THE PANZER KILLERS

The story of Gen. Maurice Rose (1899-1945), whose division fought its way from Normandy to the German heartland during World War II.

Rose, who served as an infantry officer during World War I, had distinguished himself in the North African and Italian campaigns. “He led troops under fire, created battle plans, supervised the staff, ran the division command post, and even found time to negotiate a major German component’s surrender,” writes Bolger, who served in the Army for 35 years and earned five Bronze Stars. In August 1944, Rose was appointed to command of the 3rd Armored Division, with the Allied offensive stalled in the Normandy hedgerows. Rose, like Patton—who recommended him for command—believed in seeing what was going on with his own eyes. In Normandy, he immediately moved the division’s headquarters forward to be nearer the action; unlike the majority of generals even then, Rose routinely took his vehicle within range of enemy fire. The author follows his career from his assumption of command in Normandy through most of the major battles on the Western Front, where his division was routinely in the middle of the action. A highly private man who did not discuss personal matters even with his officers—and did not survive to write his postwar memoirs—Rose remains something of a mystery even at the end of the book. Bolger, who has himself commanded an armored division, gives a solid military insider’s view of how armor, infantry, artillery, and air support cooperate on the battlefield, with interesting details on the tactics and strategy of the battles on the Western Front. He also offers pointed observations about Rose’s relations with the major figures of the Allied war effort, including Montgomery, Patton, Eisenhower, Bradley, and other less-familiar figures.

A fascinating look at World War II as reflected in the career of an important yet largely forgotten Allied general.