way to describe this book is to call it a photo essay. The book is packed with hundreds of photos, many from personal collections, detailing the HGPD in various activities. Each photo includes a description of the photograph. These are mostly photos of non-war activities such as parades, bivouacs, resting and the sort. As they are mostly photos of a personal nature, they offer kind of the “behind the scenes” look at the division.

Interspersed with the photographs is a history of the division, starting from their police detachment days in 1933 to the final days of the Riech in May of 1945. The unit history is brief, but in enough depth to place the unit at a place in time for further research.

With regards to format of information, here is my rundown.
Sources: There is no listing of sources for the information contained within the book.
Bibliography: Same as sources.
Appendixes: None are included, though there is some itemized lists at the end of the book that are de facto appendixes. These include: 1.) Chronology of development; 2.) List of commanders with dates and rank; 3.) List of Knight’s Cross holders.
Order of Battle: Scattered throughout the book are illustrations of the organizational charts for the various formations of the HGPD. These are hard to read and decipher.
Maps: I counted about 18 detailed maps depicting events of the HGPD.
Pictures: There are hundreds of pictures. Sixty-five were contributed by the author, and the rest by other former members or family. The contributors are listed in the introduction.
Index: There is no index provided, just a table of contents.

The overall impression of the book was that this was a very personal book to be written by the author. After reading it and viewing the pictures, you will have a good understanding of the division. As this is written by a veteran of the unit, the focus is on the accomplishments and events portraying the unit in a positive light. I bought the book to read, as I am reading about the battles in Africa and Sicily during World War II, and wanted information available specifically to the units that fought in these locations. This book did not disappoint. I would recommend the book to anyone researching this unit. There are few books on the market reasonably priced with information on the HGPD. This book offers you enough information on the unit to gain a knowledge of them and their movements,as well as a vast photo collection to accompany it.… (meer)