Tiger Battalion 507: Eyewitness Accounts from Hitler's Regiment

Helmut Schneider

Aug 2020 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Chris MacDonnell

About this audiobook

This is the little-known story of Heavy Panzer (Tiger) Battalion 507 told through the recollections of the men who fought with the unit. The book was conceived during a reunion of the "507" at Rohrdorf in 1982, where it was agreed to set up an editorial committee under Helmut Schneider, himself a veteran of the battalion, to search for as many survivors of the unit as possible and gather their reminiscences. The resulting account is a treasure trove of first-hand material, including personal memories, diary entries, and letters. The account follows the unit from its formation in 1943 and the catastrophic events on the Eastern Front, through battles on the Western Front and engagements against the American 3rd Armoured Division to the confusion of retreat, panic-stricken flight and Soviet captivity in the closing stages of the war. Honest and unflinching, this remarkable collection of autobiographies offers a glimpse into life in Hitler's panzer division and is a stark testimony of a generation that sacrificed its best years to the war.

About the author

Aged nineteen, Helmut Schneider volunteered for the Panzer Arm in March 1941. He was one of the first five men sent to the Eastern Front. He next moved on to the panzer grenadiers where he was sent to fight the US Army on the Western Front. His decorations included the Panzer Assault Badge and the Iron Cross Second Class.

Chris MacDonnell is a classically trained actor who holds a degree from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. His theater credits include London's West End and the Royal National Theatre, and he has been featured in British TV shows, BBC radio-drama, commercials, and films. Chris now lives in Southern California.

Robert Forczyk retired as a lieutenant colonel from the US Army Reserves after serving as an armor officer, then as an intelligence officer. Dr. Forczyk has worked for three decades in the defense field and currently serves as a cybersecurity consultant in the Washington DC area.